Editors 24: Connection, Community, and Compassion

by Laura Jones

The flight to Vancouver is stunning. If you’re lucky enough to fly in from the east on a day without too many clouds, you will see the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains below, stretching beyond the wing of the plane to the horizon.

It was a Thursday, and I was flying to the Editors Canada conference in Vancouver. The conference was called “Present Progressive: Passion, Precision, and Purpose,” and it was “brought to you by the letter P.” However, as I flew over the Rockies, there was only one “P word” that described my current state of mind: panic.

After weeks of indecision, I had signed up for the conference. In the weeks leading up to it, my sense of imposter syndrome grew, and by the time I flew over that gorgeous view of the Rockies, I had convinced myself that I would be the only “fake” editor among a plethora of “real” editors. While I had graduated a year before from TMU’s publishing certificate program and had also spent the past 14 months working as a copy editor, I was still building my freelance business, and I was aware that I would be interacting with far more experienced editors.

However, within a few days, I was convinced that the conference theme, for me, was centred around the letter C. What I got from the conference was connection, community, and compassion, and I left with gratitude that I had found the courage to attend.

Connection

Friday was the day for pre-conference activities, and it ended up being my favourite day of the conference. Only a small group was there for the first networking event and the welcome ceremony, which allowed me to really connect with a few editors. We listened in rapt silence to some moving poetry readings before going our separate ways for lunch.

I planned to take a break in the afternoon and strike off on my own, but two editors kindly invited me to lunch with them. We spent the entire afternoon together, wandering through downtown Vancouver to a pen shop and several book shops before pausing for lemonade. We found that we shared some similar life experiences in addition to our love of language, and getting to know these two editors was one of the highlights of the conference for me.

The three of us went to a reception at Greystone Books and had the chance to meet even more editors. This group was larger and more boisterous, but also incredibly friendly. The day was so positive that it ended up filling me with confidence before the conference itself started. I had hesitated before saying yes to lunch, but I’m so glad that I made the most of my conference experience by connecting with those two editors.

Community

By Saturday, I had met so many wonderful people that someone said to me, “You’re a hub! You know everyone!” Like many editors, I consider myself to be introverted, so this may have been the first time in my life that someone described me as a social hub. I can’t take too much credit for earning this description—if anything, it speaks to just how friendly and welcoming the editing community is.

As I sat and learned about topics, from boundaries for editors to productivity tips, I did not feel out of place as I had expected. Instead, I felt as if I had found my community. It was incredible to be surrounded by people who were so similar to me, not only through our shared career, but also often in temperament.

Compassion

The thing that stood out to me about the conference was the generosity of the editing community. As someone relatively new to the editing field, I felt I learned so much from not only the conference sessions but also from conversing with more experienced editors. Everyone was generous with their time and their knowledge, but beyond that, the editors I met were also generous with their kindness. While I was a new editor, I was never made to feel inferior in any way, and I left the conference feeling exhausted but inspired.

As I listened to the closing keynote, I knew I was leaving the conference with a better understanding of my personal career goals and how to achieve them, and some blossoming friendships. While the conference sessions were useful, my main takeaway from the conference was that the editing community is kind and resourceful. The editing industry in Canada is in great hands.

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Laura Jones is a freelance editor based in Montreal.

This article was copy edited by Cindy Liang (she/her), a freelance copy editor and undergrad student in English and Book and Media Studies at the University of Toronto.