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By Anna Villarruel, Acquisitions Editor
November 2022
This month, I want to turn the spotlight on two fantastic webinars that were organized by Corwin (a division of Sage providing professional development resources to K–12 educators).
In 2021, Corwin invited queer educator and organizer Alex Kapitan to run a presentation titled “Liberatory Language Practices: Inclusive Language and the Powers of Words.” Alex (they/them) is a trainer, speaker, consultant, editor, and activist who left the world of nonfiction book publishing to start Radical Copyeditor, an anti-oppressive language project. This is often my go-to spot when I have questions about language use—their site showcases useful flowcharts, an accessible writing style, and a “no-nonsense” approach that gets to the heart of the matter.
The session and recording received tremendous support, so Alex was invited back in 2022 to talk our editorial teams through preparing for what can be sensitive conversations with our authors.
Here are three reasons why I found the presentations valuable:
As part of Sage’s ongoing efforts to counter structural racism and other oppressions, it's vital that we continually expand our awareness of the power of language to be a site of harm or liberation, and how we as a publishing company can best use words for good. Inclusive language isn't about "good" and "bad" words or a simple checklist of best practices; rather, it's a holistic approach that centers care for everyone who engages with the words we put into the world.
Published 11/22. © 2022 Sage Publishing. All rights reserved. All other brand and product names are the property of their respective owners.