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Donna Morrissey

BIOGRAPHY
Donna Morrissey is originally from The Beaches in Newfoundland. Donna left this small outport on the west coast of the island when she was sixteen. She studied at Memorial University in St. John’s and lived in various parts of Canada before settling down in Halifax, where she now lives.

She has written 7 best selling novels, and has received awards in Canada, the U.S., and England.

She has translations in six different languages.

She was nominated for a Gemini for best writing in a Drama for the film Clothesline Patch.

Her latest novel, The Fortunate Brother, was six weeks on the National best seller list, It WON the Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel of the year, and The Thomas Raddall for best in Atlantic Fiction.

Her Novel Livvy Higgs was recently nominated for the Master Arts Award of NS. and was chosen for the One Book Nova Scotia, and Donna was celebrated by Adsum House as its Sucessful Woman of the Year.

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PUBLICATIONS

The Deception of Livvy HIggs

AWARDS

Winner of the 2006 Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize; ‘Sylvanus Now’

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Winner of Bookseller’s Choice Award; ‘Sylvanus Now’

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Shortlisted for The Commonwealth Award; ‘Sylvanus Now’

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Winner of the 2003 Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize; ‘Downhill Chance’

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Shortlisted for the 2000 Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award; ‘Kit’s Law’

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Winner of the Libris First Time Author of the Year Award; ‘Kit’s Law’

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Winifred Holtby Prize in England which recognizes the best in regional fiction; ‘Kit’s Law’

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Shortlisted for the Chapters First Novel Award; ‘Kit’s Law’

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Winner of Ellis Award for Best Crime Fiction of 2018:  The Fortunate Brother

Winner of Thomas Raddall Award: The Fortunate Brother

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Experience Levels

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