Editors Atlantic
Editors Atlantic—formerly Editors Nova Scotia and Editors Newfoundland and Labrador—is the Atlantic contigent of Editors Canada, representing members living in the unceded territory of, among others, the Haudenosaunee, Mi’kmaq, Acadian, Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Peskotomuhkatiyik (Passamaquoddy), Innuit, Innu, Ojibwe, and Wendat (Huron) nations, or what are now known as the four Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island).
Our editors span all genres, mediums, and types of editing, from government reports and legal documents to high fantasy, speculative fiction, and role-playing games. If you’re looking to hire an editor, you’ve come to the right place.
We regularly run workshops and presentations for our members, all of which are hosted online to improve accessibility regardless of our members’ locations or restrictions. We also host less formal socials from time to time, both online and in person, so our members can build a community of local colleagues.
Despite the large distances, our members stay connected through virtual events, workshops, and socials, as well as our regional spirit and shared experiences of living and working on Canada’s eastern shores.
Editors Atlantic’s current co-chairs are Margo Grant, Molly Rookwood, and Heather White.
Our History
In June 2021, the Nova Scotia and Editors Newfoundland and Labrador twigs (twig: smaller than a branch) merged to become Editors Atlantic. The 2021 chairs of Editors Nova Scotia—Margo Grant and Molly Rookwood—realized that, as the twig also represented New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island members, it was not accurately named or properly inclusive of its members. They met with Editors Newfoundland and Labrador chair Sandy Newton to discuss the formation of a regional Atlantic twig, and, with the overwhelming support from the members of both twigs, Editors Atlantic was formed.
History of Editors Nova Scotia
Editors Nova Scotia arose from the hard work of several dedicated editors. Nancy Holland approached a local group of editors, including Christine Beevis-Trickett, with the idea of forming the twig in anticipation of bidding to host the 2013 Editors Canada conference in Halifax.
The group met at the Halifax Central Library and voted to submit a twig application to the national executive council, with Nancy and Christine co-chairing (or co-coordinating, as it was then called). Not long after, Editors Nova Scotia was formed, and the 2013 Editors Canada conference took place in Halifax.
In the years that followed, Editors Nova Scotia supported editors from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island through local get-togethers and presentations. As virtual meeting technology improved, Editors Nova Scotia was able to better serve its members across the region by hosting events online as well as in person.
History of Editors Newfoundland and Labrador
In 2012, three editors in Newfoundland and Labrador (Sandy Newton, Marnie Parsons, and Claire Wilkshire) met in St. John’s to explore how to bring more editors together in person to talk about issues, successes, and challenges of editing on the Rock—and to just generally hobnob in a collegial way. The province had only two Editors Canada members at the time.
The events hosted as a result of that meeting attracted interest from other local editors. Soon, provincial membership in Editors Canada had grown enough that Claire and Sandy applied to establish a twig. The request was granted, and Editors Newfoundland and Labrador held its first meeting in St. John’s in October 2013.
Several years of activity followed. Twig membership remained at just a handful, but interest from the larger community was steady. Then Covid-19 arrived, and, like groups across the country, the twig shifted its activities online, where better options for meeting and sharing existed. This also meant that, in 2021 when the opportunity to join with the other Atlantic provinces in a larger twig arose, Editors NL felt the time was right to join forces in a pan–Atlantic Canada group.