Workshops & Events

In & Out of Form: Exploring Formal Poetry (virtual) with Annick MacAskill

The study of traditional poetic forms strengthens our understanding of poetry and can shift our own practice—though not necessarily towards formal poetry. Experimenting with classical poetic forms can help us break through writer’s block, generate new work, and learn more about poetic devices such as rhyme and repetition—lessons that can be carried forward into any poetic practice (or, truly, any writing practice).

This workshop will (re-)introduce participants to a number of traditional poetic forms, with an emphasis on elements of craft that are also helpful in a free verse practice. Our time will be filled with readings, discussions, writing exercises, and workshopping. Participants can expect to come away with knowledge of traditional poetic forms, new strategies for their writing, and a few new drafts.

About the instructor: Annick MacAskill is the author of four full-length poetry collections, including Shadow Blight (Gaspereau Press, 2022), winner of the Governor General’s Award, and Votive (Gaspereau Press, 2024). Her poems have appeared in journals across Canada and abroad and in the Best Canadian Poetry anthology series. She holds a PhD in French Literature and has published half a dozen peer-reviewed articles on Renaissance French and Neo-Latin poetry. MacAskill is the founder and publisher of poetry micropress Opaat Press. She lives in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), in Mi’kma’ki.

Recommended experience levels: Writers of all experience levels are welcome

Participant cap: 12

Location: Zoom

Dates of 4-week workshop: Thursdays, Nov 5 + Nov 12 + Nov 19 + Nov 26, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $185

Registration for non-members: $215 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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Diving into Flash Nonfiction (virtual) with Sandra Phinney

Featured Event, Workshops & Events

You’ve heard of flash fiction. Now think flash nonfiction: super-short (100- to 1000-word) personal stories. Writing riveting micro-memoirs can be hugely rewarding. And writing flash profiles of folks— family, friends, colleagues, and adversaries—can be both challenging and fun. But where to begin?

Which outlets publish flash nonfiction? How does writing micro-nonfiction differ from writing regular narrative stories? Can enough flash pieces be pulled together for a book-length memoir manuscript?

Join Sandra Phinney to learn how and where to mine for nonfiction stories; get tips on the craft of super-short writing; hear some true tales; and discover where to get your flash nonfiction published. The only prerequisite is a willingness to experiment.

About the instructor: Sandra Phinney’s stories have been published in over 70 publications, such as Nature Canada, Canadian Geographic, and the Toronto Star, and she was a frequent contributor to Saltscapes and Journey Woman. Although Sandra has weaned away from writing for magazines and newspapers, she’s now totally immersed in writing essays and books and giving workshops. Her fifth nonfiction book—BUSTED! Confessions of an 80-Year-Old Tree Hugger ~ And Other True Tales of Life in Nova Scotia, a collection of 27 essays for Pottersfield Press—will be launched this October.

Sandra is a bit nutty about narrative and has given numerous workshops across Canada on various forms related to the craft of writing nonfiction. She loves to see participants leap into the unknown and discover their stories and voices. Sandra lives off-grid with her husband on the Tusket River outside of Yarmouth, NS. In her spare time, you’ll find her paddling in the wilderness.

Recommended experience levels: New and emerging writers, as well as established authors who are new to short-form nonfiction

Participant cap: 12

Location: Zoom

Dates of 4-week workshop: Tuesdays, Nov 3 + Nov 10 + Nov 17 + Nov 24, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $185

Registration for non-members: $215 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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Develop those Character Muscles (virtual) with N.L. Blandford

Featured Event, Workshops & Events

Are you unsure where to start when creating a protagonist, villain, or side character? Do all of your characters “sound” or “feel” the same? Do your characters seem boring, unengaging for readers, or less interesting than you’d like them to be? Do you feel something is missing from your story but are unsure what it is?

Great characters are the building blocks of a great story. This workshop will provide tools and hands-on experience to help you identify who your characters are (their personalities, flaws, goals, and emotional wounds); keep track of their life events, habits, and mannerisms; make them unique, engaging, and memorable; and avoid the trap of stereotypes.

About the instructor: Award-winning crime fighter by day and crime writer by night, N.L. Blandford crafts gripping, high-tension thrillers that captivate readers and play on their emotions. Based outside of Lunenburg, she leverages her unique background to write stories rooted in truth, using fiction to raise vital awareness around complex social issues. When she isn’t leading fearless characters through thrilling journeys, she mentors authors through Novel Bound Consulting, providing the personalized coaching needed to turn creative sparks into published realities. In her downtime, she’s an avid reader and snuggler of two cats, a dog, and her partner.

Recommended experience levels: New, emerging, and early-career fiction writers

Participant cap: 12

Location: Zoom

Dates of 3-week workshop: Sundays, Nov 1 + Nov 8 + Nov 15, 2026 (1:00pm to 3:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $145

Registration for non-members: $175 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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Writing with Tarot: Symbols, Archetypes, and the Creative Journey (virtual) with Tiffany Morris

Featured Event, Workshops & Events

From the Fool’s Journey to the Hero’s Journey, the 78 cards of the Tarot provide a multitude of archetypal symbols that can guide our creative process. These Tarot symbols are drawn from diverse sources ranging from Arthurian legend and astrology to early 20th century mysticism, providing an exciting framework for personal and creative exploration.

In this workshop, we will write and explore how the symbols of the Rider-Waite system can generate ideas for plot and character in fiction, as well explore ideas for poetic devices and nonfiction storytelling structures. We will also look at Tarot spreads for personalized insight into the writing process and our artistic practices. This session will be presented in a combination of lecture and generative workshop, where participants will be welcome (but not pressured) to share their work.

Writers do not need previous experience with Tarot or their own Tarot deck to participate; examples and resources will be provided in the session.

About the instructor: Tiffany Morris is an L’nu’skw (Mi’kmaw) writer from Nova Scotia. She is the author of the horror novella Carnalis—as well as the Ignyte, Indigenous Voices, Shirley Jackson, and Aurora award-nominated horror novella Green Fuse Burning, which won the 2024 Indie Ink Award for Indigenous Representation. Her poetry publications include the forthcoming collection blacksalt/voidmoon and the Elgin Award-winning Elegies of Rotting Stars. Her work has appeared in the anthology Never Whistle at Night, as well as in Nightmare Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, and Apex Magazine, among others. She is a Director-at-Large for the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia and one of the founding directors of The Trident Conference for Speculative Fiction.

Recommended experience levels: Writers and authors of all experience levels are welcome

Participant cap: 12

Location: Zoom

Date of 1-night workshop: Tuesday, October 27, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $45

Registration for non-members: $75 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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Sending it Out: what to expect when submitting short genre fiction (virtual) with Brittni Brinn

Featured Event, Workshops & Events

Whether you write sci-fi, horror, cosy fantasy, experimental speculative fiction, or anything in between, finding a home for your story can be overwhelming.

In this workshop, we’ll discuss ways to find a good fit for your genre fiction. Through a combination of writing exercises and a casual lecture format, we’ll explore avenues for submitting stories and study practical examples of submission calls from genre publications. We’ll also discuss how to prepare your story, what to expect from the submission process, and how to stand out from the crowd when writing for calls.

If you dream of getting published but have never sent out a story before, or if you’ve hit a wall with your submissions and are looking for some fresh insight, this workshop is for you.

About the instructor: Brittni Brinn writes from a tower and sometimes a cottage in Mi’kma’ki / Nova Scotia. Their short stories have appeared in the British Fantasy Award-shortlisted anthology At the Lighthouse (Eibonvale Press), Your Flight Has Been Cancelled (Little Ghosts Books), Sunshine Superhighway: Solar Sailings (JayHenge Publishing), and Winter Horrorland (Undertaker Books). She holds a MA in Creative Writing from the University of Windsor and worked in theatre for many years, co-founding two community theatre companies. Brittni also co-hosted and produced Hardcover, a radio show on CJAM where she interviewed authors and artists about their process and work. Her genre-bending novella Misplaced was published by Little Ghosts Books in 2024.

Recommended experience levels: New, emerging, and early-career fiction writers

Participant cap: 12

Location: Zoom

Dates of 2-week workshop: Thursdays, Oct 15 + Oct 22, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $105

Registration for non-members: $135 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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Curating Nonfiction: From Clippings to Collage (virtual) with Rebecca Rose

Featured Event, Workshops & Events

Nonfiction writers are collectors. Collectors of oral histories, of information, of pretty, shiny things. But how do you take your unique collection—your body of research—and turn it into a digestible, cohesive, engaging story? Join two-time author Rebecca Rose to learn the basics of incorporating research into your nonfiction writing.

From interviews, to the archives, to the internet—where do you start? How do you decide what to include in the final product, and how on earth do you bring it all together?

This workshop is for new and emerging writers who have the passion, the ideas, and maybe even a file folder or Google doc of initial research, but are looking for a little help refining and putting it on the page.

About the instructor: Rebecca Rose is a Nova Scotian queer femme author, speaker, and activist who has written two non-fiction books: Before the Parade: A History of Halifax’s Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Communities (1972-1984) and Amazing 2SLGBTQIA+ People in Atlantic Canada. Rebecca holds a Journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Born in Cape Breton, Rebecca now lives in the hills of Dartmouth with her wife, child, and cat.

Recommended experience levels: New and emerging nonfiction writers

Participant cap: 12

Location: Zoom

Dates of 3-week workshop: Wednesdays, Oct 14 + Oct 21 + Oct 28, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $145

Registration for non-members: $175 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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Self-Publishing Roadmap (Sydney) with Sherry D. Ramsey

Featured Event, Workshops & Events

Self-publishing is a strong choice for many writers today—but not a choice to be made lightly. Whether considering self-publishing for a first project or thinking of jumping from traditional publishing to independent, there are many implications—from financial to personal—that writers should take into account.

In this workshop, we’ll discuss the knowledge, skills, and resources writers need in order to self-publish successfully. We’ll explore the benefits, challenges, and potential pitfalls of self-publishing, as well as ways to determine if independent publishing is right for you and your project. And we’ll dig into the practical details of what’s involved in the process and what resources exist to guide you through it—from writing and editing, to book layout and design, to distribution and marketing.

Participants will leave this workshop with a better understanding of the path to self-publishing and resources to assist in the journey.

About the instructor: Sherry D. Ramsey writes science fiction and fantasy for both adults and young adults and is one of the founding editors of Cape Breton’s Third Person Press. She has published over thirty short stories nationally and internationally, and her novels range across the speculative genres, through space opera, urban fantasy, cozy fantasy, and beyond. She’s currently working on the second part of a new fantasy duology and a zombie apocalypse novel, as well as teaching English courses as a sessional instructor at Cape Breton University. She (rather obviously, if you’ve read this far) lives in Cape Breton, where she consumes far more coffee and chocolate than is likely good for her.

Recommended experience levels: Writers of all experience levels are welcome

Participant cap: 12

Location: On The Same Page Books (311 Charlotte St, Sydney, NS)
This venue is wheelchair-accessible but does not have a wheelchair-accessible washroom.

Dates of 2-week workshop: Tuesdays, Oct 13 + Oct 20, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $105

Registration for non-members: $135 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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A Place to Build: spoken word workshop (Halifax) with Andre Fenton

Featured Event, Workshops & Events

Award-winning author and spoken word artist Andre Fenton invites participants to explore their unique stories through creativity, reflection, and self-discovery. Participants will use poetry and spoken word as tools for mapping, shaping, and expressing these stories, with a focus on performance, wordplay, structure, and creative risks.

Session 1, Finding Your Poem, focuses on reflection—uncovering meaningful, impactful experiences, discovering themes, and understanding the story you plan to tell.
Session 2, Crafting the Story, focuses on writing—transforming ideas into poetry and spoken word, taking creative risks with language, imagery, wordplay, and poetic devices.
Session 3, Shaping the Structure, focuses on revision—editing to strengthen each piece through structure, pacing, and clarity.
Session 4, Sharing Your Truth, focuses on performance—exploring voice, rhythm, delivery, and stage presence, giving participants the opportunity to bring their words to life and share their stories with others.

Each session begins with creative warm-ups that will encourage participants to reflect, share, and connect with their imagination and lived experiences.

About the instructor: Andre Fenton is an award-winning African Nova Scotian writer, performer, and arts educator who has represented Halifax at eight national spoken word festivals across Canada. He is the 2023 recipient of the Portia White Protege Award and a 2022 recipient of an Emerging Artist Recognition Award from Creative NS Awards. Andre is the author of three young adult fiction novels: Worthy of Love; ANNAKA, which was the 2022 recipient of The Community & Place Award from Digitally Lit; and The Summer Between Us, which won Gold in The Coast’s 2022 Best Of Awards. Andre has facilitated writing and performance workshops in over 100 classrooms across Nova Scotia. He is the founder of The Ink Collective and the director of The Narrative Program at The Bus Stop Theatre Co-Op. He is represented by CookeMcDermid and Meridian Artists. Andre is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Recommended experience levels: New and emerging spoken word artists, including writers more experienced in other forms

Participant cap: 12

Location: Community Room, Bus Stop Theatre Co-op (2203 Gottingen St, Halifax)
The Community Room is accessible only from Maitland Street, which runs parallel to Gottingen.
This venue is wheelchair-accessible and includes wheelchair-accessible washrooms.

Dates of 4-week workshop: Thursdays, Oct 8 + Oct 15 + Oct 22 + Oct 29, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for members and non-members: $185.00

Registration for full-time students, the underwaged, and those on fixed incomes: $92.50

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An Anatomy of Romance: a fiction workshop (Halifax) with Denise Flint

Booktoberfest, Workshops & Events

Romance novels: they account for the biggest piece of the publishing pie by far. No wonder! Some people have admitted to reading upwards of 50 romances a month, and very, very few readers have never read one (even if they won’t admit it). But what makes a story romance? Romeo and Juliet. Pride and Prejudice. Gone with the Wind. Outlander. They’re all famous love stories but are they all romances?

This workshop will look at what makes a book a romance, what the various sub-genres of romance are and why its popularity has not only lasted but grown. We will explore what makes romance different from other genres, why it’s frequently been reviled and dismissed, and whether it’s finally getting the respect it deserves.

About the instructor: The first rejection Denise Flint ever received was from Harlequin. The letter explained that, while the novel she had submitted was well-written, it lacked heart. She went on to a career as a freelance journalist but never forgot her first foray into romance writing. After dusting off the old ambition and returning to her love of all things ending happily, she has had four romances published under the name Barbara Burke and one more, after a great deal of hesitation, under her own name. She continues to write nonfiction and fiction and does both, she hopes, with heart. She has learned her lesson.

Recommended experience level: All writers welcome (About recommended experience levels)

Participant cap: 30

Location: Room 301 (3rd floor), Halifax Public Library (5440 Spring Garden Rd, Halifax)
Wheelchair-accessible venue with all-gender and gendered washrooms

Date & time: Saturday, Oct 3, 2026 (2:00pm to 2:45pm Atlantic)

Participation is free

Add $0 pre-registration to cart

Pre-registration (up to 20 seats) is now open to WFNS members and non-members alike. Drop-in registration (at least 10 seats) will be open to all on a first-come-first-served basis.

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Mere Joyce reads from As the Snow Gathers (Halifax)

Booktoberfest, Public Reading, Workshops & Events

Join us at Booktoberfest 2026 for a reading and Q&A with author Mere Joyce, who will read from her horror novel As the Snow Gathers (Poisoned Pen Press):

The forest doesn’t just take what it’s owed—it takes whatever it wants.

Dominic was born in Aplin Shade, a remote Canadian town built on the bones of another that vanished without a trace. Bookish and quiet, he never asked to lead his family, but after a carriage crash kills his father and leaves his sister forever changed, he has no choice.

The only person who truly sees him is Lex, a logger in the camp near town and the love Dominic must keep secret. Together they dream of escaping Aplin Shade, a place where isolation breeds judgment and every kindness hides a cost.

But the forest is no refuge. The Fanteur dwell there—shadowed beings who come at night to drain the dead of their blood and return them for burial by dawn.

They’ve never touched the living.

Until now.

As winter descends and the Fanteur strike back against the logging camp, Dominic and Lex must fight for their lives, their love, and a way out of the woods’ tightening grasp.

Because the forest doesn’t forgive, and it never forgets.

Mere will sell and sign copies before and after this reading as part of Booktoberfest’s book market.

Mere Joyce (she/her) is a Canadian author of novels and short stories for middle grade, young adult, and adult audiences. She writes in a number of genres, though she has a special fondness for all things dark and dreary, and her latest release, As the Snow Gathers (2026), marks her debut in novel writing for the adult horror market. When she’s not reading or writing, Mere can be found teaching library studies, watching horror movies, and spending time with her family in Nova Scotia’s North Shore region.

Location: BMO Community Room (2nd floor), Halifax Central Library (5440 Spring Garden Rd, Halifax)
This is a wheelchair-accessible venue with all-gender and gendered washrooms.

Date: Saturday, Oct 3, 2026 (1:30pm to 2:00pm)

All are welcome!

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In & Out of Form: Exploring Formal Poetry (virtual) with Annick MacAskill

Diving into Flash Nonfiction (virtual) with Sandra Phinney

Develop those Character Muscles (virtual) with N.L. Blandford

Writing with Tarot: Symbols, Archetypes, and the Creative Journey (virtual) with Tiffany Morris

Sending it Out: what to expect when submitting short genre fiction (virtual) with Brittni Brinn

Curating Nonfiction: From Clippings to Collage (virtual) with Rebecca Rose

Self-Publishing Roadmap (Sydney) with Sherry D. Ramsey

A Place to Build: spoken word workshop (Halifax) with Andre Fenton

An Anatomy of Romance: a fiction workshop (Halifax) with Denise Flint

Mere Joyce reads from As the Snow Gathers (Halifax)

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