From the President
Our August event is our Branch General Meeting. This is an opportunity for you to quiz the branch committee on what we’ve been doing for the past year and perhaps tell us what you think we should be doing instead. It’s also a formal opportunity for you to join the committee (I say a formal opportunity because in reality you can join at any time).
Our long-time Secretary, Sheelagh Wegman, is stepping down from the role, although she has agreed to remain on the committee, at least until after the conference. Our Accreditation Board member, Vicki Nelson, is also stepping down from the Board — if you are an Accredited or Distinguished Editor and would be interested in this role, please get in touch to learn more about what’s involved. The position of Tasmanian delegate to the IPEd Board is also vacant — I’ve previously thanked Rowena Austin for her sterling service. For more information about any of these roles, please contact me at edtas.president@iped-editors.org.
Elizabeth Spiegel AE
President, Editors Tasmania
Longest night book chat
For the past several years, Tasmanian editors have gathered on or around the date of the winter solstice to talk about books: books we’ve edited, books we’ve read. This was the first time we’d ever tried it via Zoom — a channel that allowed us to extend the invitation to our interstate colleagues.
We also took the opportunity to hear about the kind of work other members were doing and some of their challenges. It’s easy to feel isolated, so it’s heartening to hear that even experienced editors face new challenges with both manuscripts and authors.
The books recommended reflect the wide range of editors’ interests, and included:
- Reinventing the Wheel: Milk, Microbes and the Fight for Real Cheese, by Bronwen and Francis Percival
- Take Shelter, by Ali Corke
- Prick with a Fork, by Larissa Dubecki
- Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
- Searching for the Secret River, by Kate Grenville
- Bruny, by Heather Rose
- Radio Girl, by David Duffy
- The Nowhere Child, by Christian White
- Secret Network of Nature, by Peter Wohlleben
- The Overstory, by Richard Powers
- Australian Magpie, by Gisela Kaplan
- The Girl from Munich and its sequel Suitcase of Dreams, by Tania Blanchard.
The only one of these I had read before (many, many years ago) was Fahrenheit 451. I’ve already borrowed a couple of the others from the State Library and have three more on hold.
Next year perhaps anyone arriving early for the conference will be able to join us.
Elizabeth Spiegel AE