What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by indulging your love of language? Come to the monthly Editors Kingston twig gathering on February 14 for collegial company, networking, snacks—and the inaugural meeting of the Editing Canadian English book club.
The third edition of this flagship publication of Editors Canada was published in hardcover by UBC Press in 2016 and was recently released as an ebook, available in all major formats, at the bargain price of $9.99 (or less).
The suggestions in this chapter point to ways to avoid expressions that are insensitive of offensive and thus support bias. We have focused on four specific areas: ethnicity and race; gender; sexual orientation; and disability. In addition to these, the chapter looks at how plain language supports a style of writing that is more inclusive.
—Editing Canadian English 3, Chapter 2
ECE3 (as it is affectionately known) is subtitled “A guide for editors, writers, and everyone who works with words.” If that includes you, come join us! We’ll be exploring chapters 2 and 4: “Inclusivity” and “Compounds and Hyphenation,” respectively. (Reading the chapters in advance is encouraged but not required.) If you have a copy, bring it along. If not, that’s fine; there will be a few extras on hand, and we can project the ebook on our screen.
(But, really, at under ten bucks, why not pick one up? See the Editors Canada website for details & links.)
Hyphens are necessary evils. They should therefore be used only when necessary.
—Theodore M. Bernstein, as quoted in Editing Canadian English 3, Chapter 4
Update on Meeting Fees
After much discussion and with overwhelming support from the group, we’ve decided that, beginning with our March gathering, to ask nonmembers of Editors Canada to pay $5 each to help cover the costs of room rental, gift cards for speakers, and refreshments. Newcomers will be invited to attend their first meeting for free.
(The February get-together will be one last free-for-everyone meeting.)
Join Us!
We meet at the usual place and time:
Ongwanada Resource Centre, 191 Portsmouth Avenue
7 to 9 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30)
Light refreshments
Both Editors Canada members and non-members welcome