WFNS logo ltrmark sticky 100px
WFNS logo ltrmark sticky 100px

Writers In The Schools (WITS) is the most public educational outreach program of the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS), bringing award-winning Nova Scotian authors into elementary and secondary schools to provide presentations, workshops, and readings for students of every grade. The program encourages students’ enjoyment of reading and writing and engages them in the development of literacy skills.

For questions about this program, contact program lead Linda Hudson at wits@writers.ns.ca.

Sandra Bartlett <br>Armbrae Academy (Halifax, NS)
Sandra Bartlett
Armbrae Academy (Halifax, NS)
"Our school has been involved with WITS for many years. For students from grades primary to 12, it's been a wonderful opportunity for students to meet and engage with amazing local authors, enjoying and learning from the experiences. It was great to be able to pivot to online visits over the past year!"
Terri-Lynn Fancy <br>Ridgecliff Middle School (Beechville, NS)
Terri-Lynn Fancy
Ridgecliff Middle School (Beechville, NS)
"WITS allows our middle school students to see the amazing future opportunities in writing and illustrating while also appreciating the dedication and hard work involved in the creative process. After Andre Fenton's visit, one grade 8 student said he "inspired me to pick up my notebook and start writing again."
Cheryl Steeves <br>Lockeport Elementary (Lockeport, NS)
Cheryl Steeves
Lockeport Elementary (Lockeport, NS)
"Through WITS, author Marsha Pierce-Harding shared her Secrets of Sable Island, taking the class on a journey that danced between ghost story and historical fiction. Her photographs and actual artifacts brought the novel to life. The students were engaged and thrilled to be meeting a local author. We would strongly recommend WITS to other schools, and we are excited to participate again."
Michelle Dey <br>George P. Vanier Junior High (Fall River, NS) <br>& Waverley Memorial Elementary (Waverley, NS)
Michelle Dey
George P. Vanier Junior High (Fall River, NS)
& Waverley Memorial Elementary (Waverley, NS)
"The buzz in the building when an author visits is like a wave of energy, gradually spreading throughout the day from the morning 'welcome' announcement to class changes and breaks, as staff and students alike discuss their experience. The inspiration, ideas, connection, networking, and our lunch together are a highlight. I personally benefit greatly from our author visits, which are motivational professional development!"
Apply for WITS Visits

The Writers In The Schools (WITS) program offers both in-person and virtual author visits to elementary and secondary schools in Nova Scotia.

Many WITS authors are open to suggestions and amenable to working with teachers, librarians, and principals to ensure their visits complement school curricula.

WFNS compensates each author for any mileage and half of their fees. The hosting school co-pays the remaining half of the author’s fees.

  • $87.50 co-pay for a half-day visit (up to two 45- to 55-minute sessions)
  • $175 co-pay for a full-day visit (up to four 45- to 55-minute sessions)
Register for Day Camps
Watch WITS Originals

WITS extracurriculars include Creative Writing Day Camps and the WITS Originals series of on-demand creative writing videos.

Guide for WITS Authors

In all WITS programming, authors are members of WFNS’s Writers’ Council and are able to cover a variety of topics, such as creative writing, research, journalism, illustration, and comic books.

Investors and Partners

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia recognizes the Province of Nova Scotia’s support for our Writers In The Schools (WITS) program. We are pleased to offer this program with investments from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and from Arts Nova Scotia. We are also grateful to Cabot Trail Writers Festival, Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, and Read by the Sea’s Writing on Fire program for their recurring partnership in providing opportunities for WITS authors.

Scroll to Top
WFNS logo ltrmark sticky 100px

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, writing for 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.

Occasionally, WFNS uses the phrase “emerging and established writers/authors” to mean ‘writers and authors of all experience levels.’

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 info, strategies, and skills that suit their experience. 

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 uncertain about your experience level with respect to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca