ACES 2015 has ended

Create Your Own Event

ACES 2015

Welcome to the 19th annual American Copy Editors Society national conference in Pittsburgh March 26-28, 2015. (Photo by Jeremy Davis.)

Note: This schedule is subject to change.

10:45am EDT

Catch as Catch Can

Some embarrassing problems in stories are hard to catch. At first glance, they don't appear to be mistakes, and even if they raise a flag, it's often difficult to look them up. But many of these errors — in such areas as consistency, math, logic and accuracy — are easier to identify if you look inward, focusing on the story itself for clues, and use your common sense. This interactive session will provide examples of these mistakes as well as ideas for catching them and tips on making the most of available resources.

Speakers

John Russial

associate professor, University of Oregon

John Russial teaches editing at the University of Oregon and does research on editing and other newsroom issues. He has been at Oregon for 25 years. Before taking an academic job, he worked in daily newspapers for 17 years, most of that time as Sunday copy chief of The Philadelphia... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Rivers

Core skills-general interest

10:45am EDT

Leadership in the Workplace

Three seasoned managers share leadership skills and techniques that will help you maximize the performance of your team of editors. Get tools for managing your boss and learn how employee-manager relations can foster mutual respect, with both sides acting as leaders in the workplace. Learn how to lead from the heart, earn respect, effectively teach skills and make your department the best it can be.

Speakers

David Brindley

Managing editor, National Geographic magazine

David Brindley (@wordies) is on the ACES executive board and is managing editor for National Geographic magazine. In 2005, he created, staffed and served as director of the magazine's first copy desk. Prior to arriving at the magazine in 2002, he was a photojournalist, researcher... Read More →

Rebecca Dyer

Copy Editor, Digital Producer, Night Editor, Arizona Republic

After almost a quarter-century at the East Valley Tribune, including as news editor, Rebecca "Becca" Dyer is now a copy editor/digital producer and Saturday night editor for The Arizona Republic/azcentral.com. Becca also teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University's... Read More →

David Yontz

Senior Editor, Creators Syndicate

David Yontz has been a copy editor for about 11 years. He served as managing editor at Creators for more than five years. His philosophy is that every good editor should learn at least one thing every day.

Thursday March 26, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Chartiers

Core skills-general interest

Tags Career development

10:45am EDT

Rookie Mistakes That Even Veterans Make

You do it that way as a reflex, out of habit, because you've always done it that way. Doesn't everybody do it that way? Not necessarily. In an updated twist on his "Rules That Aren't" and "Tiny Acts of Elegance" sessions, Bill Walsh examines old habits —in editing, headline writing and work practices — that are bad habits.

Speakers

Bill Walsh

Copy editor, The Washington Post

Bill Walsh is a copy editor at The Washington Post and the author of "Lapsing Into a Comma," "The Elephants of Style" and "Yes, I Could Care Less." After graduating from the University of Arizona, he worked at The Phoenix Gazette and The Washington Times before joining the Post in... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Ballroom 3 & 4

Core skills-general interest

2:00pm EDT

English and How it Got This Way: A Brief History

English presents unique challenges for the copy editor looking for clarity and Truth. Is it really "sneaked" or "snuck"? How did "impact" slip from noun to verb? Who is responsible for the horror that is "irregardless"? Is it too late to turn this ship around? Join Kory Stamper as she takes you on a quick trip through the history and development of English, and helps you gain a greater appreciation for our crazy, wonderful language.

Speakers

Kory Stamper

associate editor, Merriam-Webster

Kory Stamper is a lexicographer and editor at Merriam-Webster, where she defines words, appears in the Ask the Editor video series, and drinks more coffee than is good for her. Her book, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, has just been published by Pantheon.

Thursday March 26, 2015 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Ballroom 3

Core skills-general interest

2:00pm EDT

Switching Seats: Transitioning to a New Career or Medium

You're thinking about moving from one kind of editing to another, say, from a news media job to corporate media, or from general editing to a specialty. What are the pluses and minuses? How do you do it and how do you adjust? What can you expect? The panelists will discuss their experiences, and then it's your turn.

