Hello, Members and Friends.

WordSpring is right around the corner, and I hope you plan to join us this year! The lineup should be fun and interesting, and as writers, it’s always great to learn, socialize and network together. There’s still room for you, if you’d like to attend.

In the meantime, we await the results from a couple more judges from The NB Writing Competition before we can announce results, but we expect them soon. Winners will be contacted by phone or email, and a news release will be posted to social media immediately following. Hopefully we can hear several of the winners read at the literary soiree at WordSpring, on Friday, May 29.

Once again, also for members only: mark your calendars for the Annual General Meeting, which has been set for Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm. The meeting notice and event page will go out to all members in the next couple of weeks. With a rising membership, we will require at least 42 members to reach quorum (notice the missing “n”), although you can give your proxy vote in writing to an attending member, including the president.

We are holding two more open mics before we break for the summer, one in Fredericton on June 9 hosted by Rebecca Carrigan of Sakura Blue Studios, and one in Saint John on June 13, hosted by Julia Wright. I think there are still a few more spots available!

Fundraising Committee –The WFNB would like to strike a fundraising committee that could focus on creating sustainability and financial growth for our organization, which is now a registered charity. If you have expertise or interest in this area, please contact the office. info@wfnb.ca

That’s it for me – I hope to see many of you at the end of the month!

Cheers,

Rhonda

WordWorthy

“I was thrilled to know that you could write about where you lived.” Ann Brennan, co-founding member, speaking of her introduction to writing, in the early days of the WFNB.

President’s Message

Hello, fellow writers! We have an exciting month, having just conducted another Open Mic, this time in Shediac. Keep watching for other dates and locations. We also have WordSpring coming up at the end of the month, which promises great value for all who attend. Coincident to the weekend will also be the NB Writing Competition Literary Soiree and the NB Book Awards!

We’ve also created a way you can promote your membership in our Federation, in your email signature block, and/or as a decal to dress up your book covers. The design can be found in our members-only section, (login with your username and password, then go to the members-only section and scroll down and click the pink button “Member Email Signature.” )

If you choose to print decals, we ask that they be 2.5 cm (1 in) round, with laminate.

Finally, with the AGM coming up in June and 3-4 vacancies forecast on the Board of Directors, now is a great time to get more involved with the governance of the WFNB. As Past President, Cat LeBlanc would love to hear from you as the Nominating Committee Chair.

Longer days and shorter nights, let’s get busy!

Welcome, New Members

Judy Barr – is a new author from Saint John, who’s recently published her first novel, The Gospel of Bug. After a career in chemical engineering put her in many extreme environments, along with a prolonged battle with cancer, Judy concluded that despite its flaws, life is still worth living. This appreciation informs her writing. Welcome, Judy!

Jamie Campbell –(pen name, JM Campbell, website, jmcampbell.net ) has had a long career working as a publisher and editor from his home in Fredericton. But his first love is writing, and he recently finished his sixth novel, The Angel of Sallow Cove. Jamie is a short story writer, poet and ghostwriter for autobiography and business topics for The Wall Street Journal and Wired Magazine. Jamie also enjoys fiction, horror, mystery, and thrillers. Welcome, Jamie!

Julie DeMayer –is a retired high school principal. Julie has been a lifelong writer and dabbles in creative nonfiction, memoir, nonfiction, poetry, and spiritual from her home in Scoudouc. Welcome, Julie!

Amanda Evans - Amanda J Evans is a short story writer and novelist living in Saint John, New Brunswick, who has been published in numerous anthologies. She is affiliated with Write Now Saint John, Partridge Island Publishing Inc, The Write Cup Bookstore Café, Chapter-by-Chapter beta reading group, and The Beta Reading Book Club, through which she’s developed great connections with wonderful friends. Amanda enjoys working on fantasy, speculative fiction, and flash/micro fiction. Welcome, Amanda!

Sonya Hinds –Originally from Alberta, Sonya retired to New Brunswick, expecting to become a novelist, but instead discovered poetry. That is power of the word! Along with poetry, she loves fiction and historical fiction. Welcome, Sonya!

Paul F. McCarthy –Paul writes for children, as well as fiction, nonfiction, mystery from his home in Fredericton. Welcome, Paul!

Bonny Pond –Writes creative nonfiction from her home in Moncton. Welcome, Bonny!

Harold Skaarup –(www.SilverHawkAuthor.com ) Major (Retired) Harold Skaarup,CD3, BFA, MA, served as an Army Intelligence Officer with the Canadian Forces (CF) for 40 years, retiring in 2011.  Now living in Fredericton, Harold serves on the Board of Directors of the Fredericton Region Museum and as a volunteer tour guide with the New Brunswick Military History Museum. He has written a number of books on New Brunswick military history. He is a blogger, an illustrator, and focuses on nonfiction and technical genres. Welcome, Harold!

Joseph Van Landschoot –(pen name, Joe Van, website: https://thejoevan.com/) Joseph Van Landschoot is novelist and screenwriter. His script for “Agent Heads” won Best Original Story category at the Independent Shorts Awards in Los Angeles.  He writes fiction, romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, young adult, mystery, thrillers, and short stories. Welcome, Joseph!

Kate Wallace – (katewallace.ca) is a national award-winning journalist, essayist, filmmaker, and storyteller from Rothesay, whose work spans print media, brand storytelling, and filmmaking. A former arts reporter for the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and executive director of ArtsLink NB, she founded Kate Wallace & Co., a one-woman copywriting agency. She is working on a memoir about ADHD, parenting, and personhood. Kate writes in the genres of corporate. creative nonfiction, essays, journalism, memoir, nonfiction, copywriting, website copy, freelance and travel. Welcome, Kate!

Member News

Paul Burns is delighted to announce the publication of his young adult novel, The Druid and The Dragon, by Donovan Street Press, in September, 2026. The Druid and The Dragon represents the first New Brunswick author published by Donovan Street Press (publisher is WFNB member Joe Mahoney) and the first to be discovered at a WFNB Pitch the Publisher event in 2025. Paul is a life-long reader of science fiction & fantasy, and has a great affinity for spaceships and dragons. Paul's first two books, "Owen and the Dinosaur" and “Emily Finds a Dragon” were for younger readers; the latter was nominated for the Hackmatack Children's Choice Award. Donovan Street Press Inc. is a boutique publishing house headquartered in Riverview, New Brunswick. We specialize in high-concept, genre-bending science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, and memoir.

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Francis-Adrien Morneau is pleased to announce that his book, The Light of Faded Stars, has been made a finalist for the CANREADS Book Review in Adult Fiction. The award ceremony takes place in Toronto May 30 (WordSpring weekend!) “A fresh take on the classic detective story, The Light of Faded Stars blends mystery with a powerful exploration of memory, regret, and connection. Told through the fragmented reflections of a dying detective, it delivers as much emotional depth as it does intrigue.” (CANREADS Book Review – Judges, Finalist in Adult General Fiction) 

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Michael Simon is excited to announce that he has signed two more book deals, this time with Aethon Books for Books Four and Five of his First Command series, Fourth Wave (releasing May 12) and Fifth Horizon, to be released in 2027. Thanks to my agent, Michelle, at Storm Literary and the fantastic team at Aethon.

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Zev Bagel’s SHEDIAC LAUNCH of Sopworth’s Foibles takes place May 15 at the Shediac Art Gallery, 59 Ohio Road, 5 to 7 pm.

Events

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC

Sunday, May 31st, from 3:00 - 4:30 pm, at Bill Johnstone Memorial Park Activity Centre - 70 Main Street, Sackville, NB

The Writers’ Open Mic is a free monthly event open to all. Come out and read your poems, songs, short stories, comics, novels, essays, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen.

 

CALLS FOR SUBMISSION & AWARDS

The Seaboard Review of Books* is launching a monthly fiction department, and we’re looking for submissions from new, emerging, and established writers from around the world – previously published or unpublished. All genres are welcome, so long as the stories are driven by character, theme, and language—which you can interpret as you see fit. We’re looking for stories no longer than 4,000 words. Unfortunately, we don’t have the budget to pay writers at this time, but we promise to give you a warm and helpful editing experience (if required), and we’ll promote your work like we wrote it ourselves.  Send your stories to seaboardfiction@gmail.com. Include a cover letter with a short bio outlining any past publications, and send files that are compatible with Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx, etc.).

*Please note this opportunity is unpaid

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Unlock your story! The Fiddlehead's 2026 Creative Nonfiction Contest is currently open for submissions! The best creative nonfiction essay will receive the $2000 prize and be published in Issue 309 of The Fiddlehead. This year's contest is being judged by award-winning essayist Brian Braganza! You can find all our guidelines for submission here. Deadline to submit: June 1. 

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Dave Greber Freelance Writers Book and Magazine Awards 2026 Competition

Dave Greber Freelance Writers Book and Magazine Awards for Social Justice Writing

There are two separate awards. The book award is set at $5,000 and the magazine award is set at $2,000. Since the awards can be given before publication and book and magazine publishing timelines can differ, so do the requirements for each award. What is a Freelance Writer?

FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE AWARDS, FREELANCE WRITERS MUST:

Submit work related to the area of social justice

Work a minimum of 70% of their time as a self-employed freelance writer

Be a continuing resident of Canada

Check out https://www.greberwritingaward.com/

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Applications Now Open for the 2026 Whiting Foundation Nonfiction Grants for Works-in-Progress

The Whiting Foundation (whiting.org) is proud to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2026 Nonfiction Grants for Works-in-Progress. These grants of $40,000 are awarded to writers in the process of completing a creative and deeply researched work of nonfiction. Projects must be under contract with a publisher located in the United States, United Kingdom, or Canada.

Since 2016, more than 80 writers have received these grants, which are designed to encourage original and ambitious projects by giving recipients the additional means to pursue exacting research and devote time to composition. Successful applicants are at a crucial point mid-process, after significant work has been completed but when extra support can make a difference in the ultimate shape and quality of the work.

The Whiting Foundation welcomes applications for works of history, cultural or political reportage, biography, memoir, science, philosophy, criticism, graphic nonfiction, and personal essays, among other categories. Self-help titles, historical fiction, textbooks, books primarily for a scholarly audience, and books for young readers are not eligible.

Applications are due by May 31, 2026. For a full list of application requirements, a list of previous winners, and to apply, please visit whiting.org/writers/creative-nonfiction-grant/about.

Any questions regarding applications should be directed to awards-grants@whiting.org.

Our Canadian Poetry Collection

We publish both carefully restored editions of significant Canadian works and contemporary modern Canadian poetry. Our Canadian Poetry Reprint Collection spans:

• Major Confederation Poets — the founding voices of Canada’s national literary identity
• Post-Confederation Poets — voices that extended and enriched the Confederation tradition
• Late Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian Poets — rich works from the turn of the twentieth century
• The Restoration Period — verse from a transformative era in Canadian literary history
• The Vaudeville School — a distinctive strand of performance-rooted Canadian poetry
• Modern Canadian Voices — contemporary works from today’s Canadian literary landscape

Our catalog includes 117 titles, all available in beautiful, affordable paperback editions. The complete catalog is attached for your reference.

Open Call for Manuscript Submissions

We also warmly welcome manuscript submissions for review through our website. If you have members — emerging or established — working on poetry manuscripts and seeking a Canadian publishing home, please do pass this invitation along. We are especially interested in work that contributes to the continuing story of Canadian poetry, in any of its many traditions and voices.

Submissions can be sent through our website at www.ronaldpfrye.com, or by reaching out to Susan Frye directly, susan@ronaldpfrye.com

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Sequestrum is excited to announce two new themed calls: Family and Place! Family welcomes stories that explore the bonds that shape us, exploring the endless ways family can ground us, fracture us, follow us across time. Place invites work rooted in setting, where landscapes both natural and constructed become inseparable from the self. Whether you’re tracing the ties that bind or mapping the spaces that hold us, we look forward to reading your work.

Family submission details are here: https://sequestrum.org/themed-submissions-family

Place submissions are here: https://sequestrum.org/theme-place

And as always, our general submission guidelines are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/submissions

Hello, Members and Friends of the WFNB.

Our Fall and Winter online sessions have been completed, but there are a couple more Open Mics ahead – one in Shediac on May 7, and one in Saint John on June 13. This is a great opportunity to share your work and chat with other writers. We are looking at dates and venues for Fredericton, so stay turned. If you have suggestions for locations and places to hold Open Mics, drop us a line.

And in between those two events, don’t forget to about WordSpring. We have a great lineup of workshop leaders and our venue is the Crowne Plaza Harbourview, with the exception of the New Brunswick Book Awards, which will take place at Lily Lake Pavilion.

At the end of WordSpring, on Sunday afternoon, we will hold another Pitch the Publisher Session, organized and emceed by Saint John WFNB member, Andrea Kikuchi. We have lots of time to get through all pitches, so no one will be left behind. We know this was an issue last year. This event is free and open to the public, but you must pre-register and submit your pitch prior to the event. There will be a very strict time limit of 7 minutes maximum. Your seven minutes will be broken down as follows:

a 2 minute elevator pitch, a 1- minute reading from your piece, then 4 minutes for responses by the panel at 1 minute each.

Please submit your pitch to info@wfnb.ca on a word document or pdf and include:  Author name, Title of Manuscript, Genre, Word Count, Comparable Titles, and Why are you the person to tell this story? 

We had a record number of submissions for the NB Writing Competition – thank you to all who submitted this year. The judges are working hard and will return their results in mid-May. If you place in the competition, we will contact you directly, but the news release will be issued shortly after all results are received. Winners and finalists will be asked to attend the literary soiree on May 29 at WordSpring in Saint John, to read from their winning pieces.

Finally, for members only: mark your calendars for the Annual General Meeting, which has been set for Thursday, June 11 at 7 pm. The meeting notice and event page will go out to all members, soon. With a rising membership, we will require at least 41 members to reach quorum, although you can supply a proxy vote in writing to the president.

Hope to see some of you in May. Cheers,

WordWorthy

“The front cover intrigues, but the back cover sells. Independent authors worry more about the front than the back, but the back cover is essentially a free ad. It leaves the reader wanting more. It must reflect the book’s genre, voice and tone. Be engaging, but brief. The back cover should be designed to grab attention, to hook readers and draw them in with a cliffhanger or a question, so that they can decide, ‘is this book for me?’ “

Wendy Kitts, during the online workshop, Bios, Book Blurbs and Back Cover Copy, March 28, 2026

Welcome, New Members!

Marcus Alexander is an artist from Saint John where he writes and illustrates in many genres including comedy, fantasy, fiction, historical fiction, horror, illustration, romance, science fiction, screenplay, songwriting, suspense, mystery, thrillers, and short stories. Welcome, Marcus!

Maria Bourgeois Originally from Newfoundland, Maria Bourgeois is a multi-disciplinary artist from Rothesay with a strong background in theatre (performance, direction, and playwriting), writing and music, and sometimes uses other mediums. Since 2016 she has changed her focus to writing fiction and creating music. Welcome, Maria!

Pat Carlson of Fredericton wrote a biweekly column in the Daily Gleaner for seven years, addressing political issues relating to mental health, poverty, and addictions. Now, through her writing and handcrafted creations, Pat continues to share stories that matter and items made with heart, bringing her decades of compassion and creativity to every project. She recently released a memoir entitled In the Company of Men. Welcome, Pat!

Jamie Campbell  (pen name JM Campbell - jmcampbell.net) Born and raised in Atlantic Canada, JM Campbell is the author of the Quinn Masterson Mysteries Distortions, For All the Children to See, and One Night in the House of the Creepy Santas, as well as The House That Jack Built, Whispers in The Mist, The Angel of Sallow Cove, The Spore (2026), and Hide in Plain Sight (2026). Welcome, Jamie!

Richard Doiron (www.richarddoiron.com) Dubbed Canada's peace poet, Richard’s work has been in print for 62 years. From his home in Acadieville, he has been published in hundreds of anthologies, periodicals, personal books, and is the author of novels, biographical works, essays, and lyrics. Welcome, Richard!

Zoe Erichsen –Zoe is a horse riding coach and owner of Rohirrim Farm on Royal Road. Welcome, Zoe!

Jennifer Hanson – Welcome, Jennifer, a writer of fantasy!

Michelle Hebert  (michellehebertwrites.com) writes fiction and creative nonfiction from her home in Halifax, NS, although she grew up in the Tantramar area. She combines her social work and writing skills to offer services for writers. This includes supporting memoirists as they write about difficult subjects, helping writers struggling with imposter syndrome or writer's block, and guiding writers to go deeper into themselves and their stories. Find out more at her website, michellehebertwrites.com

Sonya Hinds is a new writer, originally from Alberta, who has discovered that since retirement she is a poet. She thought she was going to be a novelist, but that is the power of the word! Sonya is interested in fiction, historical fiction, and poetry. Welcome, Sonya!

Michelle Hoeckel-Neal(https://sites.google.com/view/michellehoeckelneal) is a student member who writes fiction, poetry, flash/micro fiction and short stories from her place of study in Fredericton. Welcome, Michelle!

Jordan MacKenzie(pen name Rinn Skyborn - https://authorrinnskyborn.com/) writes stories that are shaped to unsettle, provoke, and endure. Across novels, short stories, and poetry, Rinn navigates the shadows of the human experience—examining resilience, fracture in fantasy, fiction, horror and thrillers. Welcome, Jordan/Rinn!

Pauline Milner (https://pminkslinger.blogspot.com/) lives in a restored farmhouse surrounded by animals and nature in Lower Millstream. She worked full-time as a freelancer for more than 25 years writing over a broad array of topics, but pivoted to concentrate on my own writing. Her ongoing writing projects include short stories, three original screenplays, poetry, a chapbook and a children's book. Welcome, Pauline!

Joyce Procure – Welcome, Joyce!

Carolyn Rigley writes memoir, poetry and short stories from her home in Miramichi. Welcome, Carolyn!

Mark Robinson (http://www.shittyleaders.ca/) is the author of The Shitty Leadership Series, a collection of direct, unfiltered books that challenge how leaders think, behave, and—more often than not—avoid accountability. He writes creative nonfiction, essays, nonfiction, website copy and short stories. His work focuses on leadership and non-leadership topics with the typical dry sarcastic humour that may cause reflections and increased self-awareness. Welcome, Mark!

Jen Selk (http://www.jenselk.com/) resides on the unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik
known as Fredericton, NB. A former journalist widely published in print media, Jen focuses on creative nonfiction, essays, fiction, journalism, poetry and spoken word. Welcome, Jen!

Chelsea Stevens writes creative nonfiction, journalism, memoir, nonfiction, poetry and songs from her home in Dumfries. Welcome, Chelsea!

Liz White writes comedy, screenplays and short stories from her home in Riverview. Welcome, Liz!

Hope Wilkinson (pen name Faith Nason https://a.co/d/00xJHQCX) is a writer from Breadalbane, and NB, and wrote The Missing Memories of Faith. Hope is interested in the genres of Memoir and Nonfiction. Welcome, Hope!

Member News

Carolyn Avery is pleased to announce the publication of Froggy in the Jar, now available on Amazon. Congratulations, Carolyn!Link here:

When the fridge is left open,
Froggy jumps inside.
There are colourful jars to explore.
Things get sticky and messy.
Have you seen Froggy in a jar?

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Warren Redman (pen name, Zev Bagel) is pleased to announce the publication of his novel, Sopworth’s Foibles (Merlin Star Press), the second in the Bright and Breasy cozy mystery series. He will be reading on Tuesday, April 21, from 5-7 pm at the Moncton Press Club

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Pat Carlson is pleased to announce the publication of In the Company of Men. The book  can be purchased through her webpage,  www.pennedbypat.ca Congratulations, Pat!

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Sherry Coffey is delighted to announce that she is the winner of the 2025 Deborah Wills Chapbook Competition for her manuscript Foraging. Her manuscript will be produced by the High Marsh Press and students from Mount Allison University's printmaking program. The chapbook  will be published in late April or early May 2026. Big congratulations, Sherry!

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WFNB member Ramneet Kalra organizing an online Storytelling (Poetry and Photography) Workshop on April 18, 2026 at 4 pm – it’s coming right up! Participants can contact Ramneet to register by using this email:ramneet.kalra@gmail.com

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Forrest Orser’s invites everyone to visit his new website - http://forrestorser.ca/ - where you will find all of Forrest’s published stories and poems.

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Mike Simon is excited to announce the deal for Book Three of my Extinction series: Resurgence. Mike thanks his agent, Michelle at Storm Literary Agency and the fantastic team at Podium Entertainment.

EVENTS

The Frye Festival, The Frye Festival takes place April 24 to May 3, 2026, and is the largest literary event in Atlantic Canada. This bilingual celebration of books, ideas and the imagination is presented in the Greater Moncton region, in neighbouring communities, and, in the case of school visits, all over the province.. Check out all the events and how you can participate at https://www.frye.ca/

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WRITERS’ OPEN MIC
Sunday, April 26th
3:00 - 4:30 pm
Bill Johnstone Memorial Park Activity Centre
70 Main Street, Sackville, NB

The Writers’ Open Mic is a free monthly event open to all. Come out and read your poems, songs, short stories, comics, novels, essays, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen.

Accessibility concerns and general questions can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com. Follow the Writers’ Open Mic on Instagram at @writersopenmic for updates.

COMPETITIONS

PROVINCIAL

NotaBle Acts seeks entries for 25th annual Province-Wide Playwriting Competition

The NotaBle Acts Theatre Company is seeking submissions for its twenty-fifth annual provincewide playwriting competition. Contest winners will have their work featured as part of the 2026 NotaBle Acts Summer Theatre Festival, to be held in Fredericton, July 23-August 1.

New Brunswick playwrights have the opportunity to submit work in three main categories, one for 7-10 minute short plays, one for 30-60 minute one-act plays, and another for 10-20 minute site-specific plays. Two additional categories of the contest are specifically for young playwrights in New Brunswick Middle and High schools.

Winning playwrights will also receive a cash prize and script mentoring from a professional playwright.

The contest rules and guidelines, as well as instructions on how to submit scripts, are available at www.nbacts.com. Questions about the contest can be directed to lfalken@unb.ca or (506) 458-7406. The contest deadline is May 1st, 2026.

NATIONAL

CANSCAIP’s Writing for Children Competitionis now open for entries! Canada’s largest competition for children’s writers welcomes submissions from unpublished and self-published writers. The deadline for entries is May 31.

Four $500 cash prizes will be awarded to the winning Middle Grade and Young Adult entries, and to the top two Picture Book entries. Two finalists in each category will also be selected. The winners and finalists will be given time to revise their entries before CANSCAIP submits them to Annick Press, Kids Can Press and Scholastic Canada for evaluations.

Every entry receives a written evaluation from a traditionally published CANSCAIP Member volunteer reader. Entries advancing to the second round receive another evaluation, and entries on the shortlist receive evaluations from each jury member.

Entrants must be over the age of 18, Canadian citizens or permanent residents, with no traditionally published books in any genre or for any age. Previously submitted entries can be re-submitted for the 2026 Competition.

Self-published writers are eligible to enter the Competition, but self-published books with an ISBN are not eligible as entries. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: https://canscaip.org/Submission-Guidelines

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Call for submissions: 2026 RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award

Unpublished writers are encouraged to submit creative nonfiction, journalism, short stories, or poetry collections for the RBC / PEN Canada New Voices Award. This annual award celebrates emerging talent in Canadian literature, and the winner will receive $3,000 CAD and mentorship from a Canadian author. There is no fee to submit.  Deadline: Thursday May 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Learn about eligibility and how to submit on the PEN Canada website: https://pencanada.ca/call-for-submissions-for-the-2026-rbc-pen-canada-new-voices-award/ 

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The Montreal International Poetry Prize 2026 is now open for submissions. Enter your poem of 40 lines or fewer for a chance to win a cash prize of $20,000.

The Montreal Prize celebrates the craft of the stand-alone poem as a work of art. The biennial competition, open to poets from around the world, is a not-for-profit initiative hosted by the Department of English at McGill University. All entries must be previously unpublished and simultaneous submissions are permitted. An international jury will select sixty-five finalists and the winner will be chosen by the final judge Natalie Diaz, whose many honours include a MacArthur Fellowship, Lannan Literary Foundation Fellowship, and Native Arts and Culture Foundation Fellowship. All finalists will be published online and included in The Montreal Poetry Prize Anthology 2026.

Submission fees for first entries are $25 until the early bird deadline 1 May, and $28 after that until submissions close. Every additional poem is $20 at any time (all prices in Canadian dollars).

The final deadline is 15 May. We are looking forward to reading your work!

Submit at https://montrealpoetryprize.awardsplatform.com

For more information on the jury, past winners, and more, visit www.montrealpoetryprize.com

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Whistler Independent Book Awards

Submissions to the 11th annual Whistler Independent Book Awards will open on March 1, 2026. All entries to the competition must be made through the online submission form, which will be available from March 1 —April 30, 2026. All information here: https://independentbookawards.ca/submissions-wiba/

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The Icelandic Festival of Manitobais once again holding its annual Poetry and Short Story Contest

Details can be found on the poster attached or on the Icelandic Festival website. 

If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out. 

https://www.icelandicfestival.com/festival-events/contests/poetry-short-story-contest

Submissions

The Wild Spirituality Nature Devotional*  is calling for entries—reflections, poems, short stories, or moments of wonder born from your relationship with the living world. If you’ve ever felt the hush of a forest teach you something, or sensed the sacred humming through soil, stone, wind, or water, this is an invitation to let that experience speak.

This is playful, reverent, untamed spirituality—barefoot faith, mossy wisdom, awe without polish. Share what nature has revealed to you. Invite others to do the same. Your voice from the wild belongs here.

This devotional is a project that is being created only within the Ecosystem. The resulting devotional (book) will be available to the general public. The Ecosystem is a  social media platform on Mighty Networks dedicated to living from a place of love, interconnection, and justice for all beings. Membership is free. Join here

Devotional Entry Form

* (Please note that this is an unpaid opportunity)

Hello, Members and Friends.

With our final online workshop for the season coming up on March 28 (Bios, Book Blurbs and Back Cover Copy- a workshop with Wendy Kitts - there’s still room!), it’s nearly a wrap for our lineup of fall/winter programming. I hosted every single one, and I must say that I’m pleased at the variety and scope of the information made available to participants. Thank you to our speakers for developing such good information and sharing it so generously. I wish all writers much success with their ongoing projects, and especially those participants who have made new connections with other writers through these sessions.

Submissions are quite slow this year for the NB Writing Competition – especially in the screenwriting category - but the good news is that you still have just under three weeks to submit. There are eight categories to choose from, so now’s the time to practice polishing and submitting a manuscript!

There’s still room to register for three Open Mic sessions coming up (Moncton on March 18, Miramichi on April 11, and Shediac on May 7), so brush up your latest piece and let’s hear a five-minute excerpt at an upcoming event!

The second half of our podcast series will soon be underway, so make sure you subscribe to WordCraft, and watch social media for notification of more interesting and informative interviews.

Our WordSpring event page is ready for registration, so please think about how you might join us, whether it’s for the whole weekend, for the day on Saturday, or just a workshop or two. We are looking forward to gathering and enjoying workshops, open mics, and award ceremonies. Remember, the NB Book Awards is a free event, open to the public, on Saturday evening, May 30, at Lily Lake Pavilion. The cash bar opens at 6, and the award ceremony begins at  7 pm. The Book Award shortlist will be announced by social media promptly after all results have been received from the judges at the end of March.

WordWorthy

“When writing flash nonfiction, think in terms of distilling…boiling down. Constraints can actually free you. For example, we only get two cups of maple syrup from two gallons of sap. We are always telling ourselves stories, and we are using metaphors, whether we know it or not. Stories are all about moments” -- Sandra Phinney, Flash nonfiction mini-course, February 7, 2026.

Why not try a writing exercise today, courtesy of Sandra Phinney?

Sandra finds great success in writing nonfiction essays using prompts, and is looking forward to her latest essay collection, to be published later this year. She says that many of these essays were produced using prompts.  Sandra offered the following writing exercise during our flash nonfiction course in February:

Choose a clothing item you like to wear – a sweater, a hat, a coat, a pair of shoes, etc., old or new. You can use the clustering method (also called mind mapping or word association) to write down as much as you can about the item, and you will find that ideas will spring from the list. Can you find a personal story in this list? How does the piece of clothing make you feel? Can you add a fun educational aspect to your writing- a tidbit of history or science- to your story? E.G. “Where these boots have taken me,” or, “My favourite red silk scarf.” Write as much or as little as you like, and see where the process takes you.

That’s it for me! Until April, writers. Looking forward to birds chirping and snow melting.

Rhonda

Welcome, New Members

Carla Gunn is a Fredericton-based educator and writer. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including The Globe and Mail, University Affairs Magazine, CBC radio and The Scales Project. Along with being short-listed for the Commonwealth Prize for best first book, her novel, Amphibian (Coach House Books), is published in six languages, has been adapted as a play (Downstage Productions), optioned for film (forthcoming) and was longlisted for Canada Reads 2020. Congratulations, and welcome, Carla!

Peter Hicks (pen name Andi Ellis) is a Fredericton-based writer and singer-songwriter whose creative life has spanned stages, studios, and the page. As the founder of New Brunswick’s Sleepy Driver, he’s built a celebrated catalog of roots-infused Canadiana across six albums. Writing has always been his constant—songs, poetry, and stories of every length. Peter writes comedy, fiction, poetry, romance, songs, suspense, and thrillers. Welcome, Peter!

Paul Lang (https://museimage.ca) This Shediac-based writer is interested in a wide array of genres: Children's, Creative nonfiction, Editing, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Illustration, Journalism, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Photography, Poetry, Website copy, Freelance, Spoken Word. Welcome Paul!

Ann McAllister is a retired teacher and musician active on climate and energy issues. Ann focuses on the genres of Memoir, Poetry, Songwriting, and Short stories. Welcome, Ann!

Member News

Valerie Sherrard is excited to announce her newest publication,  Absolutely No Body Parts. This complex coming of age story will be released in June, and is now available for pre-order:

https://www.cormorantbooks.com/Books/A/Absolutely-No-Body-Parts

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Joe Mahoney has some excellent news to share. For the second time in less than a month, his company, Donovan Street Publishing, has received a positive review from Booklist. Actually, any review from Booklist is positive... they only review books they recommend. This time it's for David Gerrold's upcoming short fiction collection Shadows & Reflections: Diving in the Sea of Time. Here's a bit of what Booklist has to say: Fans of the movie adaptation of “The Martian Child” or Gerrold’s work on Star Trek will enjoy reading this collection of stories. — Terrence Miltner, Booklist. Congratulations, Joe, and author David Gerrold.

Hey, WFNB members – do you have news to share? A new publication, award or public appearance, for example? If so, send your news along to us and we’ll share it here!

RETREATS and COURSES

The Audible Indigenous Writers’ Circle 2026

@audible_ca is inviting emerging First Nations, Inuit and / or Métis writers to apply for the Audible Indigenous Writers’ Circle 2026. The program begins this summer, apply by April 13 here: audible.ca/ep/IWC #AudibleWritersCircle

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2026 SAGE HILL Spring Fiction Colloquium

Dates: May 16 – 24, 2026 Instructor: Kevin Chong Location: In Person at St. Peter’s College, Muenster, SK
Application Deadline: March 28^th, 2026

This is a facilitated, in-person retreat for around nine writers. Successful applicants generally have some publication record and are working towards completion of a manuscript. Application is open to writers 19 years of age and older from Canada and abroad. Visit https://sagehillwriting.ca/writing-retreats/spring-colloquium/ for more information and to apply. Scholarships and bursaries available!  For details visit https://www.sagehillwriting.ca/adults/scholarships-bursaries.

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2026 Sage Hill Summer Writing Courses

IN-PERSON COURSES
Location: St. Peter’s College, Muenster, SK
Dates: July 2 – 11, 2026
Fiction with Lauren Carter
Poetry with George Murray

ONLINE COURSES
Dates: June 30 – July 9, 2026
Emerging Prose with Conor Kerr
Emerging Poetry with Neil Aitken
Nonfiction with Jenna Butler
Playwriting with Vern Thiessen

Application Deadline: April 20, 2026
Application is open to writers 19 years of age and older from Canada and abroad. For more information and to apply, visit https://sagehillwriting.ca/writing-retreats/. Scholarships and bursaries are available for the spring and summer programs. For details visit https://www.sagehillwriting.ca/adults/scholarships-bursaries.

