Al MacKay
Sensitivity & Expert ConsultantsAl MacKay is a freelance editor and writer with experience in a variety of creative fields. He works in many different areas, including zine making, film festival curation, video editing, independent animation, and transcription. Al has a special fondness for science fiction and fantasy, but he enjoys reading and editing for just about any genre and demographic.
He takes pride in his attention to detail, and his fast turnaround times. He especially loves reading for transmasculine and gay characters in fiction.
He spent the last year as a festival programmer for the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, and he carries this strong interest in LGBTQ2S+ media of all types to his work for Salt & Sage.
In his free time, Al loves discovering new comics and zines at small press fairs.
Sensitivity / Expert
- Transmasculinity / transgender men
- Non-binary identity
- Gay men & gay masculinity
- Depression and anxiety
- Late 2000s & early 2010s internet subcultures
- Independent comics
- Bullying (online, verbal, physical)
- Filmmaking and film history
- Intimate partner abuse / gaslighting
- Autism
Preferred Genres
sci-fi fantasy erotica xenofiction autobiography
Avoided Genres
None!
What Clients Say
I am so thankful for the wonderful service I’ve had from Salt & Sage! Al and Erin have both been absolutely fantastic - friendly and professional to a fault. The process of hiring Al was smooth and stress-free, and their feedback on my chapters was incredibly insighful and helpful - as a cis woman, I was nervous about doing my trans character justice in his “coming out” scene. He’s a very special character to me, and I want him to be the best version of himself! Al’s other feedback (including scenes of bullying and verbal abuse) was really useful, too; I have a few new ideas for sentences and dialogue to include, thanks to their feedback.
I will absolutely be using Salt & Sage again in my writing career. Thank you so much, Al!
My recent sensitivity consult with Salt & Sage was such a positive experience! Everyone I interacted was quick and thoughtful in their responses from the time I first sent an inquiry to see if they’d read an excerpt of a longer work (they do!) to the feedback itself. Al MacKay’s notes were detailed, clear, and encouraging – it was clear they put a lot of thought into both reading my excerpt and their response to it. I cannot recommend Salt & Sage enough for any of your editing needs, and Al MacKay specifically for sensitive consults.