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Secret Admirers' Society

The Secret Admirers’ Society was a pair of virtual events that featured surprise author line-ups, revealing the usually hidden lines of influence and appreciation that crisscross Nova Scotia writing. Until each event began, the participating authors’ identities were kept secret from the public and from one another.

On Feb 15, 2023, the secret admirers were revealed as Lesley Crewe, who read from Brighten the Corner Where You Are by Carol Bruneau, who read from Butter Honey Pig Bread by francesca ekwuyasi, who read from The Summer Between Us by Andre Fenton, who read from Heartbreak Homes by Jo Treggiari, who read from Wonder World by KR Byggdin, who closed the circle by reading from The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe.

This virtual event was free to attend.

On Feb 15, 2022, the secret admirers were revealed as Donna Morrissey, who read from work by Nicola Davison, who read from work by Stephens Gerard Malone, who read from work by Sheree Fitch, who read from work by Andre Fenton, who read from work by Abena Beloved Green, who closed the circle by reading from work by Donna Morrissey.

This virtual event was co-presented by Dalhousie Libraries and was free to attend.

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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