AWARDS

The 2026 WHISTLER INDEPENDENT BOOK AWARDS

Since 2016, the Whistler Independent Book Awards have proudly recognized excellence in Canadian self-publishing. To mark the beginning of our second decade, the WIBAs have some exciting new features to make the awards even more inclusive. The competition is now open internationally, to any self-published author writing in English. They’ve added a new Poetry category (in addition to Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children’s). They have a significantly reduced entry fee and discounted fee for additional entries, and they will now publish a longlist in each category, to give public recognition to a greater number of authors. For full competition details and terms, and to submit your self-published book, please visit their website: www.independentbookawards.ca

Entries for the 2026 awards are open from March 1 to April 30, 2026.

WRITING GROUPS

NB Film Co-op Screenwriters' Café

All writers in New Brunswick interested in attending the New Brunswick Film Co-op’s Virtual Screenwriters’ Café, from the prolific producer to the screenplay-curious alike, are welcome to take part in one session at no cost, with recurring participation available to Film Co-op members at a price of $40 annually, on the second and fourth Saturday of every month, 12-2pm local, at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81728759226

For more details about the Screenwriters’ Café or to submit your script for collective review, drop us a line at INFO@NBFILMCOOP.COM. 

EVENTS

Canadian Freelance Guild’s Freelance Fridays

Whether you come to swap tips or just to hang out, Freelance Fridays are your place to unwind, connect, and start the weekend on a high note. WFNB members can attend CFG events at a cut rate – check out our code in our members’ only section of wfnb.ca

Best regards,
Canadian Freelance Guild

The Write Cup Bookstore Café in Saint John - Check out the full calendar in Community Resources under READ.

March 15, 2026 – 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Allan Johnson, author reading & signing

March 20, 2026 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Author reading and Children’s book writing workshop with Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail.

March 21, 2026 – 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Sara Moginot, author reading and Children’s crafty event.

March 22, 2026 – 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Conveying Emotion through Sensation workshop by Mandie Dufour

April 4, 2026 – 11:00 am – 4:00 pm: Micaela Ellis author signing and presentation

April 11, 2026 – 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Two Jordans!

April 18, 2026 – 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: New-Fangled Rose by Sue Sinclair

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC

Sunday, March 22nd
3:00 - 4:30 pm
Bill Johnstone Memorial Park Activity Centre
70 Main Street, Sackville, NB

The Writers’ Open Mic is a free monthly event open to all. Come out and read your poems, songs, short stories, comics, novels, essays, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen.

Accessibility concerns and general questions can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com. Follow the Writers’ Open Mic on Instagram at @writersopenmic for updates.

SUBMISSIONS

There are two new calls at Sequestrum: Fables and Romance! Fables invites stories that weave magic with purpose, while Romance seeks work which shifts between risk and devotion, friction and fate. Whether you’re spinning a cautionary tale or crafting a confession, we hope to be enchanted. Deadline: April 15th.   Fable submission details are here: https://sequestrum.org/fable-theme Romance submissions are here: https://sequestrum.org/theme-romance And as always, general submission guidelines are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/submissions.

Hello, Members and Friends.

As the winter zooms by (the quicker, the better, please), the snow continues to fall as if it owns the place! Despite this, I hope you feel cozy and warm inside, and that your writing projects are humming along. If not, I hope any difficult or frustrating seasons in your life will be of short duration, so that your creativity can bloom again.

Please read through the newsletter for our list of writing competitions, applications for residencies, and upcoming events. 

We enjoyed a really great online short story workshop with Elaine McCluskey on February 8, and we have one workshop left on our fall/winter roster – that’s Bios, Book Blurbs and Back Cover Copy with Wendy Kitts. (Those are the little details that sell a book, amiright?) I am looking forward to attending the winter retreat next weekend (deadline is today), and if all goes well, we will set a date for another in 2027.

There’s another Open Mic in Moncton on March 18, and one in Miramichi follows on April 11. These are free events, but you must pre-register! Everyone who attended our first Open Mic in Moncton at Soeur Claudette really enjoyed themselves, so come on out, read, and connect with other writers in a convivial atmosphere.

And finally, our WordSpring 2026 page is now live, so check out all the fun events we have scheduled on May 29 – 31, 2026, and sign up for whatever you can. This year, we will hold all events (except the NB Book Awards) at the Crowne Plaza Saint John. The NB Book Awards will be held at Lily Lake Pavilion.

All the best this February,

Rhonda

WordWorthy

“Have Visceral Impact - A short story still must have impact even it if doesn’t resolve. The mistake that writers make is that they don’t go deep enough. You must go below the surface in the lives of your characters. Tap into an emotion or behaviour you have experienced. Use your own experiences and feelings when you write about your character. Go deep, even if it hurts…Do you want to leave the reader disturbed, satisfied, happy, angry? The story doesn’t necessarily need resolution, but it needs to have resonance. ”

Elaine McCluskey, Diving into Short Stories, February 8, 2026

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

February, complete with Valentine's Day and Family Day, is all about love. We are happy to share that love by providing tax receipts for donations beginning in 2026, thanks to receiving our status as a charitable organization. Now is the time to tap the shoulders of would-be patrons of the literary arts, so we can provide more support to New Brunswick writers. Give it some thought, in mind and heart!

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS

Mike Bravener (mikebravener.com) writes children’s stories from his home on Richibucto Road. A professional entertainer and folksinger, Mike’s first children’s book, The Lumberjack Alphabet, was published in 2025 by Monster House. Welcome, Mike!

Andrew Fairweather lives in Waterville-Sunbury, where he writes in the genre of comedy, historical fiction, horror, spiritual, and short stories. Welcome, Andrew!

Cynthia Funkhouser writes creative nonfiction, memoir, poetry and website copy and pursues editing from her home in Saint Jacques. Welcome Cynthia!

Julie Kaniak writes essays, fiction, memoir, poetry and short stories from her home in Riverview. Welcome, Julie!

Ramneet Kalra writes poetry from a home base of Fredericton. Welcome, Ramneet!

Joëlle Richard graduated in 2025 from St. Thomas University’s creative writing program, and won STU’s DAR Prize for fiction. She writes in the genres of Editing, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Playwriting, Romance, Freelance, Short stories. Welcome, Joëlle!

Kimberley Steeves is a fantasy writer from Moncton. Welcome, Kimberley!

Tanya Tagieff (pen name Tasha Zima – www.tashazima.com) is the author of 12 romance novels, and writes them all from her home in Edmundston. Tanya will appear at Romance by The Sea 2026 book fair at Hammond Plains Community Center, NS, on May 3, 2026, from 2 - 6 pm Instagram - @romancebythesea2026  https://romancebytheseaevent.odoo.com/ Welcome, Tanya!

Cathy Verrault (pen names Cathy Verrault and Kathou), originally from Quebec, is now settled in Fredericton, and has had a long career writing in the children’s and youth genre, as well as creative nonfiction, fiction and historical fiction. You can check out all her French titles at www.editionsdelancre.com Bienvenue, Cathy!

MEMBER NEWS

Come out and hear Open to the Skies author, Jane Tims,  AND Puppet author, Robert Stutt, when they read from their novels at Westminster Bookmark in Fredericton on Sunday, February 22 at 3 pm.

WRITING COMPETITIONS

The Gilmer Prize 2026, hosted by Camel Literary Magazine, is open. Deadline is May 1, 2026. Start writing! Submit at camel.litmag@gmail.com

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If you are an unpublished author who lives in New Brunswick or Nova Scotia, submit a short story up to 1500 words to the Julia Stewart Memorial Competition! You must be at least 16 years of age to enter. Please read the submission guidelines on our website, www.jsmcontest.ca before entering.

Questions? jsmcontest@gmail.com The contest closes at midnight Atlantic time on July 5, 2026.Prizes include $2500 for first place, $1000 for second place, and $500 for third place. Entries fees will be donated to MS Canada and matched up to $1000 by the sponsor, Cedar Valley Investments.

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The deadline for The Writers' Union of Canada Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers has been extended! There’s still time to submit your stories. Help us spread the news!

Entries for the Short Prose Competition are now being accepted until Monday, February 23, 2026, 11:59 pm PST. This Competition aims to discover, encourage, and promote new writers of short prose in order to provide opportunity and exposure to developing writers.

Unpublished works of fiction and nonfiction up to 2,500 words in English are eligible, and writers may submit multiple entries. A $2,500 prize will be awarded to the winner, and the entries of the winner and eleven finalists will be submitted to three Canadian magazines for consideration. Writers must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. For complete rules and regulations, and to submit, visit writersunion.ca/short-prose-competition.

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The Tom Grass Spirit of Adventure Literary Prize, an annual international prize for emerging writers aged 25+.

The prize welcomes stand-alone fiction or non-fiction (1,500–3,000 words) and is particularly well suited to mature students and writers developing work alongside study. “Adventure” is interpreted generously — inner or outer, emotional, intellectual or lived — and entries are judged on literary merit and engagement with the general reader. Deadline is March 31. Details here:  https://www.tomgrassprize.com/

WORKSHOPS

Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust, a non-profit dedicated to helping fiction writers improve their craft, announces that the deadline to apply for their online educational program, Your Personal Odyssey Writing Workshop, is April 10, 2026. The Odyssey began in 2022, and provides an intensive, one-on-one workshop experience, customized for each individual student. For the 10-12 writers admitted in 2026, several scholarships are available, including the Fresh Voices scholarship for an outstanding writer of color, and the Walter and Kattie Metcalf Singing Spider Scholarship for a fantasy novelist who shows great skill and promise, the Quantum Entanglement Scholarship for an outstanding writer of science fiction, and more! https://www.odysseyworkshop.org/about-the-workshop/. 

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Are you interested in developing your writing craft in Paris, France this summer? The American University of Paris’s Summer Creative Writing Institute features workshops in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry in the month of July.

Writers have the chance to write and share their work under the guidance of highly accomplished faculty members. At the same time, they’ll enjoy Parisian life and culture while immersing themselves in the city’s rich literary legacy. Each week, participants also attend evening readings and Q&A sessions with inspiring visiting authors.

WRITERS IN RESIDENCE

The Sable Island Institute is preparing to launch our 2026-27 Artist in Residence program. The Call for Applications will open mid-February.

SII's Artist in Residence program is an opportunity for artists to spend up to two weeks on Sable Island immersed in its landscape, history, and ecology, engaging in research to inform their artistic practice. Artists will be hosted on the island by Sable Island Institute's lead naturalist, Zoe Lucas. 

Please forward this information to your contact lists, and keep your eyes on our website www.sableislandinstitute.org , and our facebook (@SableIslandInstitute) and instagram (@sable_institute) accounts, where we will post the call including details about the residency and application process.