Speakers

Laura Browning

Editorial manager, A.V. Club

Laura Browning is editorial manager of the A.V. Club at The Onion, where the entertainment information is real, even if the snark factor is detectable. She's also worked for Encyclopedia Brittanica and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians. As her LinkedIn profile says, she has... Read More →

Paula Fuchsberg

Editor, Corporate Communications, Vanguard

Paula Fuchsberg is an editor in Corporate Communications at Vanguard, working so-called normal hours for the first time in her career after a previous life in the newspaper business. Her first professional editing job was at the (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot under Bill Connolly. She then... Read More →

Cindi Lash

Editor-in-chief, Pittsburgh Magazine

Cindi Lash joined Pittsburgh Magazine, a print and online lifestyle magazine, as editor-in-chief in April 2013. She was previously a regional editor for Aol/Patch.com, Aol’s national network of hyperlocal websites. Prior to that, Cindi worked at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as assistant... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Rivers

Core skills-general interest

Tags Career development

2:00pm EDT

The Latest Research on Editing

Journalism scholars present their current findings on what editing does and how editors (and other professionals) go about their jobs. Alyssa Appelman will discuss her doctoral dissertation titled “No Points for Style? Analysis of the Psychological Effects of Journalistic Writing Conventions.”

Speakers

Alyssa Appelman

Graduate student, Pennsylvania State University

Alyssa Appelman is a doctoral candidate (ABD) in Penn State’s College of Communications. Alyssa's research focuses on the psychological effects of news media. Specifically, she looks at the effects of journalistic practices on perceptions of media credibility. She also teaches undergraduate... Read More →

Steve Bien-Aimé

Doctoral student/instructor, Pennsylvania State University

Steve Bien-Aimé is a doctoral candidate in Penn State's College of Communications. His research includes race and gender portrayals in news and sports media. Bien-Aimé has copy edited at The News Journal (Delaware) and The Baltimore Sun and served in a variety of functions at FOXSports.com... Read More →

Fred Vultee

Associate professor, Wayne State University

Fred Vultee is an associate professor at Wayne State University in Detroit and a member of the ACES board. He teaches news editing, content analysis and political communication. His study on the effects of editing on audience perceptions of quality and value was recently published... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Brigade

Core skills-general interest

2:00pm EDT

Using Checklists to Foolproof your Editing

Keeping track of all of the style specs, steps and sign-offs on an editing project can be tough. Checklists can help. Checklists bring consistency to our editorial processes and help us remember critical tasks when we're under deadline. In this session, you'll learn how to: * Create checklists to guide your editing. * Understand what kinds of tasks to include in a checklist, and what to omit. * Customize checklists to guard against your blind spots. * Integrate checklists into your workflow so you never skip a step.

Speakers

Samantha Enslen

president, Dragonfly Editorial

Samantha Enslen runs Dragonfly Editorial. She has more than 20 years of experience editing marketing material of all sorts, and she’s edited for ad agencies, web developers, universities, corporate communications departments, and more. Sam is on the executive board of ACES, and... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

3:10pm EDT

Copy Editing Translations

Editors who work in area studies, foreign language learning materials production or nongovernmental organizations frequently encounter the challenge of editing translations from less commonly taught foreign languages. This session will discuss some of the unique challenges that this entails, and it will focus on strategies for successfully working with this material. Specific topics will include determining style and special considerations for style sheets, deciding on process requirements, querying translators who have poor English skills, maintaining cultural sensitivity and objectivity, balancing accuracy and idiomatic English style, and fact checking.

Speakers

John Cords

Manager, editing team, National Foreign Language Center, University of Maryland College Park

John Cords has over 13 years of professional experience working with the written word, with almost nine years as a copy editor. In addition to freelance work in education, film studies and anthropology, he has worked as an in-house copy editor in higher education, scholarly publication... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 3:10pm - 4:10pm EDT
Brigade

Core skills-general interest

Tags Editing for ESL readers

3:10pm EDT

Top 10 Apps for Editors

Go beyond Angry Birds and Facebook apps on your mobile devices and unlock the power of apps to make your work and life easier and more productive. Stephanie will share and demonstrate free and inexpensive mobile apps that you can download and start using today in a variety of categories including productivity, social media, graphics and multimedia production, and collaboration. The session will focus mainly on Android and iOS apps, but Stephanie will also share Windows and Blackberry apps when available.

Speakers

Stephanie Yamkovenko

Digital editor, American Occupational Therapy Association

Stephanie Yamkovenko is a professional journalist and digital editor with 10 years of journalism experience. Stephanie hand-coded her first website in the 1990s and now manages the editorial content of a website averaging 300,000 monthly visitors. Stephanie is also responsible for... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 3:10pm - 4:10pm EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

4:20pm EDT

50 Years of the American Heritage Dictionary's Usage Panel

The American Heritage Dictionary began balloting writers, poets, journalists and linguists in the 1960s to help craft usage notes to guide the dictionary user. This presentation examines the composition of the panel past and present, the role of the Usage Panel chair (currently Steve Pinker), the process of creating the ballots and the review process of the panelist's responses. Sample ballots will be shown along with examples of revisions that have been made as a result of the 2014 ballot. There will also be a question and answer session.

Speakers

Steve Kleinedler

Executive editor, reference group, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Steve Kleinedler is the executive editor for the American Heritage Dictionary and managing editor for the Webster’s New World College Dictionary, both published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, where he is executive editor of the reference group. Steve earned a BA in linguistics from... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 4:20pm - 5:20pm EDT
Ballroom 3

Core skills-general interest

Tags Dictionaries & style guides

4:20pm EDT

Stress Reduction for Editors

Editors not only deal with our own workplace stress, but must negotiate deadlines and expectations with a range of players (from our bosses to the writers whose work we edit). In this session, you'll learn ways to reduce stress, both short-term and long-term. Topics will include meditation, the ABS method, managing expectations and planning for interruptions.

Speakers

Anya Weber

Copywriter and editor, UMass Boston

Anya Weber is a copywriter and editor at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The ICI is a research and training institute focused on disability inclusion. Anya writes and edits everything from grant proposals to video scripts and... Read More →

Thursday March 26, 2015 4:20pm - 5:20pm EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

4:20pm EDT

Working Away From the Office: Benefits and Drawbacks

Most of us work in occupations that can be done from home, for at least some of the time. Presenter Rhonda Bracey, who has worked full-time from her home in Australia since 2007, shares her experiences and the pros and cons of working remotely from the office. You’ll learn: * the positives and negatives of working from home (including approximate costs and savings); * the personal attributes required to successfully work from home; * some technologies that help you work from home; and * home office essentials. You’ll also take away figures, information and resources that can help you convince your boss that you should work from home.

Thursday March 26, 2015 4:20pm - 5:20pm EDT
Brigade

Core skills-general interest

Tags Freelance editing, Career development

9:00am EDT

Ask a Lexicographer

Why are there so many different dictionaries? What are their similarities and differences? How do online dictionaries differ from print dictionaries? Why can't they all agree on the style of "healthcare"/"health-care"/"health care"? Bring any question you've ever had about dictionaries, English usage or style to this panel featuring editors from Merriam-Webster, American Heritage, Webster's New World, Oxford Dictionaries and Vocabulary.com/Visual Thesaurus.

Speakers

Emily Brewster

Associate Editor, Merriam-Webster

Emily Brewster joined Merriam-Webster in 2000. She is currently defining new words for Merriam-Webster Unabridged, where she has also contributed to hundreds of usage paragraphs dealing with sticky grammar and style issues. In addition to defining work, she writes and edits for the... Read More →

Steve Kleinedler

Executive editor, reference group, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Steve Kleinedler is the executive editor for the American Heritage Dictionary and managing editor for the Webster’s New World College Dictionary, both published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, where he is executive editor of the reference group. Steve earned a BA in linguistics from... Read More →

Katherine Connor Martin

Head of US Dictionaries, Oxford University Press

I lead the US lexicography program at Oxford University Press. Ask me about lexicography, the OED, and transatlantic English.

Kory Stamper

associate editor, Merriam-Webster

Kory Stamper is a lexicographer and editor at Merriam-Webster, where she defines words, appears in the Ask the Editor video series, and drinks more coffee than is good for her. Her book, Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, has just been published by Pantheon.

Ben Zimmer

Vocabulary.com / Wall St. Journal

Ben Zimmer is executive editor of Vocabulary.com and VisualThesaurus.com and language columnist for The Wall Street Journal. A self-described linguist, lexicographer and all-around word nut, Zimmer has worked as editor for American dictionaries at Oxford University Press and as a... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

Tags Dictionaries & style guides

9:00am EDT

Level Up! How to Get More Out of Your Freelance Business

You’ve been running your editing business for a while now. Maybe you’re bored with just editing. Perhaps you have a couple of client slots open that you just can’t fill. Or maybe you want to make more money. Whatever the reason, it’s time to expand your business. In this session, you’ll hear from three editors who offer more than one service or who contract with other editors to offer their service to more clients. Hear their stories, and become inspired!

