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- March 2016 Newsletter
March 2016 Newsletter
Lovefest for Editors
I’m talking about ACES 2016, of course. The American Copy Editors Society conference will be lighting up the Northwest March 31–April 2, 2016.
Conscious Style Guide is proud to be a sponsor and to celebrate its first anniversary with this crowd. I’ll be speaking on the “Sexist Creeps: How to Catch and Fix Sexist Language” panel on Friday, April 1, at 3:15 p.m. Be sure to come say hi.
My panel last year, “The Language of the LGBT Community,” was standing-room-only, and it warmed my old editor’s soul to see and meet so many of you interested in conscious language. And, on the panel, I had the pleasure of working with Sarah Grey, my cohort in the inclusive-language movement. I hope to build relationships with the rest of you to co-create meaningful change.
See you in Portland!
In other news:
CSG Articles: With permission, we reprinted a few articles I wrote for Copyediting last year: “When Bisexual People Marry,” which covers the hows and whys of the terminology, and “What Needs to Change,” a wake-up call to editors who strive to be invisible.
CSG Adviser: Congratulations to Alice Y. Hom, part of Conscious Style Guide‘s advisory council, on being reappointed to the California Humanities Board of Directors by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. We are grateful to have her on our team to advise on community-building and the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality.
National Grammar Day: Congratulations to serial haikuist Tom Freeman for placing first in the ACES National Grammar Day Tweeted Haiku Contest (#grammarday). I was thrilled to be a judge this year along with Copyediting‘s Laura Poole, Chicago Manual of Style editor Carol Saller, Scripps National Spelling Bee’s Corrie Loeffler, and last year’s winner, editor and poet Adriana Cloud. Read the winning haikus and Freeman’s bonus haiku.
Q&A Series: In case you missed them, check out our “Conscious Language at Work” interviews with accessibility analyst Ashley Bischoff and pediatric social worker Mia Scanlon. Find out how they communicate mindfully to support and enhance the work they do.
Shivering with antici-pation,
Karen YinFounder
“At a time of heightened sensitivity with racial matters, many viewers were shocked that old Asian stereotypes were trotted out for a laugh.”
I Now Pronounce You Husband and Husband | The New York Times
Having fun with self-labels.
Men: Stop Telling Me I’m Beautiful | Guerrilla Feminism
“Well-intentioned compliments still come from a place of entitlement.”
5 Words and Phrases That Can Transform Your Work Life | Fast Company
“The good news…is that by swapping simple words and phrases for others we can quickly—and permanently—produce positive behavioral changes.”
How to have a conversation about race with someone who just made an offensive or insensitive comment.
“Sometimes people say yes when they’re caught off guard.”
Media Advisory Regarding Coverage of Judge Sri Srinivasan | National Council of Asian Pacific Americans
Terminology for Judge Sri Srinivasan, who would be the first Asian American, Hindu, immigrant Supreme Court justice.
Thanks to the “Singular ‘They'” | Teaching Tolerance
“If we don’t make room in our language, it seems we can’t make room in our society for anyone who does not fall on either side of the slash between he and she.”
“This has been a deeply hurtful and tiresome experience for the black community and really the entire Facebook community.”—Mark Zuckerberg
“Women succeed at crowdfunding because they focus less on business terms around money and finance, and instead prioritise expressing traits like positive emotion, descriptive vividness and inclusiveness.”
What Kind of Name Is That? | The Paris Review
“Though it’s easier than ever to research a passable name from another culture, you still see more than enough banal stereotypes and correspondingly lame puns.”
“I,” “We” and “You” | Seth Godin
Changing attitudes by changing pronouns.
“While an unexpected passionate love letter might flutter hearts on screen or page, in real life, it tends to be demoralizing….”
Why HR Should Embrace Plain Language Communications | Canadian HR Reporter
“Even when people are highly educated and sophisticated, they don’t always have the time or the attention span to read a lengthy piece of prose with unnecessary details and repetitive content.”
No Woman Should Be Asked These Questions During a Job Interview | The Huffington Post
“So what do you do if you’re asked a question like this during an interview?”
How “Politically Correct” Went From Compliment to Insult | The Washington Post
The evolution of the term “politically correct.”
The Conscious Style Guide newsletter rounds up the best news and blog posts from the world of kind, compassionate, mindful, empowering, respectful, and inclusive language. Note: Spotlighting an opinion is not intended as an endorsement. Please send news tips to [email protected].
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