Programs & Awards
The Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program supports writers who are on the cusp of professional publication and who are committed to their writing and creative development. It is a disciplined, focused, and supportive one-on-one apprenticeship program through which writers expand and hone their craft. Details
WFNS administers and acts as steward for two Nova Scotia Book Awards—celebrating and promoting excellence in Nova Scotian nonfiction and poetry—and three Atlantic Book Awards—celebrating and promoting excellence in Atlantic Canadian fiction, poetry, and YA & children’s literature. Each year’s shortlists introduce local, national, and international readers to a tremendous body of work and the vibrant culture of the region. Details
Booktoberfest is an annual public reading and book fair that features Nova Scotian authors who have released literary titles over the previous year. Details
Our members-only Coffee Chats program connects writers who have questions about the writing life with professional authors who can provide advice and inspiration. Details
WFNS administers three emerging writers prizes that recognize barriers to literary creation—those faced by speculative fiction and nonfiction writers from marginalized backgrounds; by writers who identify as women and/or other marginalized genders; by writers who identify as Black and/or African Nova Scotian—and support these writers as they advance book-length works-in-progress. Details
The Jampolis Cottage Residency Program hosts residencies for emerging, established, and professional writers at Jampolis Cottage, a lovingly maintained and updated 230-year-old Georgian colonial house on the shores of the Minas Basin in Avonport, Nova Scotia. Details
Our members-only Manuscript Review Program connects writers with professional and award-winning authors and editors who can provide feedback and creative guidance on stalled manuscripts. Details
The annual Nova Writes Competition for Unpublished Manuscripts honours short-form works by Nova Scotia writers. Entry is open to all Nova Scotia residents who have not published books in their categories of entry, which include poetry, fiction, non-fiction, YA & children’s literature, and writing in French. Details
Begun as a public art project in 2019, Poetry in Motion is now an annual program. At its core is the installation of short poems on transit ads in the fall of each year. Details
Writers in the Schools (WITS) is our most public educational outreach program: we invest more than one quarter of our resources and much of our organizational energies in bringing professional writers into Nova Scotia schools. Details
