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Past Booktoberfests

Booktoberfest 2024 was held at Halifax Central Library on October 5, 2024.

The literary fair (in Paul O’Regan Hall) featured 33 vendor tables, including 58 Nova Scotian authors and 9 Nova Scotian publishers.

Four free creative writing workshops (in the BMO Community Room) were provided by N.L. Blandford, Lorri Neilsen Glenn, donalee Moulton, and Tricia Snell.

Authors:

  • Joanne Abrahams
  • Oluwatoyin Aguda
  • Leslie Allen
  • Katie Arthur
  • Nino Balistreri
  • N.L. Blandford
  • Claudette Bouman
  • Thomas Bouman
  • Brittni Brinn
  • Carol Bruneau
  • Tina Capalbo
  • Laura Churchill Duke
  • Carol Ann Cole
  • R.F. Cook
  • Tim R Covell
  • Marie-Eve Dawood
  • Jane Doucet
  • Barbara Emodi
  • Jan Fancy Hull
  • Deanna Foster
  • Cathryn Fox
  • John Graham-Pole
  • Sheila Graham-Smith
  • Lindsey Harrington
  • Michelle Hébert
  • Steven Holloway
  • Martine Jacquot
  • Alan Kemister (Phil Yeats)
  • Ketan Kulkarni
  • Reeva Kulkarni
  • Shawn Lawlor
  • Lubov Leonova
  • Corinne Lewandowski
  • Nancy MacNairn
  • Allison Maher
  • Vanessa McKiel
  • Barbara Ann Miller
  • donalee Moulton
  • Christopher Murphy
  • Lorri Neilsen Glenn
  • Nicole Northwood
  • Berdene Owen
  • Cat Rector
  • RC Shaw
  • Lana Shupe
  • Mark Shupe
  • Anne M. Smith-Nochasak
  • Tricia Snell
  • Heidi Tattrie Rushton
  • Brenda J Thompson
  • Shelley Thompson
  • Andy Tolson
  • Jody Trainor
  • Catherine Walker
  • Yvette Ward MacDonald
  • Dawn Web
  • Kimberley Williamson
  • John Wonnacott

Publishers:

  • Askance Publishing
  • HARP The People’s Press
  • Moose House Publications
  • OC  Publishing
  • Pottersfield Press
  • Riddle Fence Publishing
  • Somewhat Grumpy Press
  • Spot of Poetry
  • Visual Arts News

Booktoberfest 2023 was a public reading and book fair celebrating authors who released books from October of 2022 to December of 2023. It was held in Paul O’Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library, on December 21, 2023.

The books of 46 Nova Scotian authors and 10 Nova Scotian publishers were featured and available for sale.

Featured readings were provided by Ian Colford, Heather Fegan, Jill MacLean, Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, Steve Vernon, and Darryl Whetter.

Authors:

  • Donna Alward
  • Marcia E. Barss
  • Bruce W. Bishop
  • Heather & Nick Blackburn
  • Jill Martin Bouteillier
  • Geoff Butler
  • Ian Colford
  • Sarah Jane Conklin
  • Jane Doucet
  • Rosemary Drisdelle
  • John Elliott
  • Heather Fegan
  • Deanna Foster
  • Kathleen Foster-Alfred
  • EM Gales
  • Darlene Hawes
  • Michelle Helliwell
  • Andrea Hubley
  • Jan Fancy Hull
  • Karen Kelloway
  • Krista Keough
  • Janice Landry
  • Anne Launcelott
  • Garry Leeson
  • Bretton Loney
  • Chad Lucas
  • Jill MacLean
  • Vanessa McKiel
  • Noel McLellan
  • Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail
  • Barbara Ann Miller
  • Grant Edward Miller
  • Whitney Moran
  • Louise Piper
  • Anna Quon
  • David Ross
  • GA Ruck
  • Anne M. Smith-Nochasak
  • M. E. Strautmanis
  • Pat Thomas
  • Jane Thornley
  • Steve Vernon
  • Darryl Whetter
  • David A. Wimsett
  • DJ Wiseman
  • Hui Zhou

Publishers:

  • Askance Publishing
  • Bradan Press
  • Cape Split Press
  • Nevermore Press
  • Nimbus Publishing
  • Nummist Media
  • OC Publishing
  • Purple Porcupine Publishing
  • Somewhat Grumpy Press
  • WindyWood Publishing

The first annual Booktoberfest was a public reading and book-signing celebrating authors who released books during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic (from early 2020 to late 2022). Readings and signings were held in Paul O’Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library, on October 24, 2022.

The books of 43 Nova Scotian authors were featured and available for sale by the authors and courtesy of Woozles Children’s Bookstore and Bookmark Halifax.

Featured readings were provided by Carol Bruneau, Anne Emery, Kate Inglis, Tyler LeBlanc, Chad Lucas, Stephens Gerard Malone, Donna Morrissey, Anne Simpson, Lauren Soloy, and Jo Treggiari.

Authors

  • Becca Babcock
  • Marcia Barss
  • Sean Bedell
  • Teigan Bond
  • Brittni Brinn
  • Carol Bruneau
  • Nicola Davison
  • Jane Doucet
  • Anne Emery
  • Alyda Faber
  • Jan Fancy Hull
  • Vivien Gorham
  • Monica Graham
  • Jacqueline Halsey
  • Joseph Howse
  • Kate Inglis
  • Martine Jacquot
  • AJB Johnston
  • Tyler LeBlanc
  • Chad Lucas
  • Brenda MacLennan-Dunphy
  • Susan MacLeod
  • Stephens Gerard Malone
  • Kim Meechan
  • Louise Michalos
  • Aren Morris
  • Jim Morrison
  • Donna Morrissey
  • Melanie Mosher
  • Caroline Nicholson
  • Ronan O’Driscoll
  • Rose Poirier
  • Anna Quon
  • Nancy Regan
  • Mike and Kristen Ryan
  • Briana Corr Scott
  • Anne Simpson
  • Lauren Soloy
  • Andy Tolson
  • Jo Treggiari
  • Michelle Wamboldt
  • Margo Wheaton
  • Ann Whynot

Event photos courtesy of Nicola Davison’s Snickerdoodle Photography.
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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