2022 State of the Guild Address

By MariLou Harveland, outgoing Guild board president

The past three years have been fraught with uncertainty and stress. 

I know, not the most positive way to begin. However, to appreciate our accomplishments means reflecting on the past.

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, we board members went into survival mode. We acted quickly to determine how to continue doing what we do while living in isolation and social distancing parameters. With Erin Cusick’s excellent leadership, and a board full of creative thinkers, we got through it with great success. In 2021, the world was still in the midst of a pandemic without a clear sign of relief. We continuously questioned whether we’d be able to have in-person member meetings again, or if we could plan a Red Pencil event. Under the inspirational leadership of Jesi Vega, we were encouraged to focus on the positive, to run virtual events, create new policies, and concentrate our efforts on keeping the Guild a well-oiled machine while providing engaging events for members far and wide. 

In 2022, our goal was to rethink and restructure how we did things to fit within the new way that the world worked—to forge a path forward where the Guild could continue to be ever-present for our members, clients, and potential clients.

As we entered board service in January 2022, the mission seemed daunting. Having served on the board before and during the pandemic, we were all fatigued, overworked, and sometimes overwhelmed. The year began with a feeling of uncertainty as we confronted the challenge of continuing the great strides from previous years, keeping the Guild running in tip-top condition, and ensuring that our members were active, supported, and well-nourished with information, all while trying to create some initiatives of our own. Undeterred, our little eight-person board pulled up our collective bootstraps (if you’ll pardon the cliché) and set to work.

Then, something wonderful happened. These driven, synergetic, and optimistic people capitalized on their passion for the Guild to make 2022 engaging, enriching, and fun—for each other and for our members. As a result, we endured through the turmoil and emerged with a greater notion of the future mission and activities for a reinvigorated Guild in these ever-changing times.

Person holding a sparkler, by Tairon Fernandez on Pexels.com.

The pandemic dictated that, to maintain social distance, we needed to hold virtual events. Rather than view this directive as a deterrent, the board’s first-rate Programming committee, helmed by Kris Ashley (VP Member Services) with support from Erica Akiko Howard and Sarah Peterson, took it as a sign that it was time to shift many member events online permanently. As a result, our nearly 400 members, who are as far-reaching as Alaska, Iowa, Maryland, and Texas, could attend any and all meetings of their choosing. The six captivating member meetings in 2022 ranged from editing cookbooks during an interactive panel, to learning about developing a marketing mindset from Dr. Malini Devadas, to hearing the powerful words of Alex Kapitan’s discussion on Conscious Language and the Power of Words, to Adrienne Montgomerie teaching us how to make editing magic with Word. Moreover, the Programming team added a workshop: How to Be a Happy Worker by Jenny MacLeod, which we’ll have the privilege of attending part two of in 2023. This extraordinary team managed to plan a portion of 2023 as well, to ensure that the new Programming committee is off to a great start.

Make sure that you check out the Guild website’s Event Calendar for more dates and descriptions of events. Unable to attend an event? Go to the Guild’s website and select Activities > Meeting Videos and Notes to watch videos of some past meetings.

Along with being virtually available, the Guild has continued its active online presence through its engaging social media and visually appealing, user-friendly website. The Communications committee, led by Alicia Ramos, has rocked this year with 10 fantastic blog posts as well as interactive (and funny) posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook from Jill Walters, not to mention our absolute favorite and beloved #StetPets. The crown jewel of 2022 was the newsletter that the Communications committee spearheaded. Every month, our talented admin, Jen Grogan, assembles, writes, and publishes this intriguing newsletter, a publication that has a zero percent unsubscribe rate. The December issue featured an informative gift buying guide for editors, with the highest number of clicks going to Retro 51 and Murchie’s Editors’ Blend Tea. How cool is that? We editors aren’t so difficult to buy gifts for after all. 

One endeavor that we worked on this year was to ensure that we continued to be an organization that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This ongoing organizational imperative led to the Guild board forming the DEI committee. Megan Christy and Laura Shaw worked together with other committees on the board to ensure that events, blog posts, and informative emails maintained focus on the Guild’s goal of being an antiracist organization.

As part of our strides for inclusivity, the 2022 board of directors created the Retired Member status, a pilot program that we’re offering editors who are entering the world of retirement but still want to maintain connection with fellow editors, attend Guild functions, and offer other Guild members their expertise. Thus far, the program has been received positively, and we hope that it allows our valued retired members an opportunity to maintain their strong connection with the editing community. Our retired members will be invaluable for the Editor Mentoring Program, under the leadership of Margie Banin (mentoring@edsguild.org), in providing guidance for those who are beginning their journeys on this editing path.

Another positive outcome from 2022 was the board’s efforts at getting the Guild back out into the world. In November, a group of Guild member volunteers, led by Kris Ashley, tabled at the Portland Book Festival, and it was a great success. Not only did they speak to around 200 people, but they also got at least one new member from contacts made there. 

Speaking of getting out into the world… 

In 2023, the Guild is hosting its first Red Pencil event since 2019, and we can’t wait!

One of our former board members, Michael Schuler, is leading the process of getting Red Pencil planning underway, and the small committee that has assembled has already set the event for May 6, 2023, with the theme of Seasons of an Editing Career. What a perfect theme to exemplify the past couple of years we’ve had—the ebb and flow of our experiences during the pandemic and the ebb and flow of our editing careers.

If you enjoy event planning or want to get more involved in Red Pencil activities (a little effort goes a LONG way), contact conference@edsguild.org.

Volunteering for any Guild event, committee, conference, or effort—in-person or online—is a great way to feel part of the larger organization, to meet fellow editors, and to help drive the forward momentum of an organization that we all love. Therefore, I encourage you to consider volunteering at some point during your membership. If that’s not your cup of tea, but you still want to build your circle of colleagues (and friends), I recommend attending one (or several) of the many virtual meetups, meetings, and workshops or our future in-person happy hours. Volunteering for the board has been vastly rewarding for me, allowing me to feel part of a community when I needed it most and to meet folks with whom I share a common love: language.

For me, the Guild has been a shining light through the dark days of the pandemic, a place to go for events, lively conversations, and an escape from the uncertainties and stressors of the world. I hope it is as much for you, because without all of our members we wouldn’t be where we are today. 

It’s because of passionate members like you that we have more incredible opportunities for members to engage and inspire one another. Adding to the Near North and Far North regional groups, we have a great variety of member-created meetups that cater to focused needs, such as the Developmental Editors, Tech Editing, Copyediting & Proofreading Fiction, and Academic Editing in the Humanities happy hours. Jesi Vega started the Editors of Color happy hour, and Kyra Freestar leads the Editors with Disabilities and/or Chronic Illness meetup to help extend the Guild’s DEI efforts and offer a safe space for members to meet. We, members and board volunteers alike, are deeply grateful for these opportunities. 

You can find and register to attend these meetups or social hours by going to the Guild website and then selecting Activities > Event Calendar. If you don’t find a meetup or social hour that meets your specific needs, you can start one yourself by selecting the Submit an Event (Members Only) button above the event calendar—any member can do it!

It is to these combined efforts of an extraordinarily talented group of board members and volunteers, our brilliant administrator, and the Guild’s unparalleled members that we can attribute the excellent state of the Guild.

Despite the pandemic and the inability to meet in person, the Guild’s fiscal state is sound. Our 2022 Treasurer, Laura Shaw, maintained an eagle eye on our finances, creating and maintaining a budget that made sense for the world in which we reside. An added excitement is the ability to allocate funds to provide virtual options at the Red Pencil event, to enhance inclusion and accessibility. 

Now, looking into 2023, we have an energetic, intelligent, and collaborative group of people joining the board. I’m excited to see what they’re going to do and grateful that they’ve stepped into the unknown to lead the Guild to brighter places with new voices and fresh perspectives.

If you ask me how I feel about the state of the Guild, I’d say that it’s good. No, it’s better than good—it’s excellent, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. 

Happy New Year, everyone!

MariLou
Outgoing Guild President 2022