May 2026 Editors Victoria

President’s report 

By Margaret Trudgeon 

April has been another busy month for Editors Victoria.  

First, we have some exciting news: one of our esteemed committee members, Jenn Zabinskas, has recently had a baby, and both mother and son are doing well. Little Kiran Xavier Zabinskas was born on 18 April at the Royal Women’s Hospital, entering the world a bit ahead of time. We wish Jenn, Kiran and family all the best for the coming days, months and years! 

We’re also coming down from a bit of a high after our successful “Ask an editor” (to Story 2 in the issue if possible. If internal anchors aren’t possible in the EDM, leave unlinked.) session yesterday. Forty-six people attended the online session, dialling in from all around Victoria and beyond. Duncan Hale, our current student advisor, seamlessly moderated the questions from the audience and conducted the conversation between our three eloquent panellists – Steph Huddleston, Christine Bayley and Thirangie Jayatilake. They spoke about their experiences of finding work within the editing industry and their thoughts on current and future impacts of things such as AI. It was a very interesting and inspiring event. (And it’s good to note that overall feelings were that AI isn’t coming out as the winner when it comes to editing – people still need that human interaction and nuance that defines good quality editing.) 

There were a few salient points made during the discussion that had people vigorously nodding their heads, one of which was the value of volunteering as a way to raise your profile and stay connected with the editing community. These can include volunteering at literary festivals, taking on internships and, of course, joining IPEd and attending our various events and PD! We’ll be organising another networking lunch soon to encourage people to make that connection. The EdVic committee is also looking for some new committee members to take on some key positions, such as PD, Secretary and Events for our next term (2026–27). So, if you have any interest in taking on one of these, please contact me and let me know (edvic.president@iped-editors.org). 

We have great plans for May with 2 unmissable events coming up: on 12 May, Jessie Kindig, senior editor at Yale University Press and contributing editor at Lux magazine, will speak online on “Editing as a feminist: publishing, literature and social change”, which should be a compelling event. She’s out here for the Melbourne Writers Festival and has offered IPEd this golden opportunity to hear her speak. 

Then on 26 May, Zia Rachko-Knight, senior content developer at Pearson Australia, will talk about educational publishing and the potential impacts of AI, in “The clever country? Australian educational publishing in the age of AI”. As an editor of educational books, I’m really looking forward to hearing about this topic! Kylie Howard has written a short piece this month on both these events and you can book for either or both events via MemNet (linked). 

Editors Victoria May 2026 speaker events 

By Kylie Howard 

Editors Victoria is delighted to be hosting 2 fabulous speaker events in May: “Editing as a feminist: publishing, literature and social change” with Jessie Kindig, senior editor at Yale University Press, and “The clever country? Australian educational publishing in the age of AI” with Zia Rachko-Knight, senior content developer at Pearson. 

Jessie Kindig will join us on Tuesday 12 May during her visit to Australia, where she is speaking at the Melbourne Writers Festival. She will draw on her experience at Yale University Press and Verso Books and her work as a contributing editor for the feminist magazine Lux, to explore the connections between feminist practice and editing, literature and activism, publishing and social commitment. 

On Tuesday 26 May, Zia Rachko-Knight will talk about educational publishing and her experience working for a multinational publisher in 2026. Zia has worked in the publishing industry for over 15 years, editing nonfiction and educational content. She will cover the coexistence of print and digital publications, working with third-party vendors, the use of AI and the future of Australian educational publishing. 

Both events are sure to be popular. To secure your spot, follow the links below. 

• Editing as a feminist: publishing, literature and social change with Jessie Kindig 
• The clever country? Australian educational publishing in the age of AI with Zia Rachko-Knight 

Central Victoria editors lunch  

There were 6 of us at the central Victoria editors lunch in Ballarat on 16 April.  

The value of face-to-face gatherings was highlighted as 3 experienced editors were privileged to share information, insights and advice with 2 new editors and one guest on topics that included tricky clients, contracts, life story telling, fiction and academic editing and the ever perennial “how to find work” question. (One hint: get everything possible from your IPEd membership by going to in-person events and joining PD sessions and a committee.)