Moderators

Erin Brenner

Publisher, Copyediting

Erin Brenner is the owner of two successful editing-related businesses: Right Touch Editing and Copyediting. Right Touch Editing offers editorial services mainly to business clients who depend on Brenner to ensure their businesses always publish their best copy. Copyediting is a 25-year-old... Read More →

Speakers

Samantha Enslen

president, Dragonfly Editorial

Samantha Enslen runs Dragonfly Editorial. She has more than 20 years of experience editing marketing material of all sorts, and she’s edited for ad agencies, web developers, universities, corporate communications departments, and more. Sam is on the executive board of ACES, and... Read More →

Adrienne Montgomerie

Principal, Dameditors

Adrienne Montgomerie is a certified copy editor who freelances full-time, mostly for Canadian publishers, primarily in education as a developmental editor. Five years ago she added training, writing, two partners and a podcast to her practice. She and co-presenter Rachel Stuckey... Read More →

Laura Poole

Founder and senior editor, Archer Editorial Services

Laura Poole has 18 years of full-time freelance editing experience (Archer Editorial Services) and works exclusively for scholarly publishers. In addition to providing editorial services for publishers, she trains other editors, teaches for UCSD Extension, has written a few books... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Rivers

Core skills-general interest

Tags Freelance editing

10:45am EDT

Ask the AP Stylebook Editors

The AP Stylebook team will describe changes in the 2015 AP Stylebook, including significant changes to the sports category, and the process of keeping the stylebook up to date. Questions and suggestions are welcome.

Speakers

David Minthorn

Co-editor of the AP Stylebook, Associated Press

David Minthorn is co-editor of the AP Stylebook. He retired from AP in 2013 as deputy standards editor after a 44-year career with the news agency, and continues Stylebook and standards work as a contractor. Minthorn’s AP assignments included 16 years as a correspondent in West... Read More →

Philana Patterson

Assistant business editor, Associated Press

Philana Patterson is Assistant Business Editor at The Associated Press in New York where she helps oversee AP’s daily business news report, enterprise efforts and strategic initiatives across digital, video and print platforms. She also serves on the AP Stylebook committee. In 2014... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Ballroom 3

Core skills-general interest

Tags Dictionaries & style guides

10:45am EDT

Deep Grammar

You've mastered agreement; you know how to make a sentence parallel; pronouns give you no problems. But do you know what a fused participle is, how to use the hortatory subjunctive, when you need a double genitive or how to phrase a nominative absolute? The inner workings of grammar don't have to be a mystery. This session delves deeply into the mechanics of English, so that when you encounter a sentence that "just doesn't sound right" you'll know why — and you'll know how to fix it.

Speakers

Lisa McLendon

Bremner Editing Center Coordinator, University of Kansas

Lisa McLendon runs the Bremner Editing Center at the University of Kansas journalism school, where she also teaches news editing and grammar. She previously worked as a copy editor at the Wichita (Kansas) Eagle and the Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle after earning a doctorate in Slavic... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

3:15pm EDT

Beyond the Red Pen: New Directions in Editing

The editorial field is increasingly competitive for job seekers, while job security is top of mind for employed copy editors. This session discusses how editors can create new revenue opportunities and make their role and knowledge indispensable to an organization. Specifically, it examines the work of one editor who built an editorial service line for her employer that included expanding into content strategy development, licensed content and lower-cost, high-volume publications. Key takeaways focus on empowering editors to find new opportunities with their current skill sets and how to pitch new editorial products and services to leadership.

Speakers

Sarah Black

Editorial manager, Association Headquarters, Inc.

Sarah Black has worked as an editor for 10 years and is currently editorial manager at Association Headquarters, Inc., in New Jersey. She holds a B.A. in English from Cardinal Stritch University and an M.S. in publishing from New York University. As a proud Wisconsin native and mom... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2015 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Rivers

Core skills-general interest

Tags Career development

3:15pm EDT

Niggles, Nudges and Uh-Oh Sensors: The Intuitive Art of Catching Errors

Part of being a good copy editor is having a finely calibrated sense of when something seems "off." That uh-oh sensor might be triggered by institutional knowledge, long familiarity with a region or a beat, personal knowledge from a hobby, persistent curiosity, something unidentifiable or just plain luck. We'll talk about errors we've caught through the prompting of a nudge, ones we've missed, how to develop and strengthen that editor's intuition, and how to find answers and fact-check without spending too much time going down the rabbit hole.

