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Mission, Values, & What We Do

The mission of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) is to foster creative writing and the profession of writing in the Province of Nova Scotia; to provide advice and assistance to writers at all stages of their careers; to encourage greater public recognition of writers and their achievements; and to enhance the literary arts in our regional and national culture.

Our staff, board of directors, and membership work to maintain a supportive and vibrant writing community in Nova Scotia according to WFNS’s six core values:

  1. We value the diversity of writers in all regions of Nova Scotia and are inclusive of all backgrounds, abilities, and languages represented in the province. We value all genres of writing and strive to create a welcoming, accessible, and supportive atmosphere for all writers. 
  2. We value the practice of writing and the importance of developing our skill and craft as writers.
  3. We value writing as a profession and a passion. We strive to represent the interests and protect the rights of all writers.
  4. We value community building among writers. We encourage writers to connect to readers, services, and resources. We have an appreciation for writing and a commitment to supporting its role in the life of Nova Scotians. We value the contributions of Nova Scotian writers regionally, nationally and internationally.
  5. We value the inherent skills and resources of our community and, where possible, will use the skills and resources of our membership and community at large. 
  6. We value professionalism and conduct ourselves with a high level of integrity. We are resourceful and creative in how we manage our organization’s operations.

Behind the scenes, WFNS represents the interests of writers to a variety of government departments and community organizations, lobbying on behalf of the interests of these writers.

WFNS also delivers public programming that provides a broad range of opportunities for emerging and established writers as well as professional authors. Programming activities include the following:

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 and our Emerging Writers Prizes, as well as 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 publicist or literary agent (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.

WFNS has three core communications priorities: communications with members, communications on behalf of and in the interests of members, and communications with the diverse markets for Nova Scotia writers and writing. These communications priorities are achieved through a range of approaches, including our weekly email newsletter for members (Subtext) and our social media engagement.

  • Subtext, our official member newsletter, communicates time-sensitive information on WFNS’s programs, events, and workshops. We also note the accomplishments and publications of our members; convey the events, writing groups, & writing retreats offered by the broader Nova Scotia literary community; and list a selection of opportunities for literary employment, publication, & competition. Subtext is emailed to all General Members on a weekly schedule.
  • Our Facebook (@WritersFedofNS) and Instagram (@WritersFedofNS) accounts promote WFNS programs, member and partner events, and literary opportunities.

1113 Marginal Road

Halifax, NS B3H 4P7

902 423 8116

contact@writers.ns.ca

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The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia is based in Kjipuktuk, in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship,” which Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) Peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1725. The treaties do not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognize Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) title and establish the rules for an ongoing relationship between nations.

© Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, 2025. All rights reserved.

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Simultaneous Submissions

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) administers some programs (and special projects) that involve print and/or digital publication of ‘selected’ or ‘winning’ entries. In most cases, writing submitted to these programs and projects must not be previously published and must not be simultaneously under consideration for publication by another organization. Why? Because our assessment and selection processes depends on all submitted writing being available for first publication. If writing selected for publication by WFNS has already been published or is published by another organization first, copyright issues will likely make it impossible for WFNS to (re-)publish that writing.

When simultaneous submissions to a WFNS program are not permitted, it means the following:

  • You may not submit writing that has been accepted for future publication by another organization.
  • You may not submit writing that is currently being considered for publication by another organization—or for another prize that includes publication.
  • The writing submitted to WFNS may not be submitted for publication to another organization until the WFNS program results are communicated. Results will be communicated directly to you by email and often also through the public announcement of a shortlist or list of winners. Once your writing is no longer being considered for the WFNS program, you are free to submit it elsewhere.
    • If you wish to submit your entry elsewhere before WFNS program results have been announced, you must first contact WFNS to withdraw your entry. Any entry fee cannot be refunded.

Prohibitions on simultaneous submission do not apply to multiple WFNS programs. You are always permitted to submit the same unpublished writing to multiple WFNS programs (and special projects) at the same time, such as the Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program, the Emerging Writers Prizes, the Jampolis Cottage Residency Program, the Message on a Bottle contest, the Nova Writes Competition, and any WFNS projects involving one-time or recurring special publications.

Recommended Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) recommends that participants in any given workshop have similar levels of creative writing and / or publication experience. This ensures that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with information, strategies, and skills that suit their career stage. The “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the following definitions used by WFNS.

  • 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, and writing for children and young adults) 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.

For “intensive” and “masterclass” creative writing 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 you’re uncertain of your experience level with regard to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca