About the conference
ACES Evolve took place March 23–25, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus, 350 North High Street, in Columbus, Ohio. It was ACES’ 27th annual conference.
The program offered 42 breakout sessions at introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. Sessions were organized into five tracks: Advanced Skills, Business of Editing, Core Skills, Health and Wellness, and Words and Language.
The ACES Education Fund held its Tenth Annual Spelling Bee on Thursday, March 23, and ran its annual Silent Auction on March 23–24. Proceeds supported students who have a passion for editing.
ACES Evolve introduced the Peer Connection Coffee Chat on Friday, March 24, where small groups of peers in the same specialty discussed a shared topic.
Other events included the Henry Fuhrmann Memorial Celebration, an exhibitor hall, the ACES Awards Banquet, and a self-care workshop with Julie Wilkes.
Keynote speaker
Connie Schultz delivered the keynote at the ACES Awards Banquet on Friday, March 24. Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist for USA Today and author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Daughters of Erietown. She is also a professional in residence at Kent State University’s School of Media and Journalism.
In 2005, Schultz won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for columns that judges praised for providing “a voice for the underdog and the underprivileged.” That year she also won the Scripps Howard and National Headliner awards for commentary.
As a fellow with the Vietnam Reporting Project, she wrote the 2011 series “Unfinished Business” on the long-term impact of Agent Orange. Her other books include Life Happens – And Other Unavoidable Truths and …and His Lovely Wife.
Sessions
- Act Like a Business! — The Quad: Laura Poole, Lori Paximadis, Amy J. Schneider, and Erin Brenner
- And Then They Said… — Christina M. Frey
- Back to School: Leveraging Your Editing Skills in Higher Education — Steve Bien-Aimé, Alyssa Appelman, and Janel Bloch
- Beyond Do No Harm: Medical Editing for Inclusivity — Vee White and Toni Willis
- Beyond Words: Design and Typography for Proofreaders — Megan Stolz Rogers
- Can They Say That? When “Wrong” May Actually Be Right — Lisa McLendon
- Caution: Editing While Caretaking — Alysha Love
- Copyediting Challenge: Learn From Other Editors — Erin Brenner
- Editing for and in the Government — Kim Cragg and Melissa Cichantek
- Editing Grant-Funded Research Proposals — Katherine Yaun
- Editing in Three Dimensions — Leslie Poster
- Editing Videos and Podcasts for Accessibility and Sensitivity — Mike Taylor and Allyson Daniels
- Evidence for Editing: What Cognitive Psychology and the Science of Rhetoric Tell Us About the Power of Editing — Corinne Jorgenson
- Evolving Into Teaching — Andy Bechtel, Lisa McLendon, and Christine Steele
- Fact-Checking Beyond the News — Gerri Berendzen
- Food for Thought: How We Talk About Food and Weight and Why It Matters — Jill Campbell
- Freelance Editing: The Top Ten Things I Wish I’d Known — Elizabeth d’Anjou
- From Clothing to Couture: How French Brought ‘Class’ to English — Peter Sokolowski
- Incorporating Plain Language and Accessibility Into Editorial Guidance — Joanna Schreiber
- Lives of the Editors — Mary Norris
- Maintenance Phase: Maintaining Your Program’s Style Guide — Elizabeth Morris Lakes
- Maximize Your Time and Efficiency and Build a Better Freelance Business — Melanie Padgett Powers
- Meaningful Work: Aligning Your Career With Your Values — Erin Servais, Molly McCowan, Crystal Shelley, and Lourdes Venard
- Medical Editing 101: All You Need To Know To Get Started — Andrea Klingler and Julie Munden
- Mistakes That Often Slip Through the Cracks — David Yontz
- Oops! Finding and Fixing Bloopers in Fiction — Amy J. Schneider
- Problem Clients: Common Dilemmas and How To Avoid Them — Molly McCowan
- Recipe Editing Workshop — Karen Wise
- Retreats: Build Your Business With a Getaway — Laura Poole
- Sounding Like the “Right Sort” — James Harbeck
- Strange and Unusual: Does English Deserve Its Oddball Reputation? — Katya Jenson
- Systems & Shortcuts: Supercharge Your Efficiency — Lori Paximadis
- Telling the Story: Integrating Narrative Elements Into Academic Writing — Dr. Olson Pook
- That Word Chat: Live — Mark Allen and Heather Saunders
- The Complaint Box at the Grammar Table — Ellen Jovin
- The Internal Red Pen: Editing With Mental Illness — Kate Post
- The Power of Masterminding — Barbie Halaby, Nicole Wayland, Heather Saunders, and Alysha Love
- Tone: The Music of Editing — Merrill Perlman
- Websites for Freelancers — Nate Hoffelder
- What’s New in AP Style? — Paula Froke and Colleen Newvine
- Working With Kidlit Authors — Jennifer Navarre
- Yes, We’re Everywhere: Editing LGBTQIA+ Characters and Stories — Cindy Cresap, Jenny Harmon, and Ruth Sternglantz