Speakers

Laura Brown

Copy editor, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Laura Brown is a copy editor and an occasional writer at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Her writing has appeared in Slate, the Iowa Review, Everyday Poems, The Curator, Art House America and elsewhere. She is the author of "Everything That Makes You Mom: A Bouquet of Memories" and... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2015 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

4:30pm EDT

Between You and Me

Mary Norris, a veteran copy editor for The New Yorker, shares laugh-out-loud descriptions of the most vexing spelling, punctuation and usage problems (comma faults, danglers, “who” vs. “whom,” gender-neutral language) and clear explanations of how to handle them. In her new book, “Between You and Me,” the down-to-earth and open-minded Norris draws on examples from Henry James and the Lord’s Prayer, The Simpsons, Stieg Larsson, Gillian Flynn and much more. This session will take attendees inside the hallowed walls of The New Yorker and explore Norris’ work with such celebrated writers as Philip Roth, Pauline Kael and George Saunders.

Speakers

Mary Norris

Copy editor, The New Yorker

Mary Norris began working at The New Yorker in 1978. Originally from Cleveland, she now lives in New York. Her first book, Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, will be available at the conference and released on April 6, 2015.

Friday March 27, 2015 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Ballroom 3

Core skills-general interest

4:30pm EDT

Putting Professional Experience to Work in the College Classroom

So, you're thinking about putting your professional experience to work teaching editing in a college classroom. What will it take to get a job as an instructor or professor? Are you interested in part-time or full-time teaching? Will your social media expertise be a plus? Find out what you face when you want to join the faculty at a university!

Speakers

Bill Hickman

professor, University of Central Oklahoma

Bill Hickman is a professor of mass communication at the University of Central Oklahoma and a licensed attorney in the state of Oklahoma. He teaches courses on media law, news reporting, editing and public relations. He has worked as a copy editor at The Dallas Morning News, The Oklahoman... Read More →

Lisa McLendon

Bremner Editing Center Coordinator, University of Kansas

Lisa McLendon runs the Bremner Editing Center at the University of Kansas journalism school, where she also teaches news editing and grammar. She previously worked as a copy editor at the Wichita (Kansas) Eagle and the Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle after earning a doctorate in Slavic... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2015 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Brigade

Core skills-general interest

Tags Career development

9:00am EDT

Beyond the Plain Language Edit: Editing for Low-literacy and ESL readers

Written communications presented at high reading levels pose a barrier for many Americans. As writers and editors, improving information for readers with low literacy means using plain language, specifically with an awareness of ESL challenges. This interactive session teaches those who produce information for the public specific skills to enhance the clarity and readability of text for low-literacy and limited-English readers after doing a traditional plain language edit.

Speakers

Claire Foley

Freelance editor, CF Editing and Proofreading Services

Claire Foley is a freelance editor and expert in plain language. Having edited health information in-house at the Canadian Cancer Society for a number of years, she now freelances for the Society as well as for other health, technical and legal organizations. Claire has been an editor... Read More →

Tracy Torchetti

Director, Cancer Information, Canadian Cancer Society

Tracy Torchetti, MA, is Director of Cancer Information at the Canadian Cancer Society, where she oversees a knowledge translation and dissemination team responsible for developing information on cancer-related topics ranging from risk reduction to treatment, clinical trials, supportive... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

9:00am EDT

Introduction to Book Editing

An introduction to editing books with a focus on nonfiction, this session is intended for copy editors looking to take on larger projects. Learn key concepts of file preparation, assessment of a manuscript, creating a project style sheet and following a larger style guide, consistency guidelines and effective querying. Become familiar with the various elements of a book: front matter, chapters, tables and figures, notes, references, back matter and more. We will cover the differences between working for publishers and working directly for authors, and review different kinds of books: textbooks, collected papers, multi-author edited volumes, single-author works and more.

