The holiday season is solidly behind us, and the long stretch of Canadian winter still has a bit of life in it with chilly temperatures, cold winds, and blowing snow in the forecast. And of course there are lots of fun things to do outdoors in winter, but I think we can all agree that the season does tend to drag on a little bit.

One way to fire up your ambition and creativity is to plan for some opportunities to learn something new, meet new people, and expand your horizons. To help you do that, here’s a round-up of some great upcoming spring events.

Editors Canada Conference: Editing in the Age of Misinformation

If you’re able to travel, the most popular editorial event in Canada is, of course, the annual Editors Canada conference. This year the conference is being held May 21–23, 2026, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the event’s theme is Editing in the Age of Misinformation—undeniably the most important and relevant theme they could have chosen. 

Misinformation is not just limited to “fake news” and spreading information designed to conceal and obscure; as editors, misinformation affects the work we do and demands that we edit more carefully for bias, inherent assumptions, and misrepresented identities. We are there to catch what others may miss, and at this year’s event, attendees are encouraged to open their eyes, ears, and minds to how we can use our love of accuracy and clarity in writing to not only create more truthful and inclusive content but also let those qualities drive us to take our skills and responsibilities to the next level.

This year’s sessions cover a variety of topics, including editorial ethics in the face of AI, strategic approaches to handling AI writing, crafting compelling characters, how to use AI responsibly as part of your own practice, collaborating with Indigenous voices, and non-fiction book proposals. 

While I am unable to attend the conference this year, I am definitely going to be checking the Editors Canada website in the hopes that some of these sessions will show up as prerecorded seminars or webinars.

Early-bird discounts are available until March 6, 2026. Space is limited, so sign up now to secure your spot. Registration will close on May 10, 2026, and remember, registration is open to all, whether you’re a member of Editors Canada or not.  

EXPROSÉ: Poet Showcase & Writing Workshop

EXPROSÉ is a space for poets and writers to commune with featured guests and witness these artists dig deeper into their pieces.

The showcase offers attendees the opportunity to write draft poetry pieces—inspired by what they heard from the guest artist and structured using three prompts created with lines from the featured work. At the end of the writing section, the host will read one of the pieces they wrote during that time and invite attendees who are comfortable with public speaking to share their work as well.

The next upcoming event is on April 13 and features Indo-Canadian poet Rayn Lakhani.

ACES Spotlight Series on AI

The American Copy Editors Society (or ACES) launched its inaugural Spotlight Series last spring, a recurring virtual educational series focusing on topics that are trending in the editing community. 

Considering the vast impact of AI across industries and communities, it’s not at all surprising that it was selected as last year’s topic. The series is split into three separate sessions: Legal and Ethical Implications of AI in Editing, Practical Uses of AI in Editing, and Job Protection in the Era of AI in Editing.

In each session, each member of a panel of experts delivers a 15-minute talk focusing on their area of expertise, followed by a moderated Q&A from the online participants. Each session is unique and stands alone, but can also be seen as complementary to the entire series.

Most importantly, these sessions are due to be archived on March 30, 2026, so if this is a subject that you want to learn more about, make sure you purchase the session(s) you’re interested in before then.

Ottawa International Writers Festival

The great minds at the Ottawa International Writers Festival believe strongly that imagination is our greatest renewable resource; so, twice a year, they convene an international celebration of ideas to recharge our imaginations. From politics to poetry, science to music, history to thrillers, the full diversity of the written word is celebrated, along with the gifted writers who guide our explorations of the world.

There are also year-round special events that occur to keep the ideas flowing! Check out the Writers Festival website for more information, including tickets to upcoming events, archived streamed events, and their podcast series.

The FOLD: The Festival of Literary Diversity

Held April 26 to May 3, 2026, the Festival of Literary Diversity is Canada’s first festival for diverse authors and storytellers. 

The FOLD provides unique events for kids and adults that engage readers, inspire writers, and empower educators by highlighting important and underrepresented voices. Plus, its events are a blend of in-person and virtual, so if getting to downtown Brampton isn’t possible (or you just don’t want to battle GTA traffic), you can still partake in the Festival’s one-of-a-kind content from the comfort of home.

Also on offer is the FOLD Academy, a series of six or more events that run through September to May of each year. 

The Academy provides emerging and established writers with the opportunity to improve their writing and better understand the publishing industry—some events have already taken place, but be sure to check the listings to see what is still to come this season (and check back later this year for the start of the next Academy series).

And, if your TBR pile is running low (unlikely, I know, but hear me out), the FOLD Reading Challenge is also worth looking into. The challenge encourages book lovers to diversify their reading and their listening by asking one important question: Who’s missing?

Each year, FOLD releases a twelve-challenge list in January, focusing on one challenge per month—for example, January’s challenge was “Cozy fiction by a marginalized author.” At the beginning of each month, a member of the FOLD community writes a blog with four recommended titles that fit that month’s challenge to help you along. Maybe one month’s challenge topic won’t speak to you, but the next month’s will—and you find yourself reading all four of the month’s picks!

Perhaps, at first glance, reading doesn’t seem much like professional development—but as editors (and as writers too, if that is part of your scope), opening ourselves up to new perspectives, underrepresented voices, and alternate viewpoints can only ever expand our skills and our abilities.

Keep Your Eyes, Ears, and Minds Open

Of course we all know the big events of literary celebration, such as The Word On the Street and the Toronto International Festival of Authors—and those are wonderful! However, professional development opportunities are about more than just networking, especially as we see the publishing and editing industries changing so much, and so quickly.

Taking opportunities to learn about how those changes are coming to be, and how we can best position ourselves to work within ever-evolving practices and standards, is important. And it is just as important to educate ourselves on how we can do our part to prevent the spread of misinformation and mis- or underrepresentation too.

Let your spark of passion for knowledge and self-development keep you fired up as the last weeks of winter flow by.  Before you know it, spring will be here!
 

Lesley-Anne Longo is an editor and former TEC team member who worked for TEC for 11 years. She provides editing and proofreading services for fiction and non-fiction authors and publishers. To contact her for a project, you can visit her website at https://www.lesleyannelongo.com.