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Anne Simpson

BIOGRAPHY
Anne Simpson has been a writer-in-residence at the University of British Columbia, the Saskatoon Public Library, the Medical Humanities Program at Dalhousie University, and the University of New Brunswick, among others. She has also been a faculty member at the Banff Centre.

She writes novels, poetry, and essays. Four of her ten books have been Globe & Mail Best Books. Her short fiction has been awarded the Journey Prize, while her third novel, Speechless, won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Her second poetry collection, Loop, was awarded the Griffin Poetry Prize. She has also written two books of essays. The Marram Grass: Poetry and Otherness explores poetry, art, and empathy, while Experiments in Distant Influence: Notes and Poems looks at friendship, courage, and community.

PUBLICATIONS

Speechless (Novel), Freehand, 2020

Experiments in Distant Influence: Notes and Poems (Essays), Gaspereau, 2020

Is (Poems), McClelland & Stewart, 2011

The Marram Grass: Poetry and Otherness (Essays), Gaspereau, 2009

Falling (Novel), McClelland & Stewart, 2008

Quick (Poems), McClelland & Stewart, 2007

Loop (Poems), McClelland & Stewart, 2003

Canterbury Beach (Novel), Penguin, 2001

Light Falls Through You (Poems), McClelland & Stewart, 2000

AWARDS

Winner of the 2020 Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award for Speechless.

Longlisted for the 2009 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for Falling.

Winner of the 2009 Dartmouth Fiction Award for Falling.

Winner of the 2008 Pat Lowther Poetry Award for Quick.

Finalist for the 2008 Atlantic Poetry Prize for Quick.

Winner of the 2004 Griffin Poetry Prize for Loop.

Finalist for the 2003 Governor-General’s Award, Poetry, for Loop.

Nominated for the Pushcart Prize XXIX for Loop.

Finalist for the 2002 Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award for Canterbury Beach.

Winner of the 2001 Atlantic Poetry Prize for Light Falls Through You.

Winner of the 2001 Gerald Lampert Award for Light Falls Through You.

Finalist for the 2001 Pat Lowther Award for Light Falls Through You.

Winner of the 1999 Bliss Carman Poetry Award.

Winner of the 1997 Journey Prize (shared with Gabriella Goliger) for “Dreaming Snow.”


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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 firstcopyright 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