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Community event

Events held by other NS literary & arts organizations, festivals, indie bookstores, and other groups

Word on the Hill

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Open Book Coffee
Location:
3660 Strawberry Hill Street, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://nimbus.ca/
Calendar:
Community event

We’d like to invite you to Word on the Hill, Nimbus Publishing’s annual book block party, on Saturday, September 27th from 10am–3pm! Join us on Strawberry Hill Street for author readings and signings, kids’ activities, and a book sale! Come hang out with Nimbus and with some other fantastic Atlantic publishers and members of the book community.

Stay tuned to Nimbus’ social media (@nimbuspub) for more information and to find out which authors will be joining us to make this year extra special! We can’t wait to see you on the hill!

Word on the Hill Read More »

MFA Author Talks: James MacDuff

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Halifax Central Library
Location:
5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax. More info
Calendar:
Community event

BMO Room

Join host Gillian Turnbull, Director of Writing & Publishing at the University of King’s College, in conversation with James MacDuff, author of The Illogical Adventure.

The Illogical Adventure recounts the story of an unlikely cross-continental romance between two independent-minded travellers – from their brief but fateful first meeting in Cape Town, through to a dowry ceremony in rural Africa a few years later during the Covid pandemic and beyond.

MFA Author Talks: James MacDuff Read More »

Open Book Club chats ‘Anne of Green Gables’

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Open Book Coffee
Location:
3660 Strawberry Hill Street, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://www.instagram.com/openbookcoffee/
Calendar:
Community event

Grab a drink and join a lively discussion about our September book club pick, L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.

No registration in advance–just bring yourself, your copy of Anne of Green Gables, and your thoughts!

Open Book Club chats ‘Anne of Green Gables’ Read More »

Bex Tobin Fine at Woozles

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Woozles Children's Bookstore
Location:
6013 Shirley Street, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://woozles.com/item/BQmk5nUNoKGG_nI0drSYvQ
Calendar:
Community event

Join us Saturday, September 20th, from 1:00pm to 2:30pm for a drop-in activity session with Nova Scotian author Bex Tobin Fine. Stop by and celebrate her new book, Floor It!, with a colouring activity and musical accompaniment!

Bex Tobin Fine at Woozles Read More »

Locally Authored Book Club Exchange

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Dartmouth Book Exchange
Location:
1187 Cole Harbour Road, Dartmouth. More info
Link:
https://dartmouthbookexchange.ca/events/
Calendar:
Community event

Our next book club meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17th.

Our book club is unique. Please read the following:

  • Each participant will bring a locally authored or published novel they have recently read and can part with. Locally authored will be defined as an author living within the Atlantic Bubble.
  • During the meeting, each person will take a turn telling everyone what they liked about the book they brought and why the others should read it.
  • Each book will go into a basket, and at the end of the meeting, if a book sparked your interest, you’ll be able to take it home to read.
  • If there is more than one person interested in reading the book, it will be brought back to the next meeting for another person’s turn.
  • We may even host an author occasionally, and Dartmouth Book Exchange may even seed the basket once in a while.
  • All are welcome to come and listen during the meetings, but only the people who brought a book will be guaranteed to leave with a book.

Our Book Club aims to promote local authors, their books, and the writing of reviews. #supportlocalauthors

Locally Authored Book Club Exchange Read More »

Rick Mofina launches ‘If Two Are Dead’

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Halifax Central Library
Location:
5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://halifax.bibliocommons.com/events/68964385639e1e9694a5861c
Calendar:
Community event

Join us for the Halifax launch of If Two Are Dead, the latest book by bestselling author Rick Mofina.

Rick Mofina is a former journalist and bestselling author of more than thirty crime fiction thrillers that have been published in nearly thirty countries. He is a two-time winner of The Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence; a Barry Award winner; a four-time Thriller Award finalist and a two-time Shamus Award finalist. Library Journal calls him “One of the best thriller writers in the business.”

Rick will be in conversation with author B.R. Myers (The Third Wife of Faraday House, A Dreadful Splendour). A Q&A will follow, and books will be available for purchase.

Rick Mofina launches ‘If Two Are Dead’ Read More »

Author Talk: Weather Lore & War with Cindy Day & Elizabeth Murphy

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Halifax Central Library
Location:
5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://halifax.bibliocommons.com/events/688131c116b091280039717a
Calendar:
Community event

Join meteorologist and author Cindy Day (Grandma Says) and novelist Elizabeth Murphy (The Weather Diviner) for a lively conversation about weather lore and the North Atlantic Weather War (1939-45).

Cindy will talk about the old myths behind weather sayings and how they hold up against modern meteorology. Together, they’ll discuss how traditional weather lore connects to the war’s secret weather stations, encrypted forecasts, and planning of operations such as D-Day. They will also highlight the barriers women faced entering this field, through Violet’s fictional journey in The Weather Diviner and Cindy’s own experience building a career in meteorology.

The authors will do short readings and there will be time for questions and discussion.

Author Talk: Weather Lore & War with Cindy Day & Elizabeth Murphy Read More »

Latte Lit Open Mic at Open Book Coffee

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Open Book Coffee
Location:
3660 Strawberry Hill Street, Halifax. More info
Calendar:
Community event

Come share your works in progress with fellow writers in a safe and welcoming space on the first Friday of every month.

Feel free to come by for a drink and to just listen to other writer’s works, too.

Each reader is allotted up to 7-10 minutes of reading time, depending on turnout.

Latte Lit Open Mic at Open Book Coffee Read More »

Getting Unstuck: Ideas to Make Poetry Less Hard, with Ben Ladouceur

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Halifax Central Library
Location:
5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://halifax.bibliocommons.com/events/6883cf08ee7045528b7f2c4f
Calendar:
Community event

Having trouble writing poetry? Stuck in the middle of a stanza? Not sure where to even start?

Ben Ladouceur, author of I Remember Lights and Mad Long Emotion, runs this intensive poetry workshop guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing and your mind open to the possibilities of poetry!

Getting Unstuck: Ideas to Make Poetry Less Hard, with Ben Ladouceur Read More »

Open Book Club chats ‘milktooth’

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Open Book Coffee
Location:
3660 Strawberry Hill Street, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://www.instagram.com/openbookcoffee/
Calendar:
Community event

Grab a drink and join a lively discussion about our August book club pick, Jamie Burnet’s milktooth.

No registration in advance–just bring yourself, your copy of milktooth, and your thoughts!

Open Book Club chats ‘milktooth’ Read More »

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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