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Community event

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

dART Speak

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
The Dart Gallery
Location:
127 Portland Street, Dartmouth. More info
Link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/498535712311932
Calendar:
Community event

Share your writing with us or just come listen. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction all are welcome!

What can you expect?
Doors open around 6:45 for this PWYC event. Slot signup on-site. This is a great place to practice public reading and test out new work in a friendly group of like-minded creatives. We always have a good time, lots of applause and laughs.

The bar is open, and there’s limited (order-in) food service.

The venue is mostly on one level but there are three stairs to get to the washroom. The front door isn’t automatic, please knock if you need assistance!

dART Speak Read More »

Poetry reading live at The Carleton

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
The Carleton
Location:
1685 Argyle Street, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://www.thecarleton.ca/events/poetry-reading-jun4/?
Calendar:
Community event

Don’t miss the chance to meet the J. M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award nominees and the Maxine Tynes nominees! Poets will be reading from their nominated books! Bookmark will sell the nominated titles, and authors will be available for book signings.

Alice Burdick, Ox Lost, Snow Deep, Anvil Press

Clare Goulet, Graphis Scripta / Writing Lichen, Gaspereau Press

Annick MacAskill, Votive, Gaspereau Press

Johanna Skibsrud, Medium, Book*hug Press

Bren Simmers, The Work, Gaspereau Press

Tickets are $15.

Poetry reading live at The Carleton Read More »

Fiction Fête

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Chester Playhouse
Location:
22 Pleasant Street, Chester. More info
Link:
https://purchase.chesterplayhouse.ca/EventAvailability?EventId=3401
Calendar:
Community event

Celebrate Atlantic fiction authors with a showcase of readings from the Atlantic and Nova Scotia Book Awards nominees, including the authors nominated for the highly coveted Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, a book prize valued at $30,000.

Hosted by Sarah Hampson and featuring:

Carol Bruneau, Threshold
Mark Blagrave, Felt
Charlene Carr, We Rip the World Apart
Lesley Crewe, Death & Other Inconveniences
Jessica Ilse, The Majestic Sisters
Shawn Lawlor, Boom Road
Susan LeBlanc, The Nowhere Places
Susie Taylor, Vigil

That’s not all! Tyler Leblanc of Good Dog Books will be on hand with all the titles.

All are welcome! Tickets are $15

Fiction Fête Read More »

Soirée littéraire en compagnie de l’auteur louisianais Chase Cormier

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Halifax Central Library
Location:
5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax. More info
Link:
https://atlanticbookawards.ca/june-4-soiree-litteraire-en-compagnie-de-lauteur-louisianais-chase-cormier/
Calendar:
Community event

Découvrez l’univers de Mal (Éditions Perce-Neige, 2024), lors d’une lecture de l’auteur Chase Cormier et d’un entretien animé par Simon Thibault. Activité présentée avec le relais de l’Alliance française d’Halifax (partenariat de communication).

Au fin fond de la prairie des Opelousas grandit Perroquet. Alors que ses parents se séparent, il trouve refuge tantôt dans la cuisine pleine d’odeurs de sa grand-mère, tantôt dans la boucherie bruyante de son grand-père Mal. Pour ce dernier, le bonheur se trouve dans les choses simples, dans la découpe de la viande, les plats préparés et la satisfaction du travail bien fait. Pour Perroquet, ce n’est pas aussi limpide. Son père a refusé de travailler dans la boucherie, a refusé de parler français. Descendant d’une longue lignée de francophones en Louisiane, Perroquet cherche donc sa place. Son identité. Jusqu’à ce qu’il trouve l’écriture et qu’il se mette à collectionner les mots, en les sélectionnant soigneusement comme les ingrédients d’une recette encore et toujours à améliorer.

Soirée littéraire en compagnie de l’auteur louisianais Chase Cormier Read More »

An Evening of Short Stories hosted by Alexander MacLeod

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Inverness County Centre for the Arts
Location:
16080 Nova Scotia Trunk 19, Inverness. More info
Link:
https://atlanticbookawards.ca/june-3-an-evening-of-short-stories-hosted-by-alexander-macleod/
Calendar:
Community event

The Cabot Trail Writers Festival hosts an annual Cape Breton event featuring the finalists, as part of the Atlantic Book Awards Festival, celebrating the legacy of Alistair MacLeod and the work of the generations of writers following after him. Featuring 2025 nominees Allison Graves (Soft Serve), Amanda Peters (Waiting for the Long Night Moon) and Susie Taylor (Vigil), and hosted by author Alexander MacLeod.

