The Oliver-Craig Black Writers’ Retreat (two weeks in length) is open to Nova Scotian writers. Each successful applicant is provided with free, shared residence; a $500 honorarium; and the instruction, mentorship, and advice of a distinguished Black or African Nova Scotian author.
This retreat aims to amplify the voices of Black and African Nova Scotian writers, who have been and are marginalized by systemic inequality, not least of all within Canadian publishing.
Held at Jampolis Cottage in Avonport, NS, each retreat offers two emerging or early-career Black or African Nova Scotian writers some of the best elements of a writing residency, a creative writing workshop, and a literary mentorship:
- Two weeks of free, shared residence and groceries at Jampolis Cottage in Avonport, NS
- An honorarium of $500
- 10 group workshops led by the mentor
- 5 one-on-one feedback and advisory sessions with the mentor
- Written feedback from the mentor on work(s)-in-progress
- Plenty of unstructured time to focus on writing and to connect with fellow Black and African Nova Scotian writers
The Oliver-Craig Black Writers’ Retreat is a tribute to the friendship between the Oliver and Craig families and is generously funded by the Honourable Don Oliver (CM, ONS, KC) and The Craig Foundation, founded by Joan and Jack Craig.
(Photo by Marsman Photographic)
2025 Oliver-Craig Retreat mentor: author, screenwriter, journalist, and professor Wanda Taylor.
Wanda Taylor is an award-winning author, screenwriter, journalist, and college professor. She writes both fiction and nonfiction across children’s, YA, and adult markets. Wanda is also a former CBC television producer and has written and produced content for film, television, and documentaries. Her other work can be found in publications and anthologies across Canada, the US, and the UK. As a former Acquisitions Editor, Wanda championed many emerging authors and stories. She continues to mentor writers through her work as a freelance editor, as sensitivity reader for book publishers, as a mentor for the Writers Union of Canada’s BIPOC Writers Connect program, and through her regular work as Faculty/Mentor for the MFA Writing and Publishing Residency Program at King’s College in Halifax.
In addition to the MFA program, Wanda is an Adjunct Professor for the Journalism program at King’s. She also teaches courses in screenwriting, journalism, and documentary filmmaking in Toronto. Wanda’s middle-grade nonfiction book, Birchtown and The Black Loyalists, is listed as one of the top Black history books for youth. Her recent middle-grade novel, The Grover School Pledge, was winner of the Northern Lights Award in the US and is a 2024/25 Hackmatack Award shortlisted nominee. Earlier in 2024, Wanda developed and facilitated a workshop called Black Voices, Black Stories through King’s College’s non-credit program, aiming to bring emerging Black writers together in a shared cultural space to take their works-in-progress to the next level.
In September, 2024, Wanda released two books in the Amazing Canadian Women series with Beech Street Books. Her next two titles are set for release in December, 2024, with HarperCollins and in February, 2025, with Nimbus Publishing. Wanda is currently co-writing a new book with visual artist and writer Paige Pettibon from Salish First Nation in Seattle, Washington. She is a member of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia and The Writers’ Union of Canada and is Vice President of the Canadian Non-Fiction Collective (CNFC). Wanda has won numerous awards for her work, including the prestigious Women of Excellence Award for Arts and Culture.
To be considered for the Oliver-Craig Black Writers’ Retreat, the applying writer must meet the following criteria.
- You must be Black, African Nova Scotia, and/or African Canadian.
- You must be a permanent resident of Nova Scotia, meaning that you have lived in Nova Scotia full-time for at least the past twelve (12) months and that you file your personal income taxes in Nova Scotia. (Out-of-province post-secondary students and seasonal residents are ineligible.)
- You must be an emerging or early-career writer who has not published more than two (2) book-length literary projects, including traditionally published, partner-/hybrid-published, and indie/self-published projects.
- You must be 19 years of age of older by the current application deadline.
(At this time, we are not accepting applications from participants of past Oliver-Craig Retreats. If you attended the retreat in a previous year, we strongly encourage you to apply instead for a Sponsored Residency at Jampolis Cottage.)
