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Diving into Flash Nonfiction (virtual) with Sandra Phinney

You’ve heard of flash fiction. Now think flash nonfiction: super-short (100- to 1000-word) personal stories. Writing riveting micro-memoirs can be hugely rewarding. And writing flash profiles of folks— family, friends, colleagues, and adversaries—can be both challenging and fun. But where to begin?

Which outlets publish flash nonfiction? How does writing micro-nonfiction differ from writing regular narrative stories? Can enough flash pieces be pulled together for a book-length memoir manuscript?

Join Sandra Phinney to learn how and where to mine for nonfiction stories; get tips on the craft of super-short writing; hear some true tales; and discover where to get your flash nonfiction published. The only prerequisite is a willingness to experiment.

About the instructor: Sandra Phinney’s stories have been published in over 70 publications, such as Nature Canada, Canadian Geographic, and the Toronto Star, and she was a frequent contributor to Saltscapes and Journey Woman. Although Sandra has weaned away from writing for magazines and newspapers, she’s now totally immersed in writing essays and books and giving workshops. Her fifth nonfiction book—BUSTED! Confessions of an 80-Year-Old Tree Hugger ~ And Other True Tales of Life in Nova Scotia, a collection of 27 essays for Pottersfield Press—will be launched this October.

Sandra is a bit nutty about narrative and has given numerous workshops across Canada on various forms related to the craft of writing nonfiction. She loves to see participants leap into the unknown and discover their stories and voices. Sandra lives off-grid with her husband on the Tusket River outside of Yarmouth, NS. In her spare time, you’ll find her paddling in the wilderness.

Photo by Sue Hutchins

Recommended experience levels: New and emerging writers, as well as established authors who are new to short-form nonfiction

Participant cap: 12

Location: Zoom

Dates of 4-week workshop: Tuesdays, Nov 3 + Nov 10 + Nov 17 + Nov 24, 2026 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)

Registration for 2026 General Members: $185

Registration for non-members: $215 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

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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, writing for 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.

Occasionally, WFNS uses the phrase “emerging and established writers/authors” to mean ‘writers and authors of all experience levels.’

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 info, strategies, and skills that suit their experience. 

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 uncertain about your experience level with respect to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca