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Booktoberfest

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

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Sparking Bookish Joy when Writing for Children (Halifax) with Lana Shupe

Booktoberfest, Workshops & Events

Discover how to infuse your stories with imagination and joyful curiosity! In this engaging workshop, award-winning author Lana Shupe explores the essential ingredients of memorable children’s books by creating wonder through voice, humour, and heart—especially heart!

Participants will discover techniques for inspiring young readers, weaving meaningful themes into age-appropriate stories and turning everyday moments into magical adventures. Whether you are just beginning your writing journey or polishing a manuscript, this workshop will provide practical tips and fresh inspiration to help you craft stories that children will treasure long after the final page is turned.

Come ready to spark your creativity and ignite bookish joy in yourself and in the hearts of your future readers.

About the instructor: Award-winning author Lana Shupe has loved books for as long as she can remember. A former teacher, bookseller and lifelong storyteller, she delights in creating stories that celebrate kindness, imagination, history and the magic to be found in everyday life. Her acclaimed picture books include The Lonely Little Lighthouse, The Hippie Pirates, The Little Church Beside the Sea, and The Book Witch, the Wee White Dog and The Little Free Library. Her first book for adults, Seasons of the Heart: A Tapestry of Stories Woven through Time, will be published in September, 2026. Lana loves to share the lessons she has learned on her author journey through workshops and writing group meet-ups. When she is not writing, Lana can be found with a good book in hand, exploring the outdoors while crafting stories in her head, or spending time with her beloved family.

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 (1:00pm to 1:45pm Atlantic)

Participation is free

Add $0 pre-registration to cart

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Women with Agency: a fiction workshop (Halifax) with Cheryl Lawson

Booktoberfest, Workshops & Events

This workshop is designed to help fiction writers build their awareness of character agency. We’ll consider agency in lived experience and in the contexts of fiction and psychology, gaining useful insights on developing agency partnership between men and women characters and approaching vulnerability, permission, and violence. Discussion will draw on popular fiction examples (such as The Hating Game, It Ends With Us, and The Twilight Saga) to illustrate the presence or lack of agency. If time allows, participants will create their own micro-fiction snippets that demonstrate their understanding of agency.

While focusing on women characters, the workshop will address elements of agency that also apply to non-binary, trans, and other gender-marginalized characters.

About the instructor: Cheryl Lawson is an author and artist living in Nova Scotia. Cheryl came from South Africa almost twenty years ago, first living in British Columbia before settling in Nova Scotia recently. For over ten years, Cheryl has actively pursued her passion for writing. Her self-published work includes science fiction and poetry-photography books.

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 (12:00pm to 12:45pm Atlantic)

Participation is free

Add $0 pre-registration to cart

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Mythic Monsters: a poetry workshop (Halifax) with Tegan Zimmerman

Booktoberfest, Workshops & Events

This poetry workshop will concentrate on the creative expression of mythic creatures. First focusing on how to select a mythic monster or creature, we’ll then use a series of prompts and questions to develop our ideas into a more fully realized creative concepts. We’ll create word-clouds and highlight ideas, phrases, and lines that can be shaped into draft poems, and we’ll discuss why and how returning to myth can offer multiple possibilities for creative and critical expression.

About the instructor: Tegan Zimmerman (PhD) holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and is the author of the poetry book Chimeras (Inanna Publications, 2026). She is Chair of the Alexa McDonough Institute at Mount Saint Vincent University (2024 – 2026) and the Editor of Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture, and Social Justice. She specializes in contemporary gender theory and women’s writing that centralizes the maternal and mother-daughter relations. She has two beloved Pugs named Kosmo and Canto.

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 (11:00am to 11:45am Atlantic)

Participation is free

Add $0 pre-registration to cart

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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