President’s report
by Margaret Trudgeon AE
Wow, I can’t believe it’s November already! Where has the year gone? October was quite a busy month for me and the Editors Victoria team.
EdVic held a fascinating talk on the life of a ghostwriter, where Liam Pieper told us what he could on the topic without giving away the identities of his many subjects. Just think major sports stars and others who are prominent in their field but maybe wouldn’t be so good at putting their life stories directly on the page. It sounds like a very interesting and potentially lucrative way to earn a living, if you don’t mind the anonymity of it all. Kylie Howard has written an enlightening report on the event, for which the recording is now available.
I’ve also been involved in a couple of student-focused events, along with advertising for our next student advisor. First off, EdVic hosted a table at the RMIT Odyssey Festival on 24 October. Over the course of the day, a small but dedicated crew of current and past committee members promoted IPEd and its many offerings for editing students, both current and graduating. There was quite a bit of interest in the workshops we offer, along with the current student membership deal. It was a fun day spent at the Capitol Theatre in town; it’s always nice to talk to students who are full of ambition and energy! Special thanks to Bridget Blair AE, Carol Goudie AE and Sophia Chan, who helped out answering questions and giving away bookmarks. Thanks also to Joyce Protacio, one of our comms officers, and Amber Hall, a key organiser of the festival, who ushered people our way. Hopefully we can make this an annual EdVic gig.
Then on 30 October we hosted our free online biannual student cuppa. The theme was “Now what?” and it featured 3 panellists – Sophia Chan, Rachel Chopping and Lucinda Naughton – moderated by our current student advisor, Amber Hall. The trio answered questions from the audience and spoke about how they went about getting employment in publishing or related industries.
As we roll into November, we are gearing up for some in-person social events. Firstly, there is the networking lunch on 7 November, which is now booked out. This is the most popular lunch we’ve had in a few years. Maybe the conference has got people interested in getting out and about again! It’s great to see and I’m looking forward to chatting to everyone who comes along.
Also, in the run-up to Christmas we are having our end-of-year event with Professor Clare Wright OAM on Wednesday 26 November at the Gertrude Hotel in Fitzroy. Clare will be in conversation with Comms Officer Cecile Shanahan on the theme of “Writing democracy”. Clare is the author of 5 works of history, including the best selling The forgotten rebels of Eureka (winner of the 2014 Stella Prize) and You daughters of freedom. Her latest book, and the final instalment in her democracy trilogy, is the highly acclaimed Ṉäku Dhäruk: the bark petitions, which has won multiple awards and was longlisted for a Walkley Award. Her books will also be available for sale on the night, courtesy of Brunswick Street Bookstore. Get your books personally signed by Clare! Food and one drink are included in the price. We would love to see you there.
If you’re keen to attend an online event, we also have Alicia Leigh presenting a talk on editing trauma-related material on 13 November, titled “Editing first aid: a trauma-informed approach to words, writers and wounds”. And we are running a return of the popular workshop on point of view with Nadine Davidoff, in 2 parts on 5 and 12 November.
I hope you can make some of the events!
Welcome to our new Editors Victoria members:
Associate members
- Shelley Brown
- Ana Jacobsen
Student and Graduate members
- Julie Anderson
Meet the committee
Aidan Demmers, Professional Development Officer
Aidan Demmers (they/he) is the new PD officer for Editors Victoria. He is an author and editor with a BFA in Creative Writing from the Queensland University of Technology, newly based in Naarm. For the past 3 years, they have worked as a freelance and in-house editor and proofreader, and they currently create and edit newspaper puzzles part time. His favourite genres are sci-fi, fantasy and anything involving monsters.
Carol Goudie AE, Professional Development subcommittee member
Carol is a Naarm/Melbourne-based freelancer with 15 years’ experience editing nonfiction books for Australian publishers. Carol joined IPEd in 2011, helped organise the IPEd conference in Melbourne in 2019 and was a member of the Standing Committee on Awards and Prizes from 2019 to 2023, co-chairing SCAP in 2022. Carol gained IPEd accreditation in 2021.