Oliver-Craig Retreat application packages must contain all components listed below and must be submitted by the application deadline. Each application package must be submitted as a single digital document (in .doc or .pdf format) with a file name as follows: [Your Name] – Oliver-Craig Retreat. Incomplete, late, non-digital, or misnamed application packages are ineligible.
A. ‘Cover letter’ up to 2 pages in length (single-spaced; in 12-pt Times New Roman or Arial font)
The cover letter is composed of personal responses to the following questions. All questions must be answered within these 2 pages, but the length of any particular response is up to you. Please start a new paragraph for each response.
- How long have you been writing creatively?
- Summarize your creative writing activity for the past twelve months.
- Describe the work(s)-in-progress that you would like to continue, complete, revise, or otherwise develop during the retreat (including number of pages drafted). If describing a single work-in-progress, it should be long-form fiction, nonfiction, or poetry (i.e., a book-length manuscript or collection). If describing short-form fiction, nonfiction, or poetic works-in-progress, please include a number appropriate to the retreat’s length.
- Outline the next steps for your work(s)-in-progress.
- How do you prioritize creative writing in your life?
- What do you hope to gain from this writers’ retreat?
B. Writing sample from the work(s)-in-progress of 8 to 10 pages (double-spaced for prose; in 12-pt Times New Roman or Arial font)
- Poetry samples may be single- or double-spaced, as suits your intended presentation. Poetry samples may use other fonts only if typeface is integral to the work-in-progress.
All applicants will be notified of results within three weeks of the application deadline.
After application packages have been processed to ensure they are complete and eligible, they are shared with an independent peer assessment jury (composed of three professional authors contracted by the WFNS).
All application packages will be assessed based on the following criteria, weighted equally:
- the merit of the writing sample,
- the applicant’s commitment to their writing, as determined by the cover letter, and
- the applicant’s capacity to benefit from the retreat, as determined by the writing sample and cover letter.
If your application is successful, your application package will be shared with the retreat mentor.
Applications are accepted only through the form at the bottom of this page. Please note that completing the application form is the final step in our recommended application checklist:
- Ensure your eligibility.
- Ensure your application package is complete and correct. In the event of an error, contact WFNS to explain the issue before submitting a revised application package. Unless application assistance is being provided by WFNS staff, no application package or correction can be accepted after the program deadline.
- Pay the $20 Sponsored Retreat application fee. This fee covers most but not all of the assessment costs for each application. As such, this fee cannot be refunded under any circumstance, including incomplete, ineligible, or unsuccessful applications. This fee is $15 for those with current WFNS General Membership, which is open to anyone with an interest in creative writing, regardless of writing experience or place of residence.
If you are a current General Member, login before checkout to apply your member discount.
To pay fee by phone, call us between 10am and 3pm on weekdays at 902 423 8116 with your credit card details.
To pay fee by mail, send a cheque (payable to “Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia”) post-dated for no later than the application deadline.
- Complete and submit the online application form, visible at the bottom of this page when applications are being accepted. After clicking the “Submit application” button, please wait until you see the confirmation message (that your form has been successfully submitted) before exiting this page.
If the application fee presents a barrier, please contact communications@writers.ns.ca before applying. Funds are available to help underwaged writers with application fees.
If you require assistance in completing or submitting an application (whether technical, accessibility-related, or otherwise), please contact communications@writers.ns.ca as early as possible in your application process. Application assistance may extend up to one week after the program deadline, but the initial request for assistance must be received by the deadline.
Applications closed on Feb 20, 2025
For the 2025 Oliver-Craig Retreat, running August 3 to 16, 2025
Applications were accepted from writers working in any genres of fiction and nonfiction
Application form
For general questions or further information, please contact program lead Andy Verboom (communications@writers.ns.ca) at least two weeks before the application deadline. Requests for technical, accessibility, or financial application assistance can be received only until the application deadline.