The next EFA Houston meeting will be Wed., Aug. 28, 6 to 7 p.m. (Central), online (free). Returning speaker Sean Morrissey Carroll will present “Building Community as an Editor.”

About the presentation: The magician behind the curtain, the craftsman toiling in the shadows—a fiction editor might not sound like the type to build a community around them. However, a book takes a village to create. Crafting a career in narratives should be a community effort as much as possible. Join us in this collaborative workshop designed for editors to demonstrate why growing community involvement can be a viable strategy for growing your business opportunities as an editor online and in person. Introverts welcome!

From speaking engagements to slush pile volunteers, there are many methods to extend your reach, find your peer group, and advance your career as an editor while deepening your practice through collaboration and community-building. We’ll speak about ways you can play to your strengths and stay in your comfort zone while growing your reach and opening new opportunities in your career as an editor and beyond!

About the speaker: Sean Morrissey Carroll (he/him) has always loved the written word. From a young age, he read epics and built his own worlds, games, and stories on paper. A curator and art critic from 2002–2012, Sean has written for many publications, including Artforum and the Houston Press. An avid reader and film aficionado, he started writing fiction in 2018 and co-founded Writers Lunch, where he has given nearly 100 presentations on writing craft and critique.

Since joining critique group Tomeworks in 2020, Sean has spent the last few years deepening his understanding of the critique process. He’s written two sci-fi novels and a climate fiction novella as well as dozens of short stories and poems that have been published in literary magazines like Defunkt, Nebo, Punt Volat, Space City Underground, and decomp zine. In the past year, Sean has been a panelist speaker at writing conferences, including Writefest, WriteHive, WisCon, and Flights of Foundry; freelanced as a poetry editor; and become an author-instructor with Writespace Houston.

Please click here to register for this event. Guests/visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend! Additionally, Shannon and I (Amy), chapter coordinators, will be giving away two door prizes at the end of the meeting! Winners will each receive a complimentary EFA webinar.

Also, this meeting will be recorded for those who cannot attend. If you’d like the link to the recording, you may email me (amy@editoramy.com) at least one week after the meeting.

Shannon and I hope to see many of you at our upcoming event! Feel free to email me if you have any questions.