Hibernation ending for Editors WA committee?
by Catherine Macdonald
Many of you will have seen the invitation to a pop-up meeting at former branch president Kerry Coyle’s home on 20 June. A dozen or so of you attended and had a very lively discussion, by all accounts. The result is that there is still interest in maintaining a WA branch of IPEd and plenty of goodwill. We hope the positive sentiments can be converted into actions in the coming months.
On a tangible level, we are happy to announce a new candidate for WA branch president, Jess Gately. Jess has volunteered to take on the role of revitalising the WA branch and the committee will confirm her appointment at its next meeting, likely in early August. She will need all the support we can give her, so please be prepared to offer your help if she asks for it.
Jess is a freelance editor who recently completed her Master’s degree, majoring in professional writing and publishing at Curtin University. She currently works with such organisations as Underground Writers, Night Parrot Press, Aurealis Magazine and Writing WA. She looks forward to meeting and supporting more of the editing community in WA and hopes to be a strong representative for our branch.
Some of you will have met Jess at EdWA’s November members’ meeting, where she discussed the Facebook group she fronts: Emerging Editors of WA. Jess brings great energy and enthusiasm to our branch, and we look forward to working with her to form a strong, cohesive committee.
Preparation for the accreditation exam
The biennial IPEd accreditation exam is scheduled for 5 December 2020. There is strong interest among WA branch members, with 10 participating in the three-part online preparation workshop held on three weekends in July. Our WA Accreditation Board delegate, Dr Catherine Macdonald AE, was a presenter of this interactive workshop. Demand exceeded our ability to supply places for the first online workshop series, so a second will be held, starting on 29 August 2020. Places are already filling up for this course, so book soon if you intend to take the exam this year.