My name is August, and I work with words.

I'm best known as a book critic; you may have seen my work in the Globe and Mail, National Post, or magazines like Quill & Quire and Canadian Notes & Queries. I keep a blog at vestige.org, where I write mostly about books. I also sometimes post about music, television, and film.

But I do other things, too! I edit a variety of materials for style and content; I've worked with everything from graduate papers to album covers. I'm also really into social media, especially platforms like Tumblr and Twitter, because they are perfect for making connections through a distinct, personal voice.

What are some of the things I've done in the past?

Here are just a few:

I helped the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board rewrite their K-8 computer science curriculum in the summer of 2000, where I had been brought in as an HTML and CSS specialist for a short-term contract.

I went on to co-found, design, co-edit, and publish Wooden Fish, a literary journal that ran online from 2002 until 2005.

From 2003 to 2005 I was a student at Laurentian University, where I worked on screenplays and conducted research into the connections between literary theory and complex systems theory. I got very comfortable with multidisciplinary projects. I also developed guides for effective writing at the undergraduate level, designed specifically for engineering students.

More recently I copy-edited the album art for Soon This Will All Be Gone, the third album from catl, a spectacular indie band based in Toronto.

What can I do for you today?

A lot of things!

I can write clear, intelligent reviews of books, television shows, albums, and films from a variety of genres. I'm comfortable reviewing for publications of any size. *

I can help you connect with an audience by writing direct, compelling copy.

I can look over your manuscript and make a short, general assessment—or include a comprehensive set of suggested revisions—with emphasis on clarity, structure, and language. I can also conduct a straightforward copy-edit of any text, regardless of length, suggesting corrections for things like grammar, syntax, and spelling.

I can even help you develop a voice for your social media accounts, where being clear, straightforward, and sincere matters more than ever.

What I enjoy most is making human connections through human language, but if you're more interested in synergistically leveraging emergent platforms to establish content-driven leadership solutions, I can do that too. I'd just prefer not to.

I'm always taking new clients, so please email info@augustbourre.com for an estimate. Every job is different; if you think I could help with a kind of project I haven't covered here, I'd be happy to discuss your needs.

*Writers, musicians, and other artists: I am also open to reviewing your work on my blog in exchange for review copies. Please feel free to get in touch; my contact information is listed above.