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Marilyn Davidson Elliott

BIOGRAPHY
Davidson Elliott is the award winning author of The Blind Mechanic which is a tribute to her father Eric Davidson, an extraordinary survivor of the Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917.

PUBLICATIONS

The Blind Mechanic – The amazing story of Eric Davidson, blinded survivor of the 1917 Halifax Explosion. Davidson overcame tremendous odds to become a licensed automobile mechanic in 1940s Halifax and worked for the City of Halifax until his retirement in 1980. He raised a family and lived life to the fullest. His life story might seem unbelievable if it had not actually happened.

Recalling An All But Forgotten Halifax Community – Devastated by the Halifax Explosion, Richmond vanished from maps and memories. Published in Halifax Magazine, November 4, 2019.

Neglecting Our Duty to Honour Halifax Explosion Victims – Poor maintenance and government indifference taint Fort Needham Memorial Park. Published in Halifax Magazine, August 17, 2020.

 

AWARDS

Robbie Robertson Dartmouth Book Award (Atlantic Book Award) 2019 for The Blind Mechanic

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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