EVENTS

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC
Sunday, February 22nd
3:00 - 4:30 pm
Bill Johnstone Memorial Park Activity Centre
70 Main Street, Sackville, NB

The Writers’ Open Mic is a free monthly event open to all. Come out and read your poems, songs, short stories, comics, novels, essays, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen.

Accessibility concerns and general questions can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com. Follow the Writers’ Open Mic on Instagram at @writersopenmic for updates.

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Catherine Lee, Literary Arts Program Co-Manager at the Eastport Arts Center in Eastport, Moose Island, Maine, (the only one of the Fundy Isles that is not in Canada), is planning to host a gathering of area writers' groups in the spring. She wonders if there are any writers' groups in the St. Stephen-St. Andrews area to participate in a cross-border gathering if indeed there are writers' groups they could invite. Interested? Contact info@wfnb.ca for Catherine’s contact info.

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Le Hub Shediac wants to connect with regional authors interested in promoting and selling their books in their space on Main Street Shediac opening this spring.

Their goal is simple: to create a welcoming place where local voices, stories, and books can be discovered, shared, and supported.

Whether you write:

• fiction or non-fiction
• poetry or essays
• regional history, memoir, or storytelling, they’d love to hear from you.

Opportunities include:

• in-space book display and sales
• visibility alongside local art and culture
• participation in readings or small events (optional) Lehubshediac@gmail.com

RETREATS AND WORKSHOPS

Go and Write! Retreats created by writers, for writers

Writing retreats offered by award-winning authors Dr. Gerard Collins and Jane Simpson, from New Brunswick, Canada. Participants include emerging and established writers of all genres.

For more information, visit www.goandwrite.ca and post a note to their contact page.

Springtime Writing in the Cotswolds

Retreat to Old Town Lunenburg, NS

Retreat to Kingsbrae - St. Andrews by the Sea, NB

Go and Write! Merry and Bright - Christmastime in the Cotswolds, 2026

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WFNB member Mike Thorn is offering three workshops through CSAC and the UNB Art Centre this winter.

Writing Horror Fiction: Step into the shadows and uncover the craft behind what truly frightens us! Join acclaimed horror author Mike Thorn for an immersive workshop on writing horror fiction. From building tension and atmosphere to creating characters that haunt the page long after the story ends. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, this session will ignite your imagination and help you bring your darkest ideas to life. Thursdays, January 29 - March 5 from 7 - 9 p.m. in the Community Room (CSAC) Writing Horror Fiction

Reading Like a Writer: Reading is arguably the most crucial practice for any serious writer. In this course, you will “reverse engineer” acclaimed short stories to determine how and why they work. You will use these stories as lenses into key aspects of effective fiction (dialogue, plotting, voice, character, etc.) The course will help you to identify the key features of various distinctive prose styles, and you will participate in guided writing exercises inspired by those styles. Wednesdays, February 11 - March 25 (no class March 4)
6:30 - 8 p.m. Reading Like a Writer

Novel Writing: For beginners and advanced writers alike, this course is for you. Whether you're plotting your outline or polishing that final draft, this course will offer an intensive workshop environment with the focus on breaking down the barriers to completing your novel. Writing will be the class focus, with a strong emphasis on sharing constructive feedback. Discussion topics will include, but not be limited to, narrative structure, character, plotting and pacing, and of course publishing. No materials required. Tuesdays, March 24 to May 12 (8 weeks) Novel Writing

Mike Thorn is a fiction writer and critic. He is the author of Shelter for the Damned, Darkest Hours, and Peel Back and See. His stories have been published in a range of anthologies, magazines, and podcasts, including Augur, Vastarien, NoSleep, and Tales to Terrify. His essays and articles have been published in American Gothic Studies, The Fiddlehead, The Weird: A Companion, American Twilight: The Cinema of Tobe Hooper, The Film Stage, and elsewhere. He holds his PhD in English from the University of New Brunswick, and he co-hosts the writing-themed Craftwork podcast with Miriam Richer.https://mikethornwrites.com/

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Canadian Freelance Guild workshop, live at 7 PM ET on THURSDAY, January 15, 2026 – Special Discount for WFNB members. Check the members only page on wfnb.ca for the discount code.

Register here: https://canadianfreelanceguild.wildapricot.org/event-6409751

Social media never sits still — and neither do the freelancers who depend on it. As algorithms shift, platforms rise (and fall), and audiences change how they engage, staying ahead of the curve can feel like a full-time job.

Join our panel of CFG experts — all working professionals who live and breathe this stuff — as they share insights on where social media is headed in 2026. We’ll explore what’s working now, what’s fading fast, and what new trends might reshape how freelancers market themselves, connect with clients, and build communities online.

Whether you manage client accounts or just want to keep your own socials sharp, this session will leave you inspired, informed, and ready to scroll into the new year with confidence. See more about the CFG at their website: https://canadianfreelanceguild.ca/en/

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Milkbag Magazine

Spring 2026: The Green Issue

"Green as in grass and leaves and money and greed and jealousy and new growth and old growth and mold and Kermit the frog and lights and go and envy and capitalism and environmentalism and hope and vitality and algae and pondscum and weed and weeds and peas and jolly giants and juice and renewal and spring buds and chlorophyll and inexperience and hope and avocados and forest and vegetal and arsenic and poison and green and green and green and green."

We pay our contributors as well as our contest winners via a profit share model, meaning we charge a small submission fee. However, contributors facing financial barriers are encouraged to reach out directly - fee waivers are handled on a case-by-case basis and priority will be given to historically underrepresented communities.

We accept submissions via our Duosuma portal where all submission guidelines can also be found. For even more information, please visit our website or reach out directly. 

MARITIME RESIDENCIES

The Hideout Scholarship deadline for Maritime writers is March 1

Applications are open for the 2026 Hideout residencies and the Susan Buchanan Hideout scholarship. Now in its seventh year, the Hideout Residencies welcome writers, artists, musicians, therapists, and self-care practitioners to Prince Edward Island’s south shore each spring and fall. Residencies are a week in length and allow for uninterrupted time to work on a creative project. In 2025, The Hideout welcomed residents and guests from 11 countries and all corners of Canada to create and restore. For more information about the Hideout Residencies, the application process, or the scholarship, visit www.thehideoutpei.com. 

In order to support Maritime writers and practitioners, the Susan Buchanan Hideout scholarship covering residency costs to an emerging or established writer or practitioner with financial need. Writers or wellness practitioners who identify as BIPOC or 2SLGBTQ+ are especially encouraged to apply. The scholarship deadline for 2026 is March 1.

Created by writer Trevor Corkum and psychotherapist Joshua Lewis, The Hideout offers retreat and vacation space to writers, creative folk, and visitors from across Canada and around the world. The Hideout is located on the scenic south shore of PEI, a few minutes outside the village of Victoria-by-the-Sea. The Hideout Residency program was founded in 2020.

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Hello, Members and Friends.

I hope you enjoyed a lovely holiday season with your friends and loved ones, and that 2026 has opened up for you with hopeful energy.

Our online sessions have been well attended and interesting - there are more to come – so please check through the list on WFNB.ca to see if you’d like to participate in an upcoming workshop led by Heather Browne, Elaine McCluskey and/or Wendy Kitts. The Sandra Phinney mini online course on writing flash nonfiction is now full, but Sandra said she is considering doing a second session in the spring or fall, so I’ll pass on your names, if you’re interested.

There’s still lots of room to attend our February retreat at Villa Madonna. Not gonna lie – I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet this year – just me and my new project. If you’re looking for a weekend away to write, this is an economical and friendly way to do it. Lots of connections and conversations over meals.

Hey, don’t forget: The NB Writing Competition is now open. Check that piece one more time, and get it in. I hope you’ll participate this year. One change to note: The JL Screenwriting Award is now for NB residents only. (We normally allow WFNB members who live outside of NB to participate in all categories, but at the request of the sponsor, only NB residents may participate in the screenwriting category.) No other categories are affected.

Cheers,

Rhonda Bulmer, Executive Director

WordWorthy

“Why write a Cozy Mystery? Because I love to hang out with a cast of characters who are unique, in a charming setting. If you like the main character and friends, you can jump in at any place. But you need to draw people in with a puzzle. Focus on creating really good, fun plots. The more you write, the better you will do at striking a balance between the gravity of the crime, and the intricacies of writing about a community.”

Chuck Bowie, How and Why to Write a Cozy Mystery, December 6, 2025

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

All the best for 2026, everyone! We started off at a gallop, rushing a vote to amend our by-laws, bolstering our application to achieve Charitable Organization status. Thank you to everyone who made up the quorum for this rare, unscheduled vote. It simply couldn't wait for our AGM in June. Speaking of events near June, it's not to late to plan your attendance at WordSpring, being held this year in Saint John on the weekend of 29-30 May. I hope to see you there!

Don Bourque

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Debbie Brawn-Mitchell comes to us from Lambert’s Cove, and is interested in the genres of blogging, fiction,  historical fiction, young adult, middle grade, and short story. Welcome, Debbie!

MEMBER NEWS

Tony Hebert, memoirist, community volunteer and serial entrepreneur, is offering a free memory companion workbook designed specifically for older adults. It provides a gentle framework and storytelling without clinical language, performance expectations, or financial barriers. Entitled One Memory at a Time requires no training or facilitation certification, can be used individually or in group settings, is suitable for seniors with or without memory challenges, supports conversation, connection, and dignity and is offered free of charge, with no upselling or subscriptions. Unlike commercially driven memory products, One Memory at a Time does not frame aging or memory loss as a problem to be solved. Instead, it honours lived experience and emotional memory, making it especially suitable for senior centers, nursing homes, memory cafés, faith-based programs, veterans’ organizations, and family-support initiatives. “This project was never about outcomes or improvement metrics,” says Tony. “It’s about preserving connection and identity — without monetizing vulnerability.”

For more information or to request copies, contact tony@tonyhebert.com www.tonyhebert.com

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Art Moore invites you all to visit him when he signs copies of his most recent poetry release at Chapters in Moncton, on Jan 25^th from 2-4 pm.

NEWSY BITS

As part of the upcoming opening of Le Hub on Main Street in Shediac, a cultural book salon will take shape within the space.

The book salon will aim to: showcase regional writing in all its forms, highlight local voices, emerging and established, support literary creation connected to Acadia, New Brunswick, and neighbouring regions, and create a welcoming place for reading, reflection, transmission, and conversation.

This is not just about selling books, but about creating a shared space for stories, ideas, and culture. To join their newsletter list, contact here in the official language of your choice: lehubshediac@gmail.com

EVENTS AROUND THE ATLANTIC (COURTESY OF THE EDITORS’ ATLANTIC NEWSLETTER)

How to Self-Edit Your Novel (virtual) with Sarah Mian

Five-week workshop on self-editing fiction manuscripts to publication-ready standards. Virtual event – January 13 – February 10, 7:00pm More information here.

Conception Bay South Writer’s Group

Drop-in creative writing group for people with a passion for creative writing. Conception Bay South Public Library, Conception Bay South NL – January 14, 6:00pm More information here.

A Night at The Gallery – Open Mic!

Welcoming open mic for writers of all levels and genres. In-person sign-up for readers. The Gallery Coffee House & Bistro, Charlottetown PE– January 15, 7:00pm More information here.

Author Talk: Donald Murray Celebrates Hockey Day in Canada

Author talk on Howie Morenz and his impact on Canadian hockey culture. Halifax Central Library, Halifax NS – January 17, 2:30pm More information here.

PEIWG Writing Group

Monthly writing group for PEIWG members to share work and receive feedback. Bar1911, Charlottetown PE – January 17, 10:00am More information here.

Fiction Debug: Finding and Fixing the Most Common Writing Flaws

Eight-week workshop led by Sandra McIntyre focusing on common fiction and creative nonfiction writing flaws. Virtual event – January 21, 1:00pm More information here.

Foundations of Fiction (virtual) with David Huebert, Anne C. Kelly, & Jessica Scott Kerrin

Nine-week introductory fiction workshop covering foundational craft concepts and techniques. Virtual event – January 22 - March 19, 7:00pm More information here.

Family Literacy Day Celebration

Family-friendly celebration with crafts, activities, books, and snacks. Musquodoboit Harbour Public Library, Musquodoboit Harbour NS – January 24, 10:00am More information here.

Novel Workshop with L.P. Suzanne Atkinson

Two-day interactive workshop to help writers build and structure a novel manuscript.

Charlottetown Learning Library, Charlottetown PE – January 24, 1:30pm More information here.

Lyrics & Literature: Shivering Songs

Afternoon of stories and songs with New Brunswick musicians who have recently released books. Wilser’s Room, Fredericton NB – January 24, 2:00pm More information here.

A. J. B. Johnston Presentations for SCANS

Author presentations on writing life, Louisbourg, and Grand-Pré for SCANS courses. Location TBD (Halifax and Truro NS) – January 29, 1:30pm More information here.

Hibernation & Emergence: A Poetry Untensive (virtual) with Basma Kavanagh

Poetry intensive combining craft instruction, peer feedback, and professional development. Virtual event – February 1, 2:00pm More information here.

SAINT JOHN EVENTS

The Write Cup Bookstore Café

Check out all The Write Cup monthly events on their website: https://thewritecup.ca/events

January 17, 2026 – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Writing Exposition workshop by Keila Gallardo

January 18, 2026 – 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Colin J. Friars: From Maine to Georgia, Highlights, Q&A, and book signing.

January 24, 2026 – 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm: The Rise of Little Bear by Joyce Rice Book Launch – author reading and Q &A

January 31, 2026 – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm: CJ Leavitt Travel Talks and author reading

February 12, 2026 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Chapter by Chapter meeting

This is a free event to get the first chapter of some of the books available at The Write Cup Bookstore Café.

February 22, 2026 – 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Saint John Voices

A literary open mic event. Sign-up is at 6:00 pm, and reading starts at 6:30 pm. We feature prose, poetry, and plays. Readers have 7 minutes to read their piece. Experts are available to offer feedback upon request.

February 26, 2026 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Chapter by Chapter meeting

FREDERICTON EVENTS

It's time to celebrate The Fiddlehead's Winter Issue! During FROSTival, join us on February 7^th from 2:00 - 3:00 PM for our hybrid launch on Zoom and at the Fredericton Public Library to enjoy an afternoon of readings by Ariadne Asho, winner of our 2025 Fiction Contest, alongside fellow Issue 306 contributors John McNeil and José Teodoro. To attend the readings virtually, email thefiddlehead@gmail.com with your name to receive the Zoom link.

The event is free and open to all, with ASL interpretation available. We can’t wait to see you there!

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H4hte6zRo/

Bluesky post: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:yff5kmo524yeweht5qfcnc4l/post/3mcab3be6yk2h

COMPETITIONS AND AWARD PROGRAMS

Submissions are open for the 49th annual National Magazine Awards for Canadian print and digital magazines and to Canadian citizens or permanent residents whose work appears in eligible publications during the 2025 calendar year, both French and English.This year’s program features 28 competitive categories. If you’re planning to enter this year, now is a great time to begin. Final Submission Deadline: January 16, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Register online at: https://submissions.mediafoundation.ca/en/auth/login

SEE part 2, featuring Retreats and Workshops, Calls for Submission and Maritime Residencies

Hello, Members and Friends. Here we are, at the end of 2025, and I’m a little shocked at how quickly the year flew by - probably because we enjoyed several quality events this year, and I received lots of positive feedback from participants. I hope that 2026 will be just as good, or better. If you have suggestions for next year’s slate of events, please send them along.

Congratulations to all of you who published work this year – books, poetry, short stories, essays, music, etc. I hope you can continue to build on these experiences in the coming year.

Thank you to all of you who volunteered at events like WordSpring, and various workshops, etc. Volunteers offer so much more than just an extra set of hands – they offer community, camaraderie, and wide variety of perspectives.

Thank you to our board members, both new and experienced, who have been faithful to offer encouragement and good ideas. (We have a great board, members!)

Thank you to our enthusiastic event and award sponsors of 2025:  WordSpring, the NB Book Awards, the NB Writing Competition and our general sponsors. Your generosity and helpfulness make all of our events possible, and we couldn’t produce them without you.

Thank you, writers, for participating in our events. Thank you for gathering with other writers in our community, sharing your work, your ideas, and your knowledge. You did these things with enthusiasm, and genuine appreciation for the talents of others.

What’s Up Next?

NB Book Awards

Submitted books for the year 2025 are off to the judges this week, and they should render their results by late March. The shortlisted authors will be announced by news release on social media shortly thereafter. The NB Book Awards live event will take place on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Lily Lake Pavilion in Saint John. FYI: Glass Roots, the Saint John company from whom we purchase our trophies, is developing a design that will be unique to the book awards going forward – we are excited to see it!

The 2026 NB Writing Competition begins January 1 and runs until March 31. The new judges are featured on the category pages of our website, and the “pay now” buttons on each page will open January 1. Get your submissions ready! One new development: Previously, we allowed WFNB members who live outside the province to participate in the JL Screenwriting Category, like they do in all other categories, but at the request of the sponsor, only New Brunswick residents will be able to participate in the JL Screenwriting Award going forward.

Monthly workshops – Please sign up for our monthly online workshops in January, February and March with Heather Browne, Elaine McCluskey, Sandra Phinney and Wendy Kitts. Lots of good, inspiring information!

Winter Retreat – Join us at Villa Madonna in February. Snuggle in and write for the weekend during this economical and useful event. Lots of great conversation over meals!

In the meantime, the WFNB extends its best wishes to you for a Merry Christmas, and a peaceful Holiday Season.

Cheers,

Rhonda

WordWorthy

“I think this is what poetry is all about - novelists get these big, sort of tableaus and stories in their mind, but we get little bits and pieces of things. And it's by putting together these little bits and pieces, we poets, that we create something new.” Michael Pacey, in conversation with Jenna Morton, WordCraft Episode 6, Season 2.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Best wishes of the season, one and all. Just a reminder that books make great gifts, so whether or not you sent your ISBNs to the North Pole, I hope your titles fly off the shelves. Second, I want to thank one of our own directors, Ana Larade, for emceeing a successful Open Mic in Moncton last month. Hopefully this will become a recurring event. If you'd like us to bring this kind of energy to a venue near you, give us a shout to discuss. May 2026 bring us all the peace and prosperity we've earned.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Linda Bullock (pen name Faye Munn) writes fiction and romance from her home in Miramichi. Check out her website at www.shortreads.ca  Welcome, Linda!

Christina Foster writes for children, and other genres including comedy, creative nonfiction, fiction, playwriting, poetry, and short stories from her home in Fredericton. Welcome, Christina!

Sharon Fournier writes a wide variety of genres, including creative nonfiction, essays, fiction, historical fiction, memoir, nonfiction, photography, poetry, YA, flash/micro fiction and short stories. Welcome, Sharon!

Dawn Henwood (clarityconnect.ca) is a professional technical writer from Moncton who has published two books on technical and business communication: A Writing Guide for IT Professionals (Oxford University Press) and Business Writing for Innovators and Change-Makers (Business Expert Press). Welcome, Dawn!

Maria Rogers (pen name Ria Rogers) is an aspiring children’s writer from Ottawa. Welcome, Maria!

David White joins us from Gatineau, Quebec and explores the world of writing through the genres of essays, fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Welcome, David!

MEMBER NEWS

Thomas Chamberlain, author, and Galleon Press are pleased to announce the publication of Happenstance. The novel was awarded second place in the 2024 WFNB writing competition in the David Adams Richards category for unpublished fiction. It is available at The Write Cup Bookstore Café in Saint John, PharmaChoice Rothesay, Midtown Grocery in Plaster Rock, from Galleon Books as well as from the author. www.thomas-chamberlain.com - www.galleonbooks.ca - www.amazon.com - www.amazon.ca

Launches and Signing Events

• December 13: Book Signing at PharmaChoice Rothesay from 9-2pm
• December 16: The Write Cup Bookstore Café @7pm
• December 17: Kennebecasis High School Theatre @ 4pm

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Kathy Mac has two reviews forthcoming: one of recent books by Keagan Hawthorne, Corey Lavendar and Douglas Walbourne Gough, which was accepted by The Dalhousie Review; and another review of recent books by Annick MacAskill, Bren Simmers and Bonnie Baird was accepted by ARC Poetry Magazine. She also had single poems published recent issues of The Dalhousie Review and QWERTY.

***

Michael Simon is excited to announce that Book Two of his Extinction series, Emergence (Podium Entertainment), will be released on December 9, 2025. Thanks to the great team at Podium and my agent, Michelle Hauck, at Storm Literary Agency. - The last humans in the solar system battle for survival―and encounter an alien AI―in this action-packed military science-fiction thriller. 

https://www.amazon.ca/Emergence-Military-Thriller-Michael-Simon/dp/1039475698?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

***

WFNB member Valerie LeBlanc (https://val.basicbruegel.ca/) wants your old dictionaries for an art project planned in the New Year. Valerie is getting ready to create a series of video performances in which she’ll be using dictionaries. If you have any at home that you no longer use, Valerie would be happy to collect them for the project. The dictionaries cannot be returned, as they will be taken apart during the performances. You can message Valerie at mediapackboard@gmail.com to arrange a time for her to pick them up (in the Moncton area) or, if that’s not possible, to drop them off at the Writers’ Federation office.

Thank you for considering this chance to put your paper dictionary to work again.

PAID SERVICES

Give the Gift of Story Feedback - What to give that writer on your list? The gift of feedback. Sunspot’s Angel Leya, USA Today bestselling coauthor, provides feedback on stories and novel excerpts. Guidelines available here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit/311607/genre-fiction-feedback-2025.

AWARDS PROGRAMS

The National Media Awards Foundation is pleased to announce that submissions are now open for the 49th annual National Magazine Awards. The 2026 NMAs feature 28 competitive categories, along with special awards, and additional categories aligned with our cross-program initiative with the Digital Publishing Awards.

COMPETITIONS AND CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

TWUC Invites Submissions for Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers

The Writers’ Union of Canada invites submissions to its 33rd annual Short Prose Competition for Emerging Writers. Unpublished works of fiction and nonfiction up to 2,500 words in English are eligible, and writers may submit multiple entries. A $2,500 prize will be awarded to the winner, and the entries of the winner and eleven finalists will be submitted to three Canadian magazines for consideration. The deadline for entries is February 16, 2026.

Visit writersunion.ca/short-prose-competition for full details and application form.

Hello, members and friends.

I apologize for the lateness of the hour. The November bugs and viruses came calling this week, and I am miserable.

“My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I’m going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox…”

Sick, by Shel Silverstein 1930-1999

Nevertheless, Inkspot is chock full of lots of writing news, and I urge you to read the full newsletter on the website. Also, take a look at our upcoming events and sign up. So far, our workshops with Joe Mahoney and Melissa Addey have been stellar, with plenty of great information for participants to mull over and put into practice. Don’t miss what’s next!

Upcoming Events

Open Mic in Moncton, November 26 – There’s still space. Brush up your best piece, and try it out on the crowd. We are planning another similar event for Miramichi in the New Year.

Online workshops – there’s still room to sign up!

Lee Thompson, The Seven Persistent Troubles that Keep your Manuscript Up at Night, November 27

Chuck Bowie, How and Why to Write a Cozy Mystery, December 6

Heather Browne, You and Your Voice, January 24

Elaine McCluskey, Short Story Love, February 8

Sandra Phinney, a four-part series on Writing Flash Nonfiction, beginning February 7

Wendy Kitts, Bios, Book Blurbs and Back Cover Copy, March 28

If you’re looking for a weekend away to kickstart your writing project, The WFNB Winter Writing Retreat is at Villa Madonna once again, and Heather Browne will be our mentor, February 20 -22, 2026. Quiet, economical and collegial. I look forward to it every year, and I hope to meet some of you there.

I hope you can find something that interests you here, but wherever your writing is taking you these days, I wish you great success.

WordWorthy

In a world of AI, be human. Melissa Addey, November 1, 2025

Welcome New Members

Kimberly Gautreau is an Irish Acadian poet living in Moncton , NB. A passionate patron of the arts and holistic massage therapist, she reflects on beauty through humanity, the sensual, the feminine, and the brave birthing of emotion we embody. Kim writes poetry and is a photographer. Welcome back, Kim!

Marie Andree Hebert (pen name, Emma Lodge) http://www.emmalodgebooks.ca/ Is a author from Southeast NB with a background in psychology. Her novel, Wind Borne, was published in 2025. Marie writes in the genre of fiction. Welcome, Marie!

Tony Hebert (pen name, Tony J. Hebert) http://www.tonyhebert.com/ is a nonfiction writer living in Moncton who has a background in sales in more than a dozen industries. Tony writes in the genres of biography, memoir and nonfiction. Welcome back, Tony!

Nikki Kennedy writes memoir, poetry and spoken word from her home in Moncton. She hopes to inspire others through her unique writing style, and is currently working on her first poetry collection. Welcome, Nikki!

Ell Orion is a writer from Moncton who wishes she were Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Represented by Sam Hiyate at The Rights Factory. Ell writes in the genres of comedy, fiction, horror, romance, science fiction, screenplay and thrillers. Welcome, Ell!

Emma Theriault (http://www.lapcatediting.ca/) is a freelance editor based in Moncton, NB. Building on 20 years of experience writing for government and business, and a lifelong interest in language and story, she launched Lap Cat Editing in fall 2025. While corporate editing is her bread and butter, she loves a good story and welcomes the opportunity to work on fiction or memoir projects. She writes in a wide variety of genres, Biography, Blogging, Children's, Corporate, Creative nonfiction, Editing, Fiction, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Copywriting, Website copy, Freelance, Middle Grade, and Mystery. Welcome, Emma!

Bev Wells (http://www.bevwellshonestly.com/) writes about the things most people avoid: grief, rage, and what it takes to keep living after everything breaks. Based in Saint John, she’s a trauma speaker and mentor. She has two upcoming books, Grief Made Me Mean and Letters I Never Got to Send, and concentrates on the genres of memoir, nonfiction and screenplay. Welcome, Bev!

Member News

Jim Read, the Sussex, N.B-based writer is excited to report that he’s on the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize longlist, for his poem, Refugee! https://www.cbc.ca/books/literaryprizes/23-writers-from-across-canada-make-2025-cbc-poetry-prize-longlist-9.6956574 Congratulations, Jim!

The winner of the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and have their work published on CBC Books. 

The four remaining finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books.

***

Jane Tims and her publisher, Merlin Star Press are pleased to announce her latest book, Open to the Skies. Jane is holding a book launch this Saturday, November 15, at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto, from 11 am to 3 pm. Anyone who buys this book at a signing in November will have their name entered in a draw for a blue toy truck, a key element of the book. Hope to see you there!

WORKSHOPS AND RETREATS

Go and Write! Retreats created by writers, for writers

Writing retreats offered by award-winning authors Dr. Gerard Collins and Jane Simpson, from New Brunswick, Canada. Participants include emerging and established writers of all genres.

For more information, use the contact page at www.goandwrite.ca 

Springtime Writing in the Cotswolds

May 8-15, 2026

Small group retreat (only 9 rooms) in the charming village of Broadway, at the Abbots Grange, a 14^th century former monastery. We’ll visit Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, and Stonehenge. Our Cotswolds retreats sell out quickly, so reach out if you’re interested.

Retreat to Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

June 7-16, 2026

Join us for a June writing retreat in a timeless fishing town on Nova Scotia’s south shore. We’ll have 10 days in the pristine, UNESCO World Heritage site of Old Town Lunenburg on the East Coast of Canada, surrounded by colourful 18th and 19th century buildings, quaint shops, and the historic waterfront at your fingertips. Come take a sail on the Bluenose II Schooner with us!

Retreat to Kingsbrae—St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick

June 19-26

August 26-September 2

September 4-11

September 23-30

Micro-group retreats (only 5 rooms) in a seaside town on the East Coast of Canada. Private, ensuite bedroom in a gorgeous, historic mansion, your own private writing studio, and the award-winning Kingsbrae Garden at your doorstep.

Go and Write! Merry and Bright—Christmastime in the Cotswolds 2026

December 8-16, 2026

Small group retreat (only 9 rooms) in the charming village of Broadway, at the Abbots Grange, a 14^th century former monastery. We’ll visit Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, and Bretforton. Our Cotswolds retreats sell out quickly, so reach out if you’re interested.

***

Banff Centre

We’re thrilled to share the launch of Banff Centre’s 2026 Literary Arts programs! These residencies bring together writers, journalists, and storytellers from across genres to create, connect, and take their work to the next level.

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Late Spring Writers Residency 2026 — Dedicated time and space for writers of all genres to dive deep into their projects.
• Literary Journalism 2026 — Craft compelling long-form stories that combine rigorous reporting with literary style.
• Summer Writers 2026 — A vibrant residency where emerging and established writers can develop manuscripts and spark new ideas.
• Crime Writing 2026 — Hone your skills in mystery, thriller, and crime fiction with guidance from experienced faculty.
• Computational Writing 2026 — Experiment at the crossroads of literature and technology with digital and algorithmic approaches to text.
• Sports Writing 2026 — Explore the art of storytelling, reportage, and commentary through the lens of sport.

CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

Sequestrum is pleased to announce two new themes: Reprints and Humor. Reprints will spotlight exceptional work from past publications, while Humor invites writing that entertains, surprises, and provokes. Whether revisiting a favorite piece or sharing something fresh, we look forward to reading your finest work.

Reprint submission details are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/theme-reprints.

Humor submissions are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/themed-submissions-humor.

And as always, our general submission guidelines are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/submissions.

***

Milk Bag Magazine is extending their submissions call for Issue 1.4: The Long Night 

We are launching a contest and extending submissions!!!!!

We recognize that we need some more submissions and that artists may need a better incentive. 

The grand prizes will be as follows:

ART: Winner of the Art category will be featured on the cover and win $100. Additionally they will receive a two page spread in the magazine to showcase their work.
Poetry: Winner of the Poetry category will receive $50.
Fiction: Winner of the Fiction category will receive $50.

Deadline has been extended to November 21st @ 11:59 PM

To enter, submit your work through our submission manager for Art, Poetry, or Fiction.

All current submissions will be considered contest entries.
Any contestants whose submissions are not chosen as winners, but whose work is selected to be featured in issue 1.4 will be paid for their work.

EVENTS

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC
Sunday, December 7th
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Bill Johnstone Memorial Park Activity Centre
70 Main Street, Sackville, NB

The Writers’ Open Mic is a free monthly event open to all. Come out and read your poems, songs, short stories, comics, novels, essays, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen.

A projector will be set up for those with comics or other images or videos they want to share. Just bring your files along on a USB. Accessibility concerns and general questions can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com. Follow the Writers’ Open Mic on Instagram at @writersopenmic for updates.

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Please join The Fiddlehead in celebrating the virtual launch of Issue 305 (Autumn 2025) on November 19th at 7:00 PM AST! The launch will feature readings from 2025 Creative Nonfiction Contest winner Shelley Pacholok, Will Richter, and A-E Best. The event will take place on Zoom with ASL interpretation provided. The event is free to all. To attend, please register by emailing thefiddlehead@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link. 

***

THE WRITE CUP BOOKSTORE AND CAFÉ EVENTS

Check out their full calendar here: https://thewritecup.ca/events

November 14, 2025 - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Devour Book Launch

November 19, 2025 - 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Seeking Alignment Book Launch

For every woman who has whispered, “There has to be more than this.” You are not alone.

November 22, 2025 – Death Between the Cays by Alexa Bowie book launch.

Alexa Bowie is releasing the 4th book in the Old Manse Mysteries, a fantastic Cozy Mystery.

Join us for a Q&A, author reading, a chance to get a copy of the book, and a lot of fun!

November 26, 2025 - 8:30 pm – 10:00 pm: 18+ Author Readings.

This is an 18+ event scheduled to take place after our regular hours.

November 26, 2025 - 8:30 pm – 10:00 pm: Book Launch – Merry Clitmas by Amelia Dax.

November 29, 2025 - 6:00 pm - 12:00 am: Novel November Write-In @ The Homeport Inn

To take part in the event authors are asked to register before the event by emailing amanda@partridgeislandpublishing.ca by November 24, 2025. 

November 29, 2025 – Dark Storm by Sue Nelson Buckley book Launch.

November 30, 2025 - 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Saint John Voices

A literary open mic event. Sign-up is at 6:00 pm, and reading starts at 6:30 pm. The event features a range of literary works, including prose, poetry, and plays. Readers have 7 minutes to read their piece. Experts are available to offer feedback upon request.

Anyone can sign up to read, locals and visitors alike.

COMPETITIONS

The RSPB and The Rialto are additionally working with BirdLife International, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and the University of Leeds Poetry Centre. There’s a fantastic range of prizes on offer and prizewinners will be invited to read their poems at an event with Mona Arshi at CCI in summer 2026.

The closing date for entries is midnight on 1^st April 2026.

As well as offering poets the chance to win considerable cash prizes and publication of their poems, the competition supports conservation and poetry. We are working in partnership with leading independent UK poetry magazine, The Rialto, as we feel the magazine will be the perfect place to showcase the winning entries.

Prizes

1st PRIZE £1000
2nd PRIZE £500
3rd PRIZE £250

Our judge is celebrated poet, Mona Arshi.

Mona Arshi is a poet, novelist and essayist. Mona trained as a Human rights lawyer. Her debut collection Small Hands won the Forward Prize for best first collection in 2015. Her second collection Dear Big Gods was published in 2019. Her writing has been featured in The Times, The Guardian, Granta, The Yale Review and The Times of India as well as on the London Underground. She was writer in Residence at Cley Marshes, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust Reserve, in Norfolk in 2021. Nature Matters was published by Faber in May 2025. Her third collection Mouth was published by Chatto and Windus in July 2025.

The entry fee is £7 for the first poem and £4 for each subsequent poem.

Full details and the facility to enter online can be found on The Rialto website:

  https://www.therialto.co.uk/pages/nature-poetry-competition/

Hello, Members and Friends

From where I sit, this Thanksgiving weekend was quite perfect: beautiful weather, beautiful colours, and relaxed visits with family and friends. I hope that your turkey was tender, and your gravy was free of lumps. (I was not so lucky, but I ate it anyway.)

Fall/Winter Lineup

Our online professional development workshops are ready for registration! First up is Joe Mahoney from Donovan Street Press on October 26 with his Indie Publishing Primer– if you’ve been thinking about publishing a manuscript on your own, this session is NOT to be missed! Tune into Joe’s advice before you take those crucial first steps.

Next is The Foundations of Book Marketing workshop from British romance and historical author Melissa Addey, who will offer her wisdom on promoting your work on November 1 – coming all the way from London, England. And Chuck Bowie will teach us How and Why to Write a Cozy Mystery on December 6.

Then, on November 27, writer, editor and publisher Lee Thompson will lead a workshop on self-editing, entitled The Seven Persistent Troubles (that keep your manuscript up at night). Lee will share observations and tips to help you identify those SPTs and become your very best book doctor self.

On December 6, Chuck Bowie finishes off 2025 with How and Why to write a Cozy Mystery, and in 2026, Heather Browne will lead a discussion called You and Your Voice, the great Elaine McCluskey will share the Short Story Love in February, and in March, Wendy Kitts will help you make the back cover of your book sing with Bios, Book Blurbs and Back Cover Copy.

Also: More details to come about Sandra Phinney’s mini-course on writing flash nonfiction.

Submit to the NB Book Awards

Reminder: If you are a New Brunswick resident and you published (or will publish) a book in the 2025 calendar year (January to December), you can submit it to the NB Book Awards. Fill out the submission form and send two copies of your book to the office by December 1. We’ll be announcing the judges for this season’s crop of titles soon, as well as new sponsors for the event, including The Seaboard Review!

That’s it for now. All best wishes, Writers.

WordWorthy

“There are two hats that we wear. There’s the creative hat, and there’s the business hat. Creative hat says, “how long does this picture book want to be?” and the business hat says, “Can I sell this? Will I publish this?” The two hats don’t always work that well together. But I’ll also say that the businessperson’s hat, I think, to a surprising degree helps make it a better story. They’ll say, ‘yes, that’s a great picture book. Now, can you take away 400 words?’ Yes! But it’s really hard, and is it a better book? Probably.” – Brian Henry, WFNB Writers’ Weekend. Sept 27, 2025

Welcome, New Members

Alyssa Leigh Briscoe joins us from Fredericton, where she pursues editing, plus writes in the genres of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, and Short story. Welcome, Alyssa!

Peter de Niverville writes Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, Flash/Micro fiction from his home in Riverview. Welcome, Peter!

Karen J. MacLean is a returning member from Saint John who writes in a wide variety of genres: Biography, Blogging, Creative non-fiction, Editing, Essays, Fiction, Journalism, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Photography, Poetry, Flash/Micro fiction, Copywriting, Website copy, Freelance writing, Short story, Ghostwriting, and travel. Welcome back, Karen!

Robert (Bob) Stutt (robertstutt.ca) joins us from Fredericton, after a 40-year career as a puppeteer for film and TV, and having written more than 300 scripts produced by CBC, CTV, PBS and Disney. His novel of suspense, "Puppet," was published in March 2025 by Merlin Star Press. Robert writes in the genres of: Children’s writing, Comedy, Corporate writing, Fiction, Suspense, and Ghostwriting. Welcome, Bob!

Our Newest Lifetime Member

We'd like to welcome Richard Toth as our most recent Lifetime Member. 

Richard's published work includes poetry, short stories, magazine articles, essays, part of a memoir, and two novels. Richard is a former WFNB director and a multiple award winner in WFNB's Writing Competition including the Dawn Watson Memorial Prize (in 2015 and in 2019) and the David Adams Richards Prize (2019).

Richard's most recent publication is in "Porch to Porch," A Maritime Haiku Anthology published by Haiku Canada Publications, 2024. His short story "Harrington Cleans House,' will be published by the U.K. publisher Close to the Bone, in July, 2025. Richard is currently working on a dystopian novel that after eight years might be nearing completion.

Thank you, Richard, for all your support through the years, and best wishes as you continue writing.

Member News

MICHAEL SIMON is beyond thrilled to share that Extinction, First Command, and Second Chances are now on their way to readers in Ukraine! Huge thanks to BookChef for bringing these stories to life in Ukrainian, and to my incredible agent, Michelle at Storm Literary Agency, for making this possible.

Message from the President

Thanksgiving: a time to rake the leaves, close the cottage for the season, and especially to take stock of our many blessings. Friends and family, friends who become family, are all in our thoughts. In building a community through words, the WFNB is also an extended family I remain grateful for, and so I pass on my best wishes to all of you. – Don Bourque

Calls for Submission

THE 2026 ATLANTIC BOOK AWARDS

Book award submission season is upon us and The Atlantic Book Awards wants your submissions!

Books written by Atlantic Canadian authors that have been published between November 2, 2024 and November 1, 2025 may be eligible for one (or more) of the following awards:

J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award

• $2,000 prize for a book of poetry that was written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada
• Administered by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia

Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children’s Literature

• $5,000 prize for a book of fiction or non-fiction that was written for young readers by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada
• This year we are accepting picture books and middle grade books
• Administered by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia

Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award

• $30,000 prize for a book of fiction that was written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada
• Administered by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia

Alistair MacLeod Award for Short Fiction

• $2,000 prize for a short-fiction collection (including novellas) that was written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada
• Administered by the Cabot Trail Writers Festival

APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book Award

• $4,000 prize ($3,000 for the publisher; $1,000 for author or split between author & illustrator) for a book that was published by an Atlantic publisher
• Administered by the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association

The submission deadline for these awards is Saturday, November 1.

Please direct all submission questions to the administrator of each award. 

Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia: Book Awards Submission Guidelines

Cabot Trail Writers Festival: Submission Process

Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association: Submission Guidelines

About the Atlantic Book Awards Book Awards

The Atlantic Book Awards is a non-profit society that promotes and acknowledges excellence in Atlantic Canadian writing and book publishing. They organize a series of events that comprise the Atlantic Book Awards Festival, which celebrate all nominees for both the Nova Scotia and Atlantic Book Awards. They also organize the Atlantic Book Awards Gala held annually in early June.

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Submissions are open for AfriCANthology II: Strange Truth of Black Canadian Fiction until the deadline of October 31, 2025.

After the resounding success of AfriCANthology: Perspectives of Black Canadian Poets, the anthology returns to amplify more writing about the experiences of African Canadians. If you are a Black fiction writer, this is your opportunity to contribute to AfriCANthology II.

Renaissance Press is looking for short stories (2,500 to 4,000 words) in any genre of fiction that honour the anthology’s themes and relate to the Black experience in Canada. This call is open to writers who live in Canada or are Canadian citizens living outside the country who self-identify as Black, as defined under Canadian federal law.

If you are interested in contributing to AfriCANthology II, all you need to do is fill out this online form with your contact information, a 100-word writer’s bio, the genre(s) that you write about, and your submission.

Website link: https://www.africanthology.ca/submit

http://pressesrenaissancepress.ca

pressesrenaissancepress@gmail.com

Renaissance acknowledges that it is hosted on the traditional, unceded land of the Anishinabek, the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka, and the Omàmìwininìwag. We acknowledge our settler privilege and encourage all our fellow settlers to reflect on their privilege and engage in acts of reparations. 

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Special Issue Call: Disability: The Revolution! 

For their Summer 2026 issue, The Fiddlehead is seeking work from disabled writers on the theme of revolution. What does revolution look like from a disability standpoint? How do we remember that disabled writers just taking up space is revolutionary? How do we, as disabled writers, consider that question of the wheel and its many manifestations — literal, temporal, and symbolic? How do we celebrate it, remake, and open ourselves to the revolution, ongoing and future, that must usher in a more accessible world? Send us your fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and review pitches. Submissions are open until November 30, 2025. Find the full submission call here: https://thefiddlehead.ca/revolution

Upcoming Workshops

The UNB Art Centre has writing classes for everyone! Offered both in-person and online, classes cover topics including crafting the short story, horror, novella writing, editing, self-publishing, and much more. Register early and save 15%   https://www.unb.ca/artcentre/learning/  

AWARDS and COMPETITIONS

The High Marsh Press (a micro-press operating at Mount Allison University) is putting out a call for the third annual Deborah Wills Chapbook Competition. It's free to enter, open to anybody who does not yet have a book publication (either trade collection or chapbook), and the winning manuscript will receive $500 and be produced as a limited-edition hand-crafted chapbook. Submissions are limited to 12 pages.

More information can be found on our website (www.highmarshpress.ca), instagram: @highmarshpress

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Toby Award for Self-Published Canadian Mystery Writers Now Open for Submission

The second annual Toby Award is open for submissions from self-published Canadian mystery authors until December 15, 2025. 

The Toby Award, the first of its kind in Canada, recognizes excellence in self-published mystery novels by Canadian mystery authors. This year’s award is open to novels released in trade paperback format in 2024 and is sponsored by Barbara Crook (Ottawa), and ReBound Press (Ashton, Ontