Genre

Hugh R. MacDonald

Hugh R. MacDonald is a writer of fiction, and a singer/songwriter. Hugh has been a member of the Writers Union of Canada and the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) for many years. His YA novel, Trapper Boy was published by Cape Breton University Press, and the sequel entitled Us and Them waas released in October 2016. Hugh is a graduate of Cape Breton University, and worked in the human services field for 25 plus years, and is now happily retired.

September 2017 — “Trapper Boy” was included in the Reading Nova Scotia publication of “150 Books of Influence” in Nova Scotia–see the link below, which will redirect you to the site. You may have to copy and paste the link.

https://www.nsla.ns.ca/150-books-of-influence

Hugh’s song, “Trapper Boy,” that he wrote prior to the novel of the same name, has been added to the repertoire of the world famous Men of the Deeps, and was included on their 50th Anniversary Compilation CD, which was released in April 2016. Hugh’s version of his song, “Trapper Boy” can be found here: https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=37GBaudAgZA&t=4s

Hugh’s song “A Cape Breton Lament” (written and performed by Hugh) was included on the CD Cape Breton Songs of Steel, Coal and Protest, produced by Dr. Richard MacKinnon (Cape Breton University). See the Youtube link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZpCDIqbZ20.

Trapper Boy was selected by Dr. Patrick Howard of Cape Breton University’s Education Department as a novel around which to develop a Teacher Resource. The resource is currently available at no charge for teachers using Trapper Boy.

Hugh is a member of the Writers in the Schools (WITS) program through WFNS. Hugh enjoys going into schools to meet with young people and sharing his passion for writing. His presentation includes readings from his work, using his songs and his videos to share thoughts on his writing process, and encouraging young people to try their own hand at writing. WITS grade levels P-12.

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Jacqueline Halsey

Originally from the UK, Jacqueline has lived in Nova Scotia, for over thirty years. She has written seven highly acclaimed books, mostly inspired by her love of history, the ocean, and all things maritime.

Her latest book, Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune is based on the true story of a boy know throughout history as Joe Cracker, a thirteen-year- old orphan fisher-boy risked his life to save the survivors of a ship wrecked at the mouth of Halifax Harbour. Her middle-grade novel Piper was short listed for the 2019 prestigious TD Geoffrey Bilson award for Children’s Historical fiction. Peggy’s Letters is available on Tumble Books.

Jacqueline has an art college background, a degree in English and before becoming a full-time writer, worked for many years in the Youth Services department of the Alderney Gate Library in Dartmouth. As part of an imaginative team of programmers, she created and presented literary based programs for children of all ages.

Her love of hiking, splashy boat rides, history, beaches, and taking care of the environment led her to join the “Friends of McNabs Island Society.” She now sits on the Board, takes part in the massive annual beach clean-up and leads groups of visitors on interpretive hikes around the beautiful, historic island in Halifax harbour.

Jacqueline has taken part in the Writer’s in the School programs for over a decade. She is inspired by the students she meets and enjoys sharing her perspective of seeing history through the eyes of a child.

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Shauntay Grant

Shauntay Grant is a children’s author, poet, playwright, and multimedia artist. She is the author of Africville (Groundwood Books), shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Awards and winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. A multidisciplinary artist with professional degrees in creative writing, music, and journalism, she “creates artworks that are engaging and accessible, but also challenging, rigorous, and informed by deep research” (The Royal Society of Canada). Her honours include a Joseph S. Stauffer Prize in Writing and Publishing (Canada Council for the Arts), an Established Artist Recognition Award (Arts Nova Scotia), a Best Atlantic Published Book Prize for Up Home (Atlantic Book Awards), a Robert Merritt Award for The Bridge (Theatre Nova Scotia), and a Poet of Honour prize from the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word.

She shares her blend of words and music internationally at festivals and events, and collaborates with visual artists and art galleries to create poetry-themed artworks, installations, and exhibitions. A former poet laureate for the City of Halifax, her poetry for children and adults has been published in educational resources, anthologies and literary journals. She lives in Halifax and teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University.

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Andre Fenton

Andre Fenton is an award-winning African Nova Scotian writer, performer, and arts educator who has represented Halifax at eight national spoken word festivals across Canada, and the director of the Narrative Program at The Bus Stop Theatre Co-Op.

Andre is the 2023 recipient of the Portia White Protege Award and a 2022 recipient of an Emerging Artist Recognition Award from Creative NS Awards. Andre is the author of three young adult fiction novels, Worthy of Love. ANNAKA, which was the 2022 recipient of The Community & Place Award from Digitally Lit, and The Summer Between Us, which won Gold in The Coast’s 2022 Best Of Awards.

Andre has facilitated writing and performance workshops in over 100 classrooms across Nova Scotia, and founded The Ink Collective, a Black writers workshop series. He is currently screenwriting the film adaptation of his novel, ANNAKA with Fine Devil Films, and is repped by CookeMcDermid and Meridian Artists. Andre is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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Pauline Dakin

I am a journalist who started my career in print with The Telegraph Journal in Saint John, NB and spent most of my career as a health reporter with CBC National News and as the host of the documentary program Atlantic Voice at CBC Nova Scotia. I now teach in the School of Journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax.

Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood (Viking/Penguin Random House Canada: 2017) is my first book. It won the 2018 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. It was also named one of the best 100 books of 2017 by The Globe and Mail, and was shortlisted for the BC Book Prize, the Evelyn Richardson Non-Fiction Award, the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award – Non-Fiction.

As part of the book tour to support the launch of Run, Hide, Repeat I was able to do readings across the country.

I am on Twitter at @paulinedakin and look forward to connecting!

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Cate Carlyle

Cate Carlyle is an author and librarian living in Prospect, Nova Scotia. Cate began her career as a teacher and eventually transitioned to work in elementary school, academic and public libraries. Currently the Curriculum Resource Coordinator in the Faculty of Education Library at Mount Saint Vincent University, Cate also reviews children’s and young adult books for CM Magazine: Canadian Review of Materials. Cate’s first book, “Your Passport to International Librarianship” (ALA 2018) chronicled her international volunteer work and she has also had her fictional short stories published with one shortlisted by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia Nova Writes competition. Cate’s young adult novel “#NotReadyToDie” (Common Deer Press) was relased in 2019.

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Charlotte Mendel

Author, Teacher, Mother, Farmer

Charlotte Mendel is a four times-published, award-winning author. For more information on her books, the prizes she has won, media coverage and reviews, you can visit her website.

She has published three literary fiction books and one YA novel:
“Turn Us Again”
“A Hero”
“Reversing Time”
“A Hostage”

Charlotte Mendel has taught Creative Writing at Dalhousie for the past seven years. She has also facilitated many writing workshops in her community, both for adults and in the schools. Charlotte also delivers the Climate Simulation Game to environmental organizations, schools and universities in NS and England, and has been invited by Consultants from the NS Ministry of Education to introduce the game to teachers at the Summer Learning Academy this summer.

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