Following is a description of my professional background and the services I offer.

Professional background

I hold a BA in English (1982) and a TESL certificate from the University of Toronto (1987). I also hold an MA (2003) and PhD (2008) in English from the University of Victoria. I will complete my editing certificate at Simon Fraser University in 2024. Some of my accomplishments follow:

• Copy edited Beginning the journey into the spirit world: First Nations, Inuit and Métis approaches to palliative and end-of-life care in Canada (2022)
• Copy edited Smart Cities in Asia: Regulations, Problems, and Development (2022)
• Copy edited No. 1 (2021) issue: Indigenous Language Revitalization, Reflection, and Future Directions in WINHEC: International Journal of Indigenous Education Scholarship
• Provide professional writing and editing services for Turtle Island Consulting Services Inc. on a variety of projects (10 years and continuing)
• Co-wrote and edited a successful book proposal for a client leading to a contract with Routledge; guided two authors from dissertation to book publication
• Edited and provided coaching to students for The Arbutus Review, an undergraduate research journal at University of Victoria (4 years)
• Employed as a tutor at University of Victoria’s Centre for Academic Communication (4 years and continuing)
• Employed as Writing Scholar and Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing, University of Victoria (5 years)
• Employed as sessional academic and technical writing instructor (7 years)
• Awarded a Canada Graduate Scholarship from Social Sciences and Humanities Council (3 years: 2005-2008)
• Academic book based on my PhD dissertation published by University of Iowa Press: The Trouble With Sauling Around (2011)
• Book of poems published: birth of the uncool (2014)
• Several articles, essays, and book reviews published in academic journals and essay collections

Services I offer

I have experience in copyediting, structural editing, and stylistic editing. I’ve done research and writing for authors. I’ve guided two authors through the process of publishing their academic books (at Routledge, UK). I coach writers, helping them to tackle their obstacles and find joy in writing.

The most important element in doing this work is my relationship with you, my client. I enjoy working with creative, flexible people who trust my work. I enjoy collaboration and co-creation. Let’s see if we have a good fit. Please contact me and let me know what you’d like to do:

phone and text: 250-813-3423

email: maddyruthwalker@gmail.com

Rate: $40 an hour or package rates

Note: Unfortunately, I am unable to work with University of Victoria students because I am employed at UVic’s Centre for Academic Communication as a tutor, and it’s a conflict of interest.

I feel fortunate and grateful to live and work on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən People, also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations communities. I live near the Gorge. When I walk there, I remember that Aboriginal people have lived on the land around the Gorge Waterway and Portage Inlet for more than 4,000 years. They used the waterway for gathering food such as salmon, herring, oysters and other shellfish, waterfowl, and eelgrass. Their historical relationship to the land continues to this day.