About

Welcome to Capital Letters, the official blog for Editors Ottawa-Gatineau! The Ottawa-Gatineau branch was formed in 1981 in the National Capital Region. We conduct professional development seminars, engage editors with monthly information events, and promote editors to employers in the area.

Mission Statement

To have a dynamic community for Editors Ottawa–Gatineau members that promotes the value of editing and provides opportunities for networking and professional development.

Vision Statement

Editors Ottawa–Gatineau is the organization of choice for editorial professionals because we

  • meet the key needs of all of our members
  • value the diversity of our membership
  • provide opportunities to participate and develop personal and professional skills
  • are the primary source for information on editing and best practices for editors
  • are professionally and effectively managed

Editing is a valued profession, and the services of our members are understood, appreciated and sought out

Many of our seminars are available for other members of Editors Canada, and with the knowledge we gained from virtual meetings, we hope to continue hosting these events for more accessible attendance.

Indigenous Acknowledgement and Inclusion

The Ottawa-Gatineau branch of Editors Canada would also like to acknowledge that the land we work, create and live on is the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin) Anishnabeweki. We recognize the benefits of this and are committed to uplifting, listening to and featuring Indigenous voices on this site. Please stay tuned for more information on the actions Editors Ottawa-Gatineau and Capital Letters will take to meet these commitments.

To begin, we recommend checking out the Indigenous Editors Association.

The Executive

Updated May 20, 2023

Chair – Sara Caverley

Sara Caverley has served on the Editors Ottawa–Gatineau executive in different roles and was elected branch chair in 2018. She was born in Toronto and trained as a journalist in Ottawa. Here, she’s practiced editing and writing for more than 15 years, specializing in projects that address land conservation and Indigenous interests. She is currently trying to make a difference at Natural Resources Canada and volunteering with the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library. Sara is a dedicated reader of classical mythology, modernist literature, British topographical writings, and a great deal else besides. She lives in Manor Park with Peaky, an alarmingly huge mountain dog.

Vice-Chair/Treasurer – Sara Fowler

Sara has been formally editing since 2010, although was correcting typos on menus, letters, and school exams for as long as she can recall. Prior to obtaining degrees in linguistics, psychology, and education, she wandered throughout Japan, BC, and Yukon slinging beers and listening to people’s stories. An Editors Canada member since 2016, she currently works in-house at an historical research firm, and dabbles in community theatre when time permits. Her favourite punctuation is the semi-colon; although feels it is vastly over-used.

Secretary, Past Chair – Tom Vradenburg

Tom (he/him) was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, and still has roots there. But he grew up in Ottawa, and somehow got into, and survived, Carleton’s School of Journalism. He has painted houses when he couldn’t find editing or writing work, and has no further aspirations to that as a career. He has edited for non-profits, a magazine, tech companies, the Bank of Canada and two government departments.

Tom’s roots in Nanaimo and Germany are with his birth family, with whom he reunited in his thirties. So if he starts speaking with a fake German accent, it’s not voice appropriation: he’s just imitating his relatives.
Tom and Carolyn Brown, his wife, bought a house in Hintonburg before it became trendy, and still enjoy the neighbourhood from their second perch in nearby Civic Hospital.

Francophone Relations Chair – Badou Bousso

Badou joined Editors Canada in 2015 as a member and became Chair of Francophone Relations in 2019. He lives in Gatineau and is a professional translator, language instructor and editor who has worked both in-house and as a freelancer for the nearly two decades. Badou currently works as Content Coordinator at the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA). In this capacity, he creates, updates and edits internal content to the Membership department, and also contributes to the Association’s website. Badou is a Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM) who uses his expertise to foster collaboration, learning and process improvement. He is the recipient of several Ottawa Regional Contact Centre (ORCCA) awards from 2012 to 2019. An avid fan of classical literature, he hopes to finish (one day) his Ph.D. studies in Francophone literature. Badou speaks four languages and is eager to improve his Arabic.

Seminars Committee

Bio to come!

Public Relations Chair – Ariel Vered

Ariel Vered (she/her), a member of Editors Ottawa-Gatineau since 2016, has been writing and editing for over 15 years. Ariel holds a Master of Arts in Journalism from New York University with a concentration in Magazine (lol) and experience in journalism, communications, marketing and nonprofit. Born and raised in Ottawa, she lived in New York for 9 years (and misses it dearly) and moved back to Ottawa in 2016. She joined Editors Ottawa-Gatineau to be a part of a community with similar interests and has greatly enjoyed being a part of the branch executive. A voracious reader and in 2020, Ariel set a goal of reading 100 books in a year and achieved it by the skin of her teeth.

Web Co-Chair – Coryl Addy

Coryl Addy (she/they) began her editorial journey designing books for freelance writers, and has since moved toward transcription, fiction editing, and academic feedback. While still a creative and editor at heart, she currently focuses on Quality Assurance providing written feedback to students (which technically can’t be labelled “editing” due to the non-transformative method and strict academic integrity policies) and mentoring with Studiosity, a company based in Australia providing academic help to students from Canada to New Zealand. She earned a BA in Spanish Language, English Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Windsor, and a certificate in art and design from Durham College. Now, she lives in South Keys with an orange and white cat who loves going on walks with his “tactical gear” of a harness and leash. Her favourite genre to write is fantasy, though she also gravitates toward poetry. She considers editing to be a form of puzzling through language and enjoys the process, even when it’s tedious.

Web Co-Chair – Wayne Jones

Bio to come!