Speakers

Laura Poole

Founder and senior editor, Archer Editorial Services

Laura Poole has 18 years of full-time freelance editing experience (Archer Editorial Services) and works exclusively for scholarly publishers. In addition to providing editorial services for publishers, she trains other editors, teaches for UCSD Extension, has written a few books... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Rivers

Core skills-general interest

Tags Freelance editing

10:45am EDT

Editing on Your Own: Launching a Freelance Business

Highlights of everything you need to know about planning, launching and succeeding in a freelance copyediting business, from personality characteristics to skills, tools and resources, to finding projects, getting paid and more.

Speakers

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

freelance writer and editor, “I can write about anything!”

Successful, award-winning freelancer Ruth E. Thaler-Carter provides editing and proofreading to law and PR firms, magazines and newsletters, a museum, websites, an automotive-aftermarket business, associations, nonprofits, authors, and more; hosts Communication Central’s annual... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

Tags Career development, Freelance editing

10:45am EDT

Giving Copy a Face Lift, With No Pain

Editing does not always need a chainsaw or require that the writer be given general anesthetic. Some simple nips and tucks can eliminate wrinkles and make copy look smooth and clear, with no visible scars. The writer will be more attractive to the audience, and may not even notice the surgery. This session will show common flaws and easy remedies. No medical degrees required!

Speakers

Merrill Perlman

Freelance Editor, Merrill Perlman Consulting

Merrill Perlman spent 25 years at The New York Times in jobs ranging from copy editor to director of copy desks, in charge of all 150-plus copy editors at The Times. (Both titles are, sadly, now extinct at The Times.) Now, she's a freelance editor and trains writers and editors for... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Ballroom 3

Core skills-general interest

10:45am EDT

How to Get the Job You Want

A panel of professionals from print and online publications and businesses, who will lead an open discussion about the latest in resumes and cover letters; preparing for the "big" interview, editing tests and trial editing sessions as part of an interview; follow-up calls and notes; and even how to market yourself as the first step to getting your dream job. (If you're here, you're off to a good start.)

Speakers

Emmy Favilla

Senior Commerce Editor, BuzzFeed

Emmy Favilla is a senior commerce editor at BuzzFeed, where she writes and edits shopping content that covers a breadth of categories, from pet products to home goods to beauty and skincare. She is the former global copy chief of BuzzFeed and has been with the company since 2012... Read More →

Shana McNally

Corporate proofreader, Costco Wholesale

Shana McNally joined Costco in 2000 as the marketing writer and moved to corporate proofreader in 2008 – the company’s first. She proofs marketing communications, packaging, the employee magazine, employee training, publisher promotions and social media. In addition, she develops... Read More →

Maggie Walter

Associate professional practice professor, Missouri School of Journalism

Maggie Walter is an associate professor and night news editor at the Columbia Missourian. She joined the University of Missouri (MU) faculty in August 2003. Walter serves as the faculty adviser for the MU Chapter of ACES and is a member of the national organization. She is a faculty... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Brigade

Core skills-general interest

Tags Career development

10:45am EDT

Women in Management

Women account for about 15% of executive officer positions in the Fortune 500 companies. And women typically earn 20% less than men. During this session, women who are in management or interested in getting into management will come together to discuss mutual challenges and offer advice to each other.

Speakers

Amy Muehlbauer

Managing editor, Fiserv

Amy Muehlbauer is managing editor of Fiserv.

Susy Schultz

President, Community Media Workshop

Susy Schultz is an editor, digital journalist, educator, writer and strategist. Her past titles include managing editor, digital editor, investigative editor, associate publisher, reporter, columnist and editorial writer. Her current title is president of the Community Media Workshop... Read More →

Sara Ziegler

General Editor, FiveThirtyEight

Sara Ziegler is the treasurer of ACES and a general editor at FiveThirtyEight, with prior stints at Law360 and the Omaha World-Herald. She is from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and attended Iowa State University, where she won an ACES scholarship for such scintillating headlines as “Deli... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 10:45am - 12:15pm EDT
Chartiers

Core skills-general interest

Tags Career development

2:00pm EDT

Grammar is Power

Learn about the basic power structure of grammar, from types of clauses, phrases and sentences, to specifics that help you punctuate correctly and consistently. Exercises and clear guidelines will help you brush up on what you once learned but might have forgotten. If you are still unsure about who vs. whom and lie vs. lay, attend this session, and take notes.

Speakers

Jennifer Rowe

Associate professor, Missouri School of Journalism

Jennifer Rowe, associate professor, Missouri School of Journalism, has taught seven different magazine classes since she began teaching in 1998. For more than 12 years, she served as editorial director of Vox, an award-winning weekly city magazine. In 2004 she received the Provost’s... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Ballroom 3

Core skills-general interest

2:00pm EDT

Headlines, not Cheaplines or Borelines

It's time to stop boring your readers or serving them sophomoric puns in headlines. Your stories and readers deserve better. You need to slather on the SEO (for humans, not robots) and swirl in a sliver of sophisticated creativity — all while being a headline factory. How can you do it all? This session will cover research on successful headlines from the reader's perspective and how to figure out what stories to invest time in.

Speakers

Teresa Schmedding - 2015 Board Member

Managing Editor/President, Rotary International/ACES

Teresa Schmedding is the president of the ACES: The Society for Editing and the managing editor of Rotary International

Saturday March 28, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Brigade

Core skills-general interest

2:00pm EDT

Proofreading: Catch Mistakes Before They Cause a Crisis

Great: You sent the tweet with breaking news! Good: It's been retweeted. Bad: Only now do you see the typo. Whoops. Three experienced editors will teach you proofreading tricks of the trade that will apply across social media, websites and print. Learn to prevent mistakes before they damage your credibility. Learn how to read backwards, avoid tired eyes and do quick mental math to fix errors before they go live.

Speakers

John Braun

Copy editor, The Vanguard Group

After 25 years in newspapers (mostly at The Charlotte Observer and The Philadelphia Inquirer), John Braun crossed over to the corporate side in 2007. Since then, he has edited retirement plan communications for Vanguard ... and enjoyed regular daytime hours.

Sherri Hildebrandt

Founder, The Naughty Editor

After more than 30 years as a newspaper journalist (reporter, designer, copy editor, photographer, you-name-it-I-did-it), Sherri Hildebrandt inched into the freelance world when she was laid off during the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Great Copy Desk Purge of 2010. Seven years later... Read More →

Sherrie Voss Matthews

senior manager, internal communications, University Health System

Sherrie VossMatthews is senior manager of internal communications at University Health System in San Antonio. She is an editor with more than 20 years of experience in web, social, magazine, book and newspaper publishing. She’s edited and written both long-form and short-form stories... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest, Fact-checking

3:40pm EDT

Defining American English

In the age of online content, we can never be certain that our audience will speak the same variety of English we do. The session will discuss how lexicographers analyze and present information about global variations in English usage, exploring the pitfalls of writing American English for a global audience — and how your dictionary can help.

Speakers

Katherine Connor Martin

Head of US Dictionaries, Oxford University Press

I lead the US lexicography program at Oxford University Press. Ask me about lexicography, the OED, and transatlantic English.

Saturday March 28, 2015 3:40pm - 4:40pm EDT
Ballroom 4

Core skills-general interest

Tags Dictionaries & style guides

3:40pm EDT

Editing Fun and Games

Think you’re smarter than a fifth grader? Maybe. But how do you stack up against your fellow editors? Play editing games to test your knowledge. You might win prizes. And you'll definitely walk out of this session smarter than most sixth graders. Bonus: You can take these game ideas back to your workplace or school to play against your colleagues and peers.

Speakers

Sue Burzynski Bullard

Associate Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Sue Burzynski Bullard, an ACES board member, teaches journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Before she began teaching, Sue held a variety of editing positions at The Detroit News, including three years as managing editor... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 3:40pm - 4:40pm EDT
Rivers

Core skills-general interest

3:40pm EDT

LUCIA, or Shedding Light on Government Reports

Government writers tend to be serious, data-driven folk. Their first allegiance is to facts and their reports are often written from well down in the weeds. When multiple authors contribute to one report, the result can be a tangled, overgrown mess. An editor's task is to shed light on the important ground they cover, and LUCIA (Learning, Understanding, Clarifying, Illustrating and Amending) can help. Get tips for learning enough about a topic to understand its highlights, knowing which questions to ask for clarification, illustrating government work in interesting ways, and finally editing and amending drafts into something readers — including legislators, lay people and reporters — can understand.

Speakers

Laura Cameron

editor, Washington State Auditor’s Office

Laura Cameron is the Editor at the Washington State Auditor's Office. Her role ranges from story development to line edits to rewrite, making complex performance and accountability audits into readable, compelling reports. A writer and editor for 30+ years, she has worked for state... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2015 3:40pm - 4:40pm EDT
Brigade

Core skills-general interest