What’s the first question an author is frequently asked? When did you start writing and why?
Join us for an afternoon of storytelling with OC Publishing authors joined by indie author friends who will share their origin stories. Authors include Anne Louise O’Connell, Jill MacLean, Corinne Hoebers, Mark Gilbert, Ailsa Keppie, John Grant, Marcia Barss, Francene Gillis, Francene Cosman, Barbara Ann Miller, Pat d’Entrement, Angela Jeffreys, and Carolyn Nicholson.
There will be opportunity for to ask your own questions, and of course, there will be books for sale.
This workshop blends grief processing, queer ecology, and mushroom magic in a space rooted in inclusion, community care, and joyful resistance.
Facilitated by Freddie Mae Allen (he/they) and Lucius Harmony (they/them), this is a space for 2SLGBTQIA+ community members/allies, lifelong learners, and anyone ready to decompose harmful narratives and grow something beautiful.
Please bring your own unwanted books – preferably written by authors who you once loved who you have learned have caused harm – to use as a basis to cultivate oyster mushrooms.
A limited number of books will be provide to those who do not have their own. All other supplies will be provided.
Admission will be PWYC (pay-what-you-can) – with a suggested sliding scale price between $10-$20.
No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. If you would like to attend the workshop at no cost or a lesser price – please contact Freddie at freddiemae.and.friends@outlook.com
Join us for a Halifax Legal Thriller Showcase with Pamela Callow, the bestselling author of the Kate Lange thriller series.
Callow’s legal thriller/suspense series is set right here in HRM, with events taking place all over Halifax. You’ll find Kate Lange jogging in Point Pleasant Park, characters peering out into the harbour at George’s Island, and in one of her books, the antagonist takes a side trip to Rainbow Haven. Pamela’s books are compared to John Grisham’s, Robin Cook’s, or Tess Gerritsen’s.
Pamela will be available to sign books after the event.
Preregistration is required to monitor our numbers. You can register by purchasing a $10.00 gift certificate. This can be done in-person, by Credit Card by phone at 902-435-1207, or by Etransfer to dbex1187@gmail.com.
Join community poetry journal Open Heart Forgery at Halifax Central Library in the RBC Room (3rd floor) for an afternoon of poetry! You’re invited to bring your own poetry to share (max. 5 minutes at the mic per person), or simply come to listen and enjoy.
Face masks are welcome but not required, and you may also bring a drink or snack if you wish. Copies of the November 2025 issue of Open Heart Forgery will be available to take home.
If you plan on reading/performing your work, please aim to arrive a few minutes early to add your name to the sign-up sheet — just look for our MC, Janet Brush, who will have a clipboard and list on hand.
The 10th anniversary of the little festival by the sea that packs a big punch, showcasing Canadian literature at its finest. Tickets available at the link above.
Seventh Annual AfterWords Literary Festival
Saturday November 1 to Sunday November 9
Writers and readers meet at the seventh annual AfterWords Literary Festival, with a full week of events in venues around Kjipuktuk/Halifax.
From our opening Kids’ Day/Journée jeunesse at Halifax Central Library, to our closing night conversation with radio host and best-selling author Terry O’Reilly at The Bus Stop Theatre, from brunch at The Carleton with David A. Robertson and Jesse Wente to a rousing talk about poetry with Sue Goyette, Billy-Ray Belcourt, and katherena vermette, from a screening of a new documentary by poet Asiah Sparks to a midweek party at Cafe Lara—this year’s festival brings together more than fifty writers in Halifax for readings, conversations, workshops, and more. Tickets are on sale now. Find the full lineup and buy tickets on our website https://afterwordsliteraryfestival.com/.
The AfterWords Literary Festival is sponsored by University of King’s College, Starboard Wealth Planners, Dalhousie University, The Halifax Independent School, and Rosie Porter Realtor, along with funders J&W Murphy Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, Canada, Nova Scotia, Arts Nova Scotia, Halifax. None of this work would be possible without these amazing supporters.
Join host Gillian Turnbull, Director of Writing & Publishing at the University of King’s College, in conversation with Michelle Hebert, author of Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.
A darkly humorous family saga set in Nova Scotia about a young woman coming of age in a family that believes it’s cursed, for fans of Emma Straub and Lesley Crewe.
Kitten Love’s family is haunted by the memory of her teenaged aunt, Nerida, who died just days before Kitten’s birth in 1970. Her mother, Queena, believes the family is cursed, and she’s determined not to let disaster strike again. She won’t let Kitten out of her sight—especially to visit the beaches that surround the town. She’s built a bomb shelter to protect against Soviet attack, and she’s desperate to protect her husband, Stubby, from the fatal and mysterious Love Heart.
We’ll screen a new mini-documentary about the life and work of 2025 Heritage Day honouree Nora Bernard, and then Shelagh Rogers will lead a panel discussion about reconciliation—how we move forward together, meaningfully. Andrea Currie, Ma’lglit Pelletier, and Rebecca Thomas will join us for this vital conversation. Then, you’re invited to enjoy some light catering and conversation, as you process what you’ve seen and heard. This is a free event, open to all, presented in partnership with Halifax Central Library, and with the support of the Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Communities, Tourism, and Heritage.
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 and 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.
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 information, strategies, and skills that suit their career stage.
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 you’re uncertain of your experience level with regard to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca
