Posted by Dimitra on Tuesday, November 22, 2011,
In :
appetizers
Early this month, I learned that November is Picture Book Month and Picture Book Idea Month. This made me think about my favourite picture books, and two or three titles in particular. I decided to tweet one. And then I thought, Why not tweet a favourite picture book each day of the month? So that's what I've been doing (follow @dimitra_c or see the list, to date, below).
I love picture books. I don't read as many as I used to, particularly a few years ago when I had to review a lot of picture... Continue reading ...
Posted by Dimitra on Thursday, November 17, 2011,
In :
entrees
As a freelancer, anything that helps me develop skills, meet new people, and learn new things counts as professional development. And I've enjoyed lots of professional development over the last two weeks. Here are the highlights:
Plain Language: Building Results
http://www.editors.ca/branches/toronto/seminars/plain_language%3A_building_results.html
This full-day EAC seminar was as good as I expected it to be. I'm not often asked to write or edit anything specifically in plain language, but I wa... Continue reading ...
Posted by Dimitra on Thursday, October 13, 2011,
In :
entrees
Last month, I moderated a panel discussion for the first time. The topic was queries, the panellists were fellow editors, and the audience were members and friends of the Editors' Association of Canada. The whole process was more fun, more work, and stressful than I had expected it to be.
Here are 4 things I learned about organizing and moderating a panel discussion:
Be prepared
A panel discussion is a conversation—you can't "prepare" it beforehand the way you can a presentation, lecture, or s... Continue reading ...
Posted by Dimitra on Wednesday, September 14, 2011,
In :
meals
I've been learning how computers work, thinking about who writes non-fiction, preparing for a panel discussion on September 26, and discovering editing-related events at the library.
How Do Computers Work?
HTML, CSS, XML, ePUB, Java, PHP, CMS. The list of programming languages and software for an editor to be aware of is daunting. As a freelance editor, I haven't yet been asked or required to use any of the above, and I can't decide what, if anything, to start learning in earnest.
What I reall... Continue reading ...
Posted by Dimitra on Monday, September 5, 2011,
In :
meals
originally published August 23, 2001
As students prepare to go back to school, many of us are also starting something new professionally. And what's the first day of school without at least a mention of "what I did on my summer vacation"? Below, some poets tell us.
An Editor by Any Other Name
I've begun perusing job ads regularly for the first time in many months. I am finding few jobs for editors per se, but many jobs that involve editing to different degrees. I am also finding ads for "new" j... Continue reading ...
Posted by Dimitra on Monday, September 5, 2011,
In :
meals
originally published August 15, 2011 Patient Problem Solvers Earlier this month I attended a two-day workshop for teachers in Innisfil, Ontario. About 80 teachers from Kindergarten through grade 12 were there to learn about Smarter Science, a framework for teaching and learning science through inquiry. I was there to learn more about the process so that I can better help the organization that funds Smarter Science, Youth Science Canada (YSC), prepare and publish resources.
Here's one thought th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Dimitra on Monday, September 5, 2011,
In :
meals
originally published July 2011
I recently read a very interesting article by writer Maria Popova. She starts by talking about how she uses Twitter and why she believes that tweets are not quite speech and not quite text, but something quite different—what she calls "a conduit of discovery." This leads to a discussion about a new kind of authorship: curation (for lack of a better term). According to Popova, a content curator uses online tools to disseminate information and direct people to v... Continue reading ...
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Lunch with Dimitra is...
questions and ideas about editing, writing, publishing, and education, inspired in part by my role as Program Chair for the Toronto branch of the Editors' Association of Canada (EAC).
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