$15 suggested donation

An Evening of Short Stories hosted by Alexander MacLeod Read More »

YA! Meet The Authors

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning
Location:
50 Queen Street, Dartmouth. More info
Link:
https://atlanticbookawards.ca/june-3-ya-meet-the-authors-at-the-macphee-centre-for-creative-learning/
Calendar:
Community event

YA! Meet The Authors at The MacPhee Centre For Creative

Learning Hosted by Nova Scotian Youth Ambassador Jorja Walker

Tuesday, June 3rd, 4 pm to 6 pm

Come hear the shortlisted authors of the Ann Connor Brimer Award! Each nominated author will be reading snippets from their novels, there will be time to ask questions, and even some breakout activities to get your writing juices flowing! There will be snacks!! Register in advance to save a spot!

Participating writers:
– Chad Lucas, You Owe Me One, Universe, Harry N. Abrams
– Rebecca Phillips, The End of Always, Second Story Press
– Hannah D. State, Journey to the Dark Galaxy, Glowing Light Press
– Gloria Ann Wesley, Shovels not Rifles, Formac Publishing Company

YA! Meet The Authors Read More »

Nova Scotia Book Awards Gala

Join with us as we celebrate books written and published in Nova Scotia. We’ll present several Nova Scotia book awards, including the Maxine Tynes Nova Scotia Poetry Award, the Evelyn Richardson Non-Fiction Award, the George Borden Writing for Change Award, the Dartmouth Fiction Award, and the Margaret & John Savage First Book Awards (Fiction and Nonfiction).

King’s Co-op Bookstore will be on site with all nominated titles. Cash bar.

Nova Scotia Book Awards Gala Read More »

Dartmouth Writers’ Circle with Charlene Carr

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
Alderney Gate Public Library
Location:
60 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth. More info
Link:
https://atlanticbookawards.ca/june-1-dartmouth-writers-circle-with-charlene-carr/
Calendar:
Community event

This writer’s circle is open to anyone (emerging to established) of any genre! During the Atlantic Book Awards and Festival, we spend a lot of time celebrating the final stages – this event will focus on those first steps! So, if you’re a writer working on something new, want to hear and give feedback on new work, come and share with other writers in the same boat! Attendance is free, but please register in advance at the link provided.

Hosted by Dartmouth Book Award Nominee, Charlene Carr!

Charlene Carr studied literature, attaining a BA and MA in English, including a study program at Oxford. She has published eleven novels, and her first agented novel, Hold My Girl, sold to HarperCollins Canada and three international publishers. It was named one of the Best Books of 2023 by CBC, shortlisted for multiple awards, and has been optioned for adaptation to the screen. Charlene received grants from Arts Nova Scotia and Canada Council for the Arts to write and revise her most recent novel, We Rip The World Apart. She lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with her husband and daughters.

Dartmouth Writers’ Circle with Charlene Carr Read More »

Silent Reading with the Atlantic Book Awards

Date:
Time:
-
Venue:
The Dart Gallery
Location:
127 Portland Street, Dartmouth. More info
Link:
https://atlanticbookawards.ca/may-30-silent-reading-at-the-dart-gallery/
Calendar:
Community event

With this many stellar Atlantic Canadian books, we’ve got a lot of reading to do! Bring your current read and sit in silence to read among fellow literary lovers (surrounded by the visual art offerings at The Dart Gallery!).

Silent Reading with the Atlantic Book Awards Read More »

Janice Landry Meet and Greet

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

Every Little Thing: How Small Acts of Kindness Make a Big Impact.

Please join us for our first-ever morning author Meet and Greet with Janice Landry. Come sit and chat with us at this informal get-together.

Author Janice Landry was diagnosed with Lyme disease during the summer of 2023. Following her recovery, Landry realized that a small thing, a tiny tick, has had a big impact on her life. The author has deliberately woven the theme of small versus big throughout Every Little Thing via heartwarming stories of acts of kindness and connection. Landry proves in the end that the little things really are the big things.

Janice Landry Meet and Greet 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