Non-fiction (Children) – Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia

Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail

Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail specializes in telling hidden, inclusive histories for audiences of all ages. She’s done this for over a decade as a freelancer as well as through her books, which span adult narrative nonfiction, essays, and a best-selling nonfiction picture book.

Danielle is currently working on a follow-up to her debut picture book, along with a creative nonfiction book about the largest Indian Hospital in Canada based on her popular blog, www.ghostsofcamsell.ca. She’s also at work writing and revising fiction for adult and middle grade readers.

If you’re looking for a sharp-eyed cheerleader to help you with editing and coaching, Danielle will help you through the writing and publishing journey with empathy and encouragement. Please contact her directly to discuss working together or through the Coffee Chats program on this site.

Christine Welldon

John A. Read

JOHN A. READ is a telescope operator at the Burke-Gaffney Observatory a member of the Halifax Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) and recently graduated with a degree in astrophysics from Saint Mary’s University. In 2020 he was presented with an RASC award for Excellence in Science Communication. John also cohosts RASC’s series “Explore the Universe Online.” He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Hui Zhou

”It may take time, but dreams can come true.” This speaks to Hui Zhou, a bilingual writer, a freelance interpreter and translator with a long career in natural science.

Born, eduated, worked, married, became a mother and a respected senior scientist in her home city Beijing, Hui created her next opportunity to Canada. In the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, she researched in her favorite field-entomology and obtained a Master of Scence Degree, dreamed for a long time, from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.

Still, Hui explores wider in science, but she never stops writing that had been one of her hobbies for most of her life. Recently she turned writing more into a real career. Thus, one more dream comes true.

Hui writes in two languages, Mandarin Chinese and English. Her articles about St. Margaret’s Bay, winter stories in Nova Scotia, the Bay of Fundy . . . and many more life stories swarm into multi-medium in Canada and in China.

She had dreamed of publishing books. In May 2018, her first book, Running Wild with Bossy Boy, was self-designed, self-published on Amazon and locally printed. It tells the real stories about chicken’s personalities, or chicken-alities especially to children, but also with adults in mind.

Now Hui plans for her Essay Collections and other non-fiction books for children.

Being a member of Association of Translators and Interpreters of Nova Scotia (ATINS), Hui enjoys interpreting and translating for the Justice System and public/community services in/outside of Nova Scotia.

Gardening, a heritage from Grandpa, remains her favorite pastime.

Sarah Sawler

Sarah Sawler is the award-winning author of three books: 100 Things You Don’t Know About Nova Scotia; 100 Things You Don’t Know About Atlantic Canada – For Kids; and the Moonbeam Spirit Award-winning Be Prepared: The Frankie MacDonald Guide to Life, the Weather, and Everything (with Frankie MacDonald). Both books have been nominated for the 2019/2020 Hackmatack Awards.

When she’s not writing books, she’s working as a publicist for graphic novel publisher Conundrum Press, reviewing children’s literature, writing web content for tech companies, or marketing comic books. She lives in Nova Scotia with her partner, two kids, one cat, one dog, one bearded dragon, and one crested gecko.

Joanne Light

Joanne Light holds degrees in psychology, education and fine art (painting) from Acadia and NSCAD universities (influences ranged from Blake, Jung, Teilhard de Chardin, Vanier, Frye, Plath, Elizabeth Bishop and Roethke to Rothko, Borduas, Riopelle and Beuys). She taught in six provinces in Deschambault and Big Trout Lakes and Davis Inlet, Whapmagoostui and Kuuguarapik, Kimosoompotnak, Kitchee Nuhmay Koosib and Natuashish and five countries in Korea, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong and in Abu Dhabi.

She has three juried acceptances at the Banff Centre’s Wired Writing Studio and Advanced Seminar in poetry with mentors Irving Layton, Barbara Klar, Sid Marty, Fred Stenson and Alison Pick; also, Yvonne Trainor at the Maritime Writers’ Workshop; Daphne Marlatt at Sage Hill Writing Experience’s Poetry Colloquium; Mick Burrs at the Saskatchewan Writer’s Guild and Thomson Highway and Allen Ginsburg at the WFNS. Her most recent journal publication was two poems in Toronto’s Arc Magazine.

Light has published two trade books with Nimbus Publishing and three titles under her own press–Tapwema. She is presently finishing up a memoir: On, On, On, On: Stories of Teaching and Travelling.

Having travelled to twenty-five countries, she has lived for the past six years in her birthplace–Halifax.

She has given writing workshops in poetry nd travel writing at Dalhousie University and the Saint John Arts Centre and is a seasoned teacher and facilitator.

Lou Boudreau

Captain Lou Boudreau was born in Canada, and first went to sea when he was six months old aboard the famous 98 foot schooner “Yankee”. His father owned and sailed the schooner in the beautiful Bras D’Or Lakes of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. When Lou was about one year old, he took his first ocean voyage aboard the schooner “Doubloon” with his mother and father. This momentous first sail aboard this large schooner would take Lou away from Canada and onto a life of adventure in the warmer islands of the Caribbean.

Growing up aboard his father’s schooners and on the island of St. Lucia, Lou spent a magical childhood exploring every nook and cranny of these large yachts, and under the guidance of his father, learned the ropes of life at sea. Spending most of his early life in Marigot Bay, St. Lucia, Lou became fluent in Patois, the local language of St. Lucia. He would spend time free diving and spear-fishing in the crystal clear waters of the islands and would inevitably bring back lots of lobster, conch and other delicious seafood for the charter guests onboard the family’s yachts.As a young adult, Lou began sailing as a crew member with his father and, after sitting for his Master’s papers, he went on to skipper the 90 foot ketch “Atlanta”, and the 138 foot Hereshoff schooner “Mariette”. Over the years, Captain Lou Boudreau has been fortunate to have skippered some of the finest vessels in the world.

After swallowing the anchor in 1996, Lou returned to Canada and began writing. His first book, “The Man Who Loved Schooners”, was published in 2000. A fictional novel, “Fandango’s Gold”, followed in 2006 (Film Fools gold) and “Where the Trade Winds Blow”, published in 2012, chronicles his own life growing up in the Caribbean. Several of his stories were also published in the anthology “We Belong to the Sea”.

Allison Lawlor

Allison is a freelance writer. Since 2003, she has worked from her home in Prospect.

While studying journalism at Ryerson University, she spent a summer working as a reporter for The Rural Voice, a farming magazine based in Blyth, Ont. She happily travelled the countryside talking to farmers and hearing stories about the latest breed of cattle and amazing new varieties of corn and cauliflower.

From Blyth, she moved on to work as a reporter at several daily newspapers in Ontario, including The Brantford Expositor and The Standard in St. Catharines. After landing a summer internship at The Globe and Mail in Toronto, she stayed for another two years writing and editing for the paper’s website.

In 2003, she returned to Nova Scotia, the place she had fallen in love with as an English and Russian student at the University of King’s College a decade earlier.

Her work has been published in newspapers and magazines. She has also written seven non-fiction books.

Her first book 250 Years of Progress: Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency was published by Nimbus in 2005. Her second book, Rum-Running was published by Nimbus in 2009. It was the first book in a series called Stories of Our Past.

In 2015, The Roar of the Sea, a book ghostwritten by Allison, was published by Boulder Publications. Her book, “The Saddest Ship Afloat”- The Tragedy of the MS St. Louis was published by Nimbus in 2016.

Broken Pieces, a children’s non-fiction book about the Halifax Explosion, appeared in bookstores just before Dec. 6, 2017, the 100th anniversary of the explosion. Broken Pieces was nominated for a 2019 Silver Birch Award by the Ontario Library Association and a 2019-2020 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award.

Allison also works as a writing coach with journalism students at the University of King’s College.

Janet Barkhouse

Janet Barkhouse retired from professional theatre in 1982, and from teaching high school English in 2005. She’s written and directed plays for children from ages 8 to 18, written innovative English curriculum for the Province of Nova Scotia, and given workshops and readings for young people, teachers and writers across the Province.

In 2006 she fell in love with writing poems. Since then she has studied with many extraordinary poets, at universities in Halifax, and at the Banff Centre. Her debut book of poems, Salt Fires (Pottersfield, 2018) follows on two chapbooks, Silence and Sable Island Fieldnotes. In 2013-14, through their Humanities-HEALS program, she was Artist in Residence (Writing) at Dalhousie University’s Medical School.

Janet lives near Mahone Bay on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.

Diane Lucas

I am a professional illustrator, who creates artwork for publishers, self-publishers and the children’s market. I can custom design illustrations for any project and I always meet deadlines. I have illustrated over sixty books and covers for publishers and self-publishers.

I have worked with many self-publishing authors who are managing the printing production themselves or publishing through POD companies. I am familiar with the digital file formats required by Print On Demand companies and printing houses. Along with my illustration services, I can provide manuscript layout and planning, as well as cover and title design.
My fees are very reasonable and I do not ask for royalties from self-publishers and small publishers.

Compositions for my illustrations are first drawn with pencil and paper, then scanned and painted digitally using virtual oil paints. Programs I use are Corel Painter, Photoshop and Corel Draw. My favorite and frequent subjects are children, animals, insects, nature, fantasy and fairytales. I can work in many styles from high realism to cartoon, but my style of choice is whimsical with bright colors and lots of action.

I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and a college degree in Printing Production.