If you're a writer, please consider voting for me in the ALCS board elections. (And if you're a writer but not an ALCS member, skip down a couple of paragraphs for why it's worth joining!)
I have experience on committees of all shapes and sizes. Since the last elections, I've also become a Councillor in local government, so I have even more committee experience. I'm good at working with others, reviewing financials and navigating complex ethical and strategic decisions. I'll put my full statement below and all my links are at https://linktr.ee/caramelquin
You should have had an email with details of how to vote online securely. That takes you to statements from all the candidates. If not, visit https://www.cesvotes.com/alcs2022 You get two votes. Please give one to me!
Finally, if you write for a living and aren't a member, do join the ALCS. It's a not-for-profit that distributes secondary royalties to authors, campaigns and lobbies on our behalf and much more. Members include authors, journalists, academic writers, screenwriters, scriptwriters and visual artists. You'd be joining too late to vote in these elections but it's absolutely worth joining. Thank me later!
My statement
I’ve been a writer for 29 years, with staff writing and editing jobs in the UK and US before going freelance. I have experience on committees of all shapes and sizes: lobbying and campaigning; reviewing financials and navigating complex ethical decisions; serving as a Councillor. I believe in championing writers, good governance and probity in public life. I'm capable and personable. I work well with others.
Areas in which I write:
I write about gadgets and technology for newspapers, magazines and online. I've been staff and freelance. I wrote a book last year too.
The skills and experience I have which match the current requirements of the ALCS Board (i.e. as detailed in pp 4&5 of the vacancies booklet.)
My most important skills for this role lie in committee experience, campaigning and lobbying. I’m used to working on committees, digesting complex information including financials, making strategic decisions. I've gained relevant experience on the Standard Life Investments Ethical Committee and as a local Councillor (see below).
I also bring the no-nonsense, can-do attitude of a seasoned campaigner. I’ve worked hard on local issues for decades and punched well above my weight in doing so. I’ve successfully lobbied, publicised campaigns, pored over legislation and networked at all levels. I’ve worked with others across parties to transform my local area for the better and push for the best outcomes at difficult times (tight budgets, recession, political pressures, pandemic). This hard work continues as a Councillor tackling, for example, the twin emergencies of climate change and cost of living. It's not one or the other, it has to be both.
I would love to use these skills and experience to champion writers. Collecting royalties is invaluable in helping authors pay the bills but we also need to protect and fight for writers’ rights. I have not only the experience but the passion and commitment to do this well.
My experience of sitting on Board(s) and/or Committee(s) and what I believe I achieved during this time:
I'm a local Councillor for London Borough of Waltham Forest, where I serve as vice chair of the climate scrutiny committee and sit on two other committees.
I served on the Standard Life Investments Ethical Committee, which met quarterly in Edinburgh. We reviewed financial information and navigated complex ethical decisions to ensure funds met investors' wishes and expectations as well as their financial needs.
I’ve chaired two residents’ associations and worked on many community campaigns. I've led Woodcraft Folk youth groups. I have decades of experience lobbying and working strategically. Most notably, I had a central role in saving a highly listed art deco cinema and I’m proud to say it’s now being transformed into a world-class theatre, opening in 2023.
Why I would like to be an ALCS Director:
I’m passionate about being a writer. I’ve been one for nearly 30 years: a journalist, a copywriter, an author. Our industries are changing fast, thanks to everything from the internet to Covid. I want to use my experience to help the ALCS, and its members, weather those changes.
I have many friends and contacts who are ALCS members: not just authors but journalists, academics, scriptwriters, visual artists. The ALCS membership is big and diverse… yet many writers still haven’t heard of it. I’d use my committee experience to work to ensure the ALCS does more, for even more people.
The particular strengths I would bring to the ALCS Board:
Thanks to my time as a Councillor and on the Ethical Committee, I can soak up complex information and navigate strategic decisions, listening to members to ensure decisions meet their wishes and needs. As a campaigner, I’m used to lobbying to get the best results. And as an author, I understand the diversity of ALCS members and our diverse needs. I’ll also work tirelessly to expand opportunities and support for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic writers, women writers and LGBTQ+ writers whenever possible, because the playing field is far from level, in life and in publishing.
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