Gwen Davies

Photo by Steve Pattingale

Gwen Davies founded the acclaimed writing retreat Community of Writers. She writes and teaches fiction, and sometimes works as a consultant in clear language and design.

Gwen is passionate about the craft of writing, and particularly enjoys working with new and emerging writers. She offers writing workshops through various organizations including the Nova Scotia Community Colleges, the Tatamagouche Centre, the Writers' Federation, Mount St. Vincent University, non-profit organizations, and for private writers' groups.

Gwen grew up in the RCAF, moving around Ontario and France - in the fifties she and her family travelled around Europe in a VW camper. She has worked as a high school English teacher, journalist, community development worker and consultant. Gwen has degrees in English and Journalism and an Adult Education Certificate from the Tatamagouche Centre. One of her stories, "Deadhead," is currently being adapted as a short film.

Selected List of Publications

"Facing the Other Way." Cahoots Magazine, Summer 2006.

"Bluffing." The Antigonish Review, number 143, Autumn 2005.

"No Endings." Pottersfield Portfolio, Volume 23 #2, December 2003.

"My First Bus Ride." Pottersfield Portfolio, Volume 15, No. 1, Spring 1993.

"Laura." The Blue Jean Collection. Thistledown Press, 1992. ISBN
0-920633-94-3.

Education and Communications

The Business of Mentoring - Bringing Students into the Workplace: A Guide for Employers (co-author). Nova Scotia Department of Education, 2006.

Kids' Health and the Environment: A Tool Kit. Cape Breton District Health Authority, 2004.

"Writing Your Story: Some Guidelines and Inspirations." - Appendix in Beyond Coping: Widows Re-inventing Their Lives. Molly Hurd and Margie Macdonald. Community Books, Lockeport, 2001.

"Labouring in the Internet"; "Keying in the Future"; "The reality behind virtual campuses" in Telestories. Telelearning Centres of Excellence. Mount St. Vincent University, Halifax, 2000.

Selected List of Awards

WFNS Effervescent Heart Award, 2004.

"to thank and recognize an outstanding member of the writers’ community: a person who dedicated years of selfless
service to the emerging writers in this region … "

First place, Javier de Mier Literary Contest (in translation), Madrid, Spain, 2002.

Creation Grant, Arts Council of Nova Scotia, 2001.

Video Scholarship, Centre for Art Tapes, Halifax, 1994.

Comments from Retreat and Workshop Participants

"I don’t think I have ever attended a workshop that was so well
organized and seamlessly run."

"...just the right atmosphere -- everybody working and sharing the energy."

"This should be used as a model for other writing retreats ."

"The playfulness is what prompted intensity; it resulted in fine creativity."

You can send mail to Gwen Davies
c/o Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia