Volunteer

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) is a charitable, non-profit arts service organization founded on a collaborative philosophy: writers helping writers. This philosophy informs an annual programming cycle and a wide array of professional services that support the craft of writing, the business of being a writer, and the promotion of Nova Scotia writers as integral to the province’s cultural life and creative economy. WFNS has over 700 annual members, at all career stages, who are engaged in a diverse range of forms, genres, and writing practices.

WFNS programs and events frequently rely on the generous volunteerism of members and non-members alike. The numerous ways in which you can volunteer are detailed below, organized according to the time commitment usually involved, from highest to lowest.

For questions about volunteer opportunities, please contact Oriana Duinker at director@writers.ns.ca

Volunteer role
(& type)
Minimum membership requirementLocationDetails
Member of the Board of Directors
(Governance)
General MembershipremoteThree to six Directors are elected during each WFNS Annual General Meeting (June). The call for Board candidates runs mid April to mid May and is announced through our website, newsletter, and social media. Directors usually serve for two years; each year, they attend monthly Board Meetings and the annual AGM and participate in one or more Board Committees.
Member of a Board Committee
(Governance)
General MembershipremoteTwelve or more non-Director Committee members are appointed by the Board after each WFNS Annual General Meeting (June). The call for Committee expressions of interest runs mid April to mid June and is announced through our website, newsletter, and social media. Committee members usually serve for one year.
Fundraiser participant
(Fundraising)
General MembershipNova ScotiaWFNS's annual Writing Rumble fundraiser (fall)—as well as occasional pop-up fundraisers—rely on the participation of writers-as-writers. These invitation-only roles always involve writing under a time limit for a public audience and usually involve seeking sponsorships from friends, family, and social media followers.
Nova Writes reader
(Editorial)
Writers' Council membershipremoteDetails are provide in our Great Call to Writers' Council Members. The Great Call is open for expressions of interest from May 1 to May 31 and is announced through our website, newsletter, and social media
Author Spotlights interviewer
(Editorial)
General MembershipremoteNew initiative! WFNS is gauging interest in member-written contributions to our Author Spotlights interview series. This role would involve pitching a Nova Scotian author as an interview subject, reading a recent title by that author, posing insightful questions by email, and responding to editing suggestions from WFNS staff.
Book Club leader
(Editorial / Event hosting)
General MembershipremoteNew initiative! WFNS is gauging interest in a quarterly virtual Book Club. This role would involve reading a not-so-recent title by a Nova Scotian author, preparing discussion questions, and hosting one virtual book club session.
Off the Page host
(Event hosting)
General MembershipHalifax areaNew initiative! WFNS is gauging interest in member-led editions of our Off the Page reading series for emerging writers. This role would involve selecting / soliciting readers, coordinating light snacks, and hosting one in-person (Halifax) reading.
Regional / genre-based meet-up host
(Event hosting)
General MembershipNova ScotiaNew initiative! WFNS is gauging interest in member-led meet-ups, which are open-format, writing- and reading-focused events that welcome WFNS members and non-members alike at low or no registration cost. This role would involve pitching a meet-up concept, providing local logistical support, and leading meet-up activities.
Outreach / info session host
(Event hosting)
General MembershipNova ScotiaNew initiative! WFNS is gauging interest in member-led outreach to NS writing communities and writing programs. This role would involve delivering a presentation on WFNS programming and member benefits, speaking extemporaneously on your experiences with WFNS, and answering attendee questions. WFNS will provide presentation materials and a preparatory meeting.
Jampolis Open House volunteer
(Manual labour)
n/aability to travel to Wolfville areaRoughly a dozen volunteers assist in our annual summer refresh of Jampolis Cottage, which involves light renovations, landscaping / groundskeeping, and styling / deep-cleaning. A call for volunteers runs for several weeks before the date and is announced through our website, newsletter, and social media.
Special event assistant
(Event assistance)
n/aHalifax areaWFNS staff relies on the assistance of volunteers to deliver our annual Celebration of Emerging Writers reading (June), our annual Booktoberfest book fair (Oct), and our annual participation in the Hal-Con sci-fi convention (Nov). Calls for volunteers are is announced through our website, newsletter, and social media. These roles involve event set-up and tear-down, greeting guests, helping readers, and distributing info about WFNS.
Mailing bee volunteer / Event postering volunteer
(Marketing assistance)
n/aHalifax areaWFNS staff relies on the assistance of volunteers in preparing and addressing our annual Writers In The Schools brochures (Aug) and in distributing promotional posters for Halifax-area WFNS events (various months). Calls for volunteers are is announced through our website, newsletter, and social media.
Local delivery volunteer
(Logistical assistance)
n/aHalifax area + access to a personal vehicleOccasionally, WFNS staff could use assistance in delivering boxes of books to Halifax-area members of our Book Awards juries (Nov) or in transporting WFNS materials to our annual Booktoberfest book fair (Oct) and our annual participation in the Hal-Con sci-fi convention (Nov).

WFNS staff members maintain a list of potential volunteers, and we will reach out directly by email if we’re seeking volunteers for the roles you express interested in. To remove yourself from this list (for a particular role or entirely), please respond to any outreach email or contact us at director@writers.ns.ca with the details. We’ll adjust our volunteer list accordingly.

Before expressing interest in volunteer opportunities through the below form, please ensure you meet the membership and/or location requirements for each opportunity, as detailed in the tab “Volunteer opportunities.”

• If living in NS, please enter your city/town.
• If living outside of NS, please enter your province or country.
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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