Experience: Work Experience and Education

The first half of this web page covers work experience—freelance business clients and employers. The second half of this web page covers education—early education, certificates, and memberships, and highlights from committee work and continual professional development.

For more details about any subject, publication, or skill noted in the listings under Work Experience, below, contact me.

Work Experience

Freelance Business Clients

I am a freelance writer and editor who specializes in education, plain language, and stories. I work for a variety of clients—institutes, governments and NGOs, publishers, corporations, and individuals—to meet their needs. Clients have included the following (in alphabetical order):

• Annick Press—writing, developmental editing, field-testing, copy-editing, proofreading, indexing, and project managing for various books (and see also Employers, later) for toddlers to youth including:
  • proofreading, indexing, and research for books by and about youth about sexuality, The Little Black Book for Girlz and The Little Black Book for Guys
  • developmental editing and field-testing for The Seventh Expert book and game
  • proofreading for Follow Your Money about financial literacy
  • writing Follow Your Money teacher’s guide
  • copy-editing for Baseballogy (about baseball statistics, history, highlights, trivia)
  • proofreading and layout review for Fatty Legs (memoir about residential schools)
• Annick Press and Toronto Public Library—developmental editing for The Research Virtuoso, revised edition, for college, university, and high school students
• Art Canada Institute—proofreading for print art books, online art books, and online activities, and copy-editing for online teacher resource guides—about artists such as Emily Carr, Walter Allward, Homer Watson, Pitseolak Ashoona, Greg Curnoe, Kazuo Nakamura, and others
• Canadian Academy of Health Sciences—plain language assessment for stakeholder engagement materials
• Decoding Dyslexia Ontario (DDON)—plain language consultation and structural and stylistic editing for the Ontario advocacy group for its Decoding Dyslexia Tool Kit for parents about dyslexia, learning disabilities, education, and advocacy
• East Coast Studios/Rourke Press—developmental editing and proofreading for a series of trade map and information books about Canadian provinces and territories
• Formac Publishing Company Limited—developmental editing for a book for 10-12 year olds, for this Halifax-based publisher
• Gage Educational Publishing—developmental editing for the Wine Manual, a college training text for students in the food and hospitality industry; developmental editing for Dimensions II, English literature anthology for high school students
• GoodMinds and Pearson Canada—editing, writing, and researching for Aboriginal Beliefs, Values, and Aspirations, textbook for grade 11 Native Studies textbook contracted by the Ontario Ministry of Education with GoodMinds (based on Six Nations, in Ontario) and Pearson and working with Indigenous authors, consultants, and reviewers across Canada (and see also Employers, later)
• Harcourt Canada—production editing the Tapestry series (Geography and History for grade 4 to 6 students and teachers); writing, editing, and research for the revised Tapestry series (for the revised Ontario curriculum); writing, editing, and research for the Perspectives In… series of Language Arts anthologies and teacher guides (and see also Employers, later)
• HarperCollins Publishers—proofreading various books, such as Kenneth Oppel’s Silverwings
• Insurance Institute of Canada—developmental editing for textbooks and online courses for professional development
• JUMP Math—plain-language writing for and developmental editing of manuscripts by academics, class teachers, and other subject experts for teaching lessons and student workbooks for the United States Common Core Math curriculum for grades 1, 2, 3, 5, 8; to inform, engage, and support general readers (students and non-specialist teachers) about the subject and to meet new national standards
• Kativik Ilisarniliriniq—developmental editing for Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (the school board of Nunavik, Inuit territory in northern Quebec)
• Kids Can Press—copy-editing, proofreading for various books
• McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited—researching and writing articles for textbooks for the Ontario Science high school curriculum, ON Science 10 and ON Science 9 (and see also Employers, later)
• Minkbooks—copy-editing and plain-language editing for HTML5 for Masterminds, a computer manual (print and digital versions) and online promotional material
• Nelson Canada—for example:
  • developmental editing for Ontario grade 7 Geography book
  • researching, writing, and developmental editing about Indigenous cultures in the Atlantic provinces for Societies (contracted text for Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training, CAMET)
  • research, writing, and developmental editing for the Nelson Literacy 4, 5, 6 program including stories and information articles for readers across Canada (Language Arts/literacy, Science, Physical Education and Health, Social Studies)
  • project managing and editing for the All About series for levelled early literacy with nonfiction/Social Studies content
  • developmental editing for the high-interest/low-literacy POWER magazine series to engage youth readers with gripping fiction and nonfiction
  • proofreading for All About Law 5th edition high school textbook
  • proofreading for Nelson Chemistry 11
  • editing, anthologizing for Just Fantastic literature anthology
• Nelson and Novalis—researching, writing, and developmental editing for custom publication for the Ontario Conferences of Catholic Bishops, World Religions: A Canadian Catholic Perspective
• Oxford University Press—for example:
  • proofreading for trade book A Little History of Canada, second edition
  • copy-editing Aging in Canada in the Issues in Canada series
  • writing, developmental editing, and research for Perspectives on Ideology and Understandings of Ideology (History/Political Science high school textbooks contracted by the Alberta Ministry of Education)
  • developmental editing for On Common Ground (Language Arts anthology)
  • developmental editing for Public Lives: Private Voices (drama script anthology)
• Page Two Strategies—developmental editing for Page Two and international English Language Learning (ELL) teacher-trainer Jamie Keddie to fund, promote, and developmental edit his training manual Videotelling, for international English teachers using online videos in activities with English Language Learners from grade school to college
• Paton Marketing Services—consulting for POP!: Protect Our Planet Magazine, about environmental issues and for children
• Pearson Canada—for example (and see also Employers, later):
  • developmental editing for a Global Studies textbook for high school students across Canada
  • developmental editing of text and visual materials for Pathways History/Geography text, Pathways (Saskatchewan) e-book, Crossroads History/Geography text and online support for the British Columbia educational market
  • editing for travelogues, editing for high school English series, contributing to anthology, editing for Viewpoints 11, Viewpoints 12, ReferencePoints, ResourceLines
• Rubicon Publishing—developmental editing for levelled readers for American schools—about the water cycle and about the history of democracy and the vote in the United States
• Scholastic Canada—for example:
  • correlations for teacher guides to the Ontario Math curriculum grades 1 and 2
  • reviewing fiction and nonfiction for a language/literacy series
  • writing and developmental editing for books and alternative format publications (such as posters, collector cards) in the levelled literacy/Language Arts/reading series Literacy Place for the Early Years and Moving Up!, including a wide range of fiction and nonfiction books (for example, nonfiction about seasons, electronic waste, outstanding Canadians, steroid use, celebrations across Canada; fiction about families and friends)
  • developmental editing for a professional development book, Book Talk: The Power of Book Clubs in the Middle Grades (Brailsford and Coles)
  • adapting/localizing/Canadianizing student and teaching materials for a spelling series
• The Toronto Star—originating, researching, and writing the Kid-Livable Toronto series published in 2002 about public parks, services, and neighbourhoods
• University of British Columbia/Pacific Educational Press
  • structural, stylistic, and copy-editing for Stepping into Drama: A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Elementary Classroom, by George Belliveau, a professional development book about teaching and performing Shakespearean plays
  • developmental editing (including research, writing, substantive editing) for The World of Fashion textbook and The World of Fashion teacher guide for high school course
• various other clients—including editing, writing, researching, and consulting for various clients under non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and editing of memoirs and manuscript evaluations, coaching, and line-editing for writers including:
  • Jennifer Dales (creative nonfiction writer and blogger about reconciliation in Canada)
  • Jean E. Pendziwol (author of adult, historical fiction, The Lightkeeper’s Daughters)
  • George Elliott (for kid and young adult humour and sci-fi)
  • Erika Westman (fiction writer)

Employers

• Inhabit Education (2015-2019) senior editor, writer, researcher, project manager, and elementary-to-high school educational publishing consultant for publications in Inuktitut, English, Inuinnaqtun, and French at the Toronto office of a publishing company based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, including:
  • researching curricula across Canada (multiple subject areas) and then project managing, collaborating with educational consultants, writing, and editing reports to government departments
  • researching terminology in multiple subject areas and then writing definitions and examples to prepare for translation
  • researching, writing, editing, preparing for translation, and proofreading newsletters for government departments for public and professional audiences
  • developmental editing, editing for clear/plain language, editing visuals, proofreading, and project managing Avatimik Kamattiarniq: Arctic Ecology and Environmental Stewardship  (textbook in English for college students at Nunavut Arctic College) and teacher guide
  • research, developmental editing, preparing for translation, and project managing Angirrami ilinniarniq: Inuit Annuraangit (about Inuktitut literacy at home)
  • for levelled reading books in the Inuktut Titiqqiriniq series (program in Inuktitut), editing, providing editorial reviews, writing, research, proofreading, and/or marking revisions for art, design, and layouts; doing the same for similar health- and career-related series, and for trade picture books, nonfiction, and fiction
  • developmental editing, researching, writing, and/or providing editorial reviews for articles for youth for hi-low magazines in English and Inuktitut
  • developmental editing, excerpting, adapting, and/or providing editorial reviews for bilingual college magazines
  • researching, developmental editing, field-testing with Inuktitut literacy teachers, and project managing the Inuktut Student Literacy Portfolio, the Inuktut Titiqqiriniq Monitoring Progress binder, the Uqalimaariuqsaniq Placement Guide, and so on
• Pearson Canada (2011-2012 maternity leave; freelance before and after for other projects) inhouse developmental editor for textbooks, assessment/test banks, print and online student and teacher support, digital learning solutions/content management systems for students and teachers across Canada and with projects for Ontario, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia
• Annick Press (2007-2008 medical leave; freelance before and after for other projects) inhouse editor for trade books for children to young adults, including scheduling, planning
• McGraw Hill Canada (1995 maternity leave; freelance since for other projects) inhouse developmental editor for Economics for Today (textbook for high school seniors and university course), manuscript development for student materials and activities, project managing writers, reviews, copy-edit, art creation and revision, photo research, indexing, and so on
• Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Canada (1988-1992; freelance 1992-2003) developmental editor, writer, anthologist, assigning editor, project editor—English, Language Arts for elementary to high school, plus Social Studies, and including Perspectives Language Arts series, Perspectives in Writing student handbooks, Perspectives Assessment and Evaluation blackline masters for teachers and students, anthologizing for short story collection Inside Stories for Senior Students
• Holt, Rinehart and Winston (1986 to 1988) developmental editor, writer, anthologist, project editor—English, Language Arts/literacy for the Impressions Language Arts program (Kindergarten to grade 8) and literature anthologies and related publications
• Centennial College Press (1986) assistant editor for college textbook, Fundamentals of Gas Utilization, revised edition, for college students learning about gas plumbing and fitting

Education

Certificates and Memberships

• Certified Structural and Stylistic Editor, Editors Canada/Editors’ Association of Canada (certification for excellence; developed and administered by the national organization)
• member of Editors Canada/Editors’ Association of Canada
• member of the Plain Language Association International (PLAIN)
• member of the federal government Accessibility Standards Canada—Technical Committee for Plain Language

Highlights from Committee Work, Standards, and Professional Development

• working on the Accessibility Standards Canada—Technical Committee for Plain Language, a federal committee focused on plain language and to establish federal plain language standards for federal government and federally regulated industries; leading the Guiding Principles Task Group and working on the Introduction Task Group—September 2020 and on
• quality assessment reviews for test bank materials to test editors for Editors Canada (2021)
• speed-mentoring at Editors21 conference (Editors Canada conference, 2021)
• participating in conferences such as Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) Access for All May 2021 conference, the Festival of Literary Diversity (the FOLD), and the Editors Canada 2021 conference
• presented Editors Canada webinar about editing maps for publication (April 2020)
• invited to present to Ryerson University program that trains editors (May 2019)

• invited to present about applying the Editors Canada updated Professional Editorial Standards in editorial work and for diverse communications and publications, for editors’ self-assessment, training, and professional development (Editors Canada Toronto, November 2018)
• invited to join the editorial board to update the Editors Canada publication Meeting Editorial Standards (now called Edit Like a Pro) volumes 1 to 4 (structural, stylistic, copy-editing, and proofreading) to help new and mid-career editors and editing students learn and apply updated professional editorial standards; including standards, case studies, exercises and sample answers for self-assessment and professional development, best practices, and tips in the volumes (served 2017 to 2018)
• speaker/seminar presenter about editing for plain/clear language, at 2017 Editors Canada national conference in Ottawa
• marker for Editors Canada professional certification examinations
• pilot tester for Editors Canada professional certification examinations
• participant at conferences and in workshops—including Editors Canada: Editing Goes Global, Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), Reading for the Love of It—International Reading Association (IRA), Association for Media Literacy (AML), other conferences about teaching, language and literacy, editing, publishing, and writing
• Centennial College writing online content course (Winter 1997)

Early Education

• Centennial College—Book & Magazine Publishing/Book Editing & Design program
  • studies in 2-year program (now 1 year) September 1985 to November 1986
  • excellence in Editing, Design, Photography, Illustration, Marketing
  • recruited to role as Centennial College Press assistant editor
  • left when recruited in 2nd year of program by Holt, Rinehart and Winston to work full-time inhouse
•  University of Toronto, University College
  • Bachelor of Arts
  • degree granted 1985
  • major in English Literature
  • courses also in History, Fine Art History, Fine Art Studio, Canadian Studies, Sociology, Philosophy