President’s report
By Margaret Trudgeon AE
Welcome to new member Russell Pritchard (Associate Member)
The year is getting into full swing as we head to the end of summer. I hope everyone has survived the heat okay. I had a very relaxing holiday on the Surf Coast recently, although there was one day with active bushfire alerts, which really highlighted for me just how fragile the environment is. Fortunately the day passed without incident for us and we were back to the usual holiday activities of going to the beach and reading books.
The Editors Victoria committee is currently hard at work organising events and workshops for the year, along with the numerous administrative jobs that fall at this time of year, including the budget.
At our last meeting, the committee appointed Donald Ritchie as our new Victorian IPEd Director on the IPEd Board. Congratulations to Donald! You can read his short biography next:
Victorian IPEd Director
Donald Ritchie, BA (Communications), LLB, LLM
“I’m a freelance editor specialising in nonfiction work for government, NGOs, law and academia. I’m an admitted lawyer with a Master of Laws in Criminology, having practised law before working in policy for 10 years and courts governance for 5. I completed the Company Directors Course through the AICD, strengthening my understanding of governance, risk, financial oversight and strategy. As principal advisor to the Chief Judge, I served on boards and committees and acted as the Chief Judge’s representative for 5 years.
This required sound judgement and stakeholder management, and I gained experience in policy development, change management and organisational reform. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute these skills to the IPEd Board.”
Events to look forward to
We have a few speaker events to look forward to and a networking lunch on 12 March at our regular Fitzroy cafe, Arcadia. Please come along. If you have any curiosity about the committee or would even like to join it in some capacity, we would love to see you. Or if you have any burning editing questions you’ve always wanted to ask, it’s a great opportunity to bring them up. In February there was a regional get-together in the Castlemaine area, with more planned for the year.
In early April our new student advisor, Duncan Hale, will host his first student cuppa. Current editing students are invited to attend online and ask a panel of editors questions about the industry. Duncan is currently working alongside our projects and outreach officer, Susan Keogh DE, on the theme for the event and they will be looking for interested panellists in the near future. Keep an eye on this space for further details.
Coming up on 5 March is Professor Jeanine Leane’s speaker event on the challenges and approaches to editing anthologies with diverse voices. Don’t miss out on this informative event with the Wiradjuri poet, author and essayist, who will talk about fostering inclusivity and cultural sensitivity within anthologies.
We are also hoping to have a talk on educational publishing in April. Watch the IPEd emails, socials and the Gatherings listing for any further information on this.
We will be working on lots of speaker events for the year, along with more opportunities for in-person get-togethers. We’d also love to run an event where editors can meet with authors and publishers to foster work connections.
Nonfiction titles Editors Victoria members recommend
Interested in the lives of other “word people”? Try reading these books:
- Literary lion tamers: book editors who made publishing history by Craig Munro, published by Scribe
- Greek to me: adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris, published by Text Publishing (* not Australian)
- Writers on writers (14-book series), published by Black Inc.
- Books that made us: writers and novels that have shaped Australia, companion to the ABC TV series, by Carl Reinecke, published by HarperCollins
- The Countess of Kirribilli: the mysterious and free-spirited literary sensation who beguiled the world by Joyce Morgan, published by Allen & Unwin
- Searching for Charlotte: the fascinating story of Australia’s first children’s author by Belinda Murrell and Kate Forsyth, published by National Library of Australia
- The word detective: searching for the meaning of it all at the Oxford English Dictionary – a memoir by John Simpson, published by Hachette (* not Australian)
- Looking for Elizabeth: the life of Elizabeth Harrower by Helen Trinca, published by Black Inc.; and Elizabeth Harrower: the woman in the watchtower by Susan Wyndham, published by NewSouth Publishing
- Inconvenient women: Australian radical writers 1900–1970 by Jacqueline Kent, published by NewSouth Publishing
- Always home, always homesick: a memoir by Hannah Kent, published by Pan Macmillan Australia
- Miles Franklin undercover by Kerrie Davies, published by Allen & Unwin
Do you have another book about a word person that we can add to the list? Send details to edvic.communication@iped-editors.org.
Stella: the musical
Editors Victoria members may recall that at the 2024 annual branch meeting, we were joined by our special guest, Monique diMattina. During her presentation, Monique – an acclaimed composer and lyricist – provided a fascinating look into her creative process, discussing how she approached editing her work for the stage and sharing sneak preview clips of her latest project.
That project, Stella: the musical, will have its premiere season at the Alexander Theatre, Monash University, running from 12 to 20 June 2026.
The musical brings to life the story of iconic Australian author Stella Miles Franklin.
For those interested in hearing more from Monique and the creative team, the performance on Thursday, 18 June 2026 at 6.30 pm will be followed by a Q&A session.
Tickets for the season are available now via the Monash Performing Arts Centre website.