Each year, the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), the professional association that I belong to, runs a three-day conference that has become an unmissable event for me. I’ve only been attending SfEP’s annual conferences since 2016, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that even in that short span of time, the impact they’ve had on me is profound.
 
I attended my first SfEP conference a few months after leaving my previous job with a higher education news publisher to strike out on my own, and while I had 10 years of experience with that publisher, I wasn’t sure how well that experience would translate into the fiction and academic proofreading and copy-editing I wanted to pursue. So when the SfEP Forum and my local group in London started buzzing about the upcoming 2016 conference, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to brush up on some of my self-taught-in-a-hurry-on-the-job editorial skills.
 
The conference was indeed that, and so much more. The speakers were first-rate, and each session felt like an editorial masterclass. I was also amazed at the collegiality and encouragement I saw all around me. Far from guarding their secrets, delegates were eagerly sharing the best practices they’d developed for everything from creating the perfect style sheet to securing repeat business from clients. At the sessions and while chatting with people during meals and coffee breaks, I learned new tips and techniques, but I also gained a sense of belonging among this group of talented and generous people from all over the UK and the world. Upon hearing that I didn’t have a hotel room of my own, the wonderful Helen Stevens invited me to be her roommate for an hour so that I wouldn’t have to change for the gala dinner in the public loos!
 
I had been able to afford only a one-day ticket for the 2016 conference, but I was determined to attend for all three days the following year. I excitedly booked my place and registered for sessions at the 2017 conference. And when Lucy Ridout put out a call for 5-minute Lightning Talk speakers, I decided to volunteer, buoyed by how much I’d enjoyed my first conference. Like many SfEP members, I get nervous about public speaking, but I could not have asked for a friendlier audience. The experience taught me that each of us has something to contribute to this community, and I remember that lesson whenever imposter syndrome rears its ugly head.
 
I now live in Toronto, and I still make attending SfEP conferences a priority. I was one of four Toronto SfEP members who flew in for the recent 2018 SfEP annual conference, and I led an hour-long session on editing erotic fiction — something that pre-SfEP me would have never believed I could do. The 2018 conference featured sessions on everything from medical editing, inclusive language and editing in the EU to growing your business, not to mention late-night tea and wine parties with colleagues-turned-friends.
 
Small wonder, then, that I’ve had my place booked for the 7 November 2018 SfEP mini-conference in Toronto for weeks now. The one-day mini-conference, organised by Janelle Bowman, Janet MacMillan and Kelly Lamb from the Toronto SfEP group, boasts an impressive roster of speakers from the Canada, the UK and the US, and I can’t wait to learn from, be inspired by and have fun with them!

Name:
Blue Brick Café
 
Date & Hours Visited:
Thursday, 29 September 2016, 11.15am-3pm

Free Wi-Fi?
Yes
 
How Busy?
Initially very quiet, but it got busier at lunch time and then quieter again around 2.30pm.
 
Staff Attitudes:
Very friendly. When I ordered cake I said 'If I'm spending so much time here I should order more', and the server said 'Oh, don't even worry about that!'

Noise Level:
The coffee machine and the music on the radio were somewhat distracting at times, but I won't complain too much about BBC Radio 6. The chatter in the café, although part of the friendly and welcoming atmosphere, could also be distracting at busy times.

Seating:
Mostly wooden, rustic-looking chairs and tables (seating 2, 3 or 6), which are very cosy and comfortable. Some outside seating as well, although even including those seats the café's capacity is only about 30 people. The 2-seater table I used was the only spot I could see with a power socket.

Food/Drink Price:
Fairly competitive for the area, especially some of the breakfast options and their daily soup. Their starter salads are £6 each and lunch main courses are £9 each, which is still pricey for me, though. I had a £3 glass of fresh grapefruit juice, a £9 spicy chickpea stew and a £3 slice of pistachio and spinach cake.

Food/Drink Quality & Selection:
Delicious, creative, homemade vegetarian food. Full disclosure: I've eaten here many times over the past year, although this was my first time working here. I adore their Fullest Vegan breakfast, which includes homemade beans, sourdough toast, mushrooms and spinach, roasted tomato, vegetarian sausage, and bubble and squeek.

As for this visit, my grapefruit juice was fresh, as advertised, and very tasty. The stew was rich and hearty, not too spicy for my wimpy taste, and served with brown rice, 2 vegetarian sausages and green salad, helping to justify the £9 price tag. The cake was also just lovely, with a pleasantly chewy sponge and a light mascarpone icing that had just enough sweetness to it.

Would I Work Here Again?
Yes, ideally during weekdays at non-peak meal times, but even when it was busy I found I was able to work. There was never any pressure for me to spend more money or free up the table, and the staff are attentive without being overbearing, making Blue Brick a good occasional alternative to working from home.
 
Overall Ranking:
 8/10

And another thing…
In case you couldn't tell, I love this place. It should reek of pretension, especially in this neighbourhood, but instead it's a welcoming little place that quietly makes very good food and is happy for people to sit with a coffee and a laptop for hours. Blue Brick Café may very well be the standard by which I judge all other cafés.

Name:
Café G Artisan Kitchen & Coffee House
 
Date & Hours Visited:
Monday, 8 August 2016, 3.30-4.45pm

Free Wi-Fi?
Yes, with no password required
 
How Busy?
Fairly busy. Most of the tables outside were full, but the café is quite spacious and there were half a dozen free tables inside.
 
Staff Attitudes:
Friendly, although my needs were few and my interaction with them was pretty minimal.

Noise Level:
I sat near the back, and there was a Gymboree kids' play group in an adjoining room that I could hear clearly for about half an hour. After that one of the staff turned on the radio. First two songs: Karma Police by Radiohead and Island in the Sun by Weezer, which I enjoyed but found distracting. The café patrons were pretty quiet, give or take the occasional baby crying.

Seating:
Wooden-top tables and plastic chairs or booths. I sat on a booth seat that was very comfortable. The table was just big enough for my laptop, tea and snack.

Food/Drink Price:
Fairly pricey for my money, although competitive for East Dulwich: A large yogurt-topped raspberry flapjack was £2.75, and a pot of Earl Grey tea was £2.15.

Food/Drink Quality & Selection:
The flapjack was very sweet, probably too sweet for some peoples' tastes, but I loved it. The tea was a little on the bitter side for me, which I often find with Earl Grey in coffee shops, but still just about drinkable and passes the Starbucks test (Ugh, Starbucks Earl Grey is the worst.) The café has a good selection of breads, cakes, coffee, tea, milkshakes and smoothies, although the menu info is on a few different chalkboards on the walls around the cash area and it's a little hard to see all the options.

Would I Work Here Again?
Probably not, although I may occasionally drop by for a cake with one of my friends who has kids.
 
Overall Ranking:
 5/10

And another thing…
G Café sits comfortably in a niche of child-friendly cafés, which is a smart move in Yummy Mummy central. One of East Dulwich's defining features is its abundance of affluent (and predominantly white) young families, and on weekdays the streets, pubs and shops are full of moms with prams.

This café is exactly what they're after. Moms with cash won't bat an eyelash at a £2.15 price tag for a pot of tea, their babies can exhibit normal baby behaviour without drawing tsk-tsks and head shakes, and their strollers can easily navigate the wide spaces between tables. I willingly surrender the place to them and will choose to work elsewhere.