I attended the ACES VCON26 virtual editing conference in September 2026, and I live posted from sessions I attended on Bluesky.
ACES: The Society for Editing hosts this virtual conference every year in September. ACES VCON26 conference session topics cover Core Editing Skills, Words & Language, Soft Skills for Editors, and The Business of Editing. I’ve been to several ACES in-person and virtual conferences and always learn a lot and have a great time with fellow edibuddies.
Below, you’ll find a roundup of threads I made from the conference. To read more live posts from each session, click on the Bluesky link and read the full thread on Bluesky.
Day 1 of ACES VCON26 (Wednesday, Sept. 16)
Build Better Checklists for Your Editing Tasks by Kelly Schrank
Our greatest fear as editors is to miss something: a typo, wrong formatting, factual errors, awkward language. Learn how using a comprehensive checklist created and updated for a specific editing task can help you differentiate workflows, systems, and activities; spell out style and formatting details, track your progress, document metrics, and give you a sense of completion and peace of mind. If you use editing checklists, this session will help you take them to the next level; if you don’t use them, this session will offer the knowledge and motivation you need to get started.
“Human in the Loop” Keynote by Kory Stamper
To non-editors, the work of editing seems technical to the point of being almost mechanical—and given the general misconception that editing is “just fixing bad grammar and typos,” it’s no wonder that some people think editing can be fully automated. But editors know that editing can be a lifeline between a writer and their audience, or an audience and understanding. So how do you convince a client that they need that lifeline? Join Kory as she shares what clients, our industry, and language itself all gain when editors are the humans in the loop.
Creating an AI Policy to Address Client Concerns (and Guidance You Can Give to Clients) by Judy Mohr
The area of AI-generative technology is rapidly changing, but with the changes comes a level of fear and lack of understanding. Writers and other creatives have a lot of questions and valid concerns. As editors, we need to address those concerns in a way that helps a client feel confident about our services. And if we are able to provide guidance to help our clients move forward (leaving fear behind), it’s an added bonus.
In this session, we will discuss what some of the current concerns and fears are, examine the options that clients have available to them, and define the difference between AI-assisted and AI-generated works (as applied within copyright law and publishing platforms). We’ll consider what an AI policy might look like, examining clauses you might want to consider and the verbiage you might want to use.
We’ll also look at how to approach the conversation with a prospective client who is considering hiring your services but would like to know why they should work with a human instead of “just getting AI to do it.” Using AI needs to be an informed personal choice. Let’s help to build the understanding involved with using this technology.
#StetChat on Bluesky
After the final session of VCON26, join us for #StetChat 🚩 Red Flag Roulette 🚩 from 4–5 p.m. ET / 1–2 p.m. PT on Bluesky.
In Red Flag Roulette, we’ll pose questions about hypothetical red flag clients and editing situations, and we’ll talk about how you’d deal with them. Together, we will hive-mind our way out of red flags!
Day 2 of ACES VCON26 (Thursday, Sept. 17)
Beyond Borders: Plain Language and Editing for Global Audiences by Ema Naito
As English-language editors, we are trained to shape text into good, “standard” English. But what happens when the content is intended for a highly diverse, global audience? The very figures of speech and cultural references that make the writing engaging for a U.S. audience may have the opposite effect, making it harder for global readers to connect to and understand the intended message.
This session frames plain language as a bridge for cross-cultural English communication. Plain language is about tailoring writing for the intended readers. Its principles (readers can find what they need, understand, and use it) can help editors edit better for global audiences.
In this session, you will learn how plain language principles can help guide your editing interventions; some features of English to consider for global readers; and ways you might communicate your edits to your clients—all to help you edit responsibly and inclusively for a globalized world.
Time Traveling With the Dictionary: Smart Ways to Use a Word’s Date by Peter Sokolowski
We all know that alphabetical order is arbitrary, but it’s a system that we need in order to organize information. But dictionary definitions also use another system to orient definitions, one that isn’t arbitrary at all: chronological order. The entire wordlist of Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary can be switched to chronological order with a single click.
But what does the date of a word’s first known use tell us? Knowing when a word entered the language is also a key to knowing how to better use the dictionary—it informs the order of definitions and the way meanings develop. It’s also the key to understanding important differences between the “Oxford English Dictionary” and dictionaries in the Webster tradition.
Tropes in Developmental Editing: The Good, the Bad, the Twisted by Genevieve Clovis, Mary Brydon-Kehoe, and Tanya Gold
Three fiction editors walk into a conference.
The first editor says, “At their most basic, tropes are story elements—like character traits or plot devices—that get used over and over. Sometimes that’s awesome.”
The second editor replies, “Yeah, but some of them stem from biased perspectives and are damaging to marginalized people.”
The third editor says, “This is a virtual conference, nobody walked anywhere, and you can twist and subvert those tropes in interesting ways!
Then they discuss how all this applies to developmental editing.
Everything Except the Editing: Building Systems for a Cohesive Editorial Practice by Nicole Hardina
Clients remember far more than your edits. Every email, proposal, invoice, and follow-up shapes their experience of your business. This session explores how freelancers can design an editorial practice in which every touchpoint—from inquiry emails to project tracking to marketing calendars—supports both the client experience and the business behind it. Together, we’ll examine practical systems that replace repeated decisions with repeatable workflows. We’ll explore three areas of practice:
- Create Consistency: Develop templates for inquiries, pricing, agreements, editorial communication, and client onboarding.
- Create Visibility: Use simple tracking tools to monitor projects, opportunities, revenue, and business goals.
- Create Momentum: Build calendars that support marketing, professional development, newsletters, and other long-term efforts without relying on inspiration alone.
Participants will leave with a framework for identifying recurring tasks and turning them into repeatable workflows. Whether you’re launching a freelance practice or refining an existing one, thoughtful systems can free up more time and mental energy for the work that matters most: editing.
Day 3 of ACES VCON26 (Friday, Sept. 18)
From Wack to Cool: A Linguistic Introduction to African American English by Diana Jones, Merriam-Webster, Assistant Editor
From being at the center of controversy in the 1990s to appearing in marketing campaigns in the 2020s, African American English has played a major role in influencing popular culture. You may be familiar with some terms from African American English, but are you able to identify its rules, patterns, and features? This session will explore the history of African American English, its role in American society, and how recognizing the language variety can help inform your editing.
Want to read more live posts from past editing conferences? Check out my live posts from ACES 2026 in Atlanta and ACES VCON25.
Let me know your thoughts on these sessions in the comments here or on Bluesky! And show some love to these presenters by following them on Bluesky and other social media.