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WFNS staff members are not able to provide the following literary services:You can, however, find comparable services through WFNS programs and those of other arts organizations:
those of a funding or grants organization (funding, bursaries, grants to individuals, etc.)For support in creating literary works, see our creative writing workshops, our Emerging Writers Prizes, and our Jampolis Cottage Residency Program. See also granting programs provided by Arts Nova Scotia and Canada Council for the Arts.
those of a publisher, press, or developmental editor (publication, book promotion, 'big picture' manuscript feedback, etc.)For feedback on unpublished writing, see our Manuscript Review Program and Nova Writes Competition.
those of a literary agent or publicist (manuscript submission, publicity, author promotion, marketing, tour booking, etc.)For advice on the writing life, see our free public resources and our Coffee Chats program.
those of a contracted editor (sensitivity reading, fact-checking, corrective editing, ghostwriting, etc.)For editing and other services for which you would hire a service provider, see our Literary Services Directory. We also recommend Editors Canada and the Canadian Freelance Guild.
those of an arts lawyer (contract review, legal advice, etc.)For questions of a legal nature, we recommend starting with Legal Help for Artists Atlantic.

Phone

902 423 8116

Office Address

WFNS
1113 Marginal Road
Halifax, NS
B3H 4P7

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Typical Office Hours

Monday – Friday
10 am – 3 pm

Please call or email ahead to schedule any meeting or pick-up, as staff members frequently work remotely or off-site.

Email

When possible, please contact one specific staff member according to the key areas listed below.

If unsure who to contact, please email contact@writers.ns.ca only. Copying all staff on an email often increases the time required for us to respond.

Linda Hudson
(she/her)

Program Manager (Arts Education)

Key areas:

  • Peer assessment, including jury recruitment & facilitation
  • Programs: Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program; Coffee Chats; Emerging Writers Prizes; Nova Writes Competition; Manuscript Review Program
  • Youth programs: Creative Writing Day Camps; Writers In The Schools

K.R. Byggdin
(they/them)

Events Coordinator

Key areas:

  • Author Spotlights
  • Event series & standalone events: author talks; author panels; fundraisers; info sessions; meet-ups; public readings
  • Programs: Booktoberfest
  • Volunteer opportunities

Andy Verboom
(he/him)

Program Manager (Membership Services)

Key areas:

  • Associate Access, General Membership, & Writers’ Council: accounts; applications; dues & subscriptions; profiles
  • Digital & print communications: anthologies, gifts, & merch; Subtext member newsletter; general website operation
  • E-commerce & tech support: dues; purchases; registration & program fees; general website operation
  • Literary Calendar
  • Programs: Jampolis Cottage Residency Program; Micro-Anthology Series
  • Resources
  • Workshops

Oriana Duinker
(she/her)

Executive Director

Key areas:

  • By-laws, policies, & practices
  • Equity & accessibility
  • Event space bookings
  • Media inquiries
  • Operations: donations & donor relations; endowments; fundraising; investments; partnerships
  • Payments to Writers’ Council members
  • Programs: 50 for 50 Contest Series; Nova Scotia and Atlantic Book Awards
  • Social media
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Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) uses the following terms to describe writers’ experience levels:

  • New writers: those with less than two years’ creative writing experience and/or no short-form publications (e.g., short stories, personal essays, or poems in literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks).
  • Emerging writers: those with more than two years’ creative writing experience and/or numerous short-form publications.
  • Early-career authors: those with 1 or 2 book-length publications or the equivalent in book-length and short-form publications.
  • Established authors: those with 3 or 4 book-length publications.
  • Professional authors: those with 5 or more book-length publications.

Please keep in mind that each form of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults, and others) provides you with a unique set of experiences and skills, so you might consider yourself an ‘established author’ in one form but a ‘new writer’ in another.

Occasionally, WFNS uses the phrase “emerging and established writers/authors” to mean ‘writers and authors of all experience levels.’

The “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the above definitions. A workshop’s participants should usually have similar levels of creative writing and / or publication experience. This ensures that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with info, strategies, and skills that suit their experience. 

For “intensive” and “masterclass” workshops, which provide more opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback, the recommended experience level should be followed closely.

For all other workshops, the recommended experience level is just that—a recommendation—and we encourage potential participants to follow their own judgment when registering.

If uncertain about your experience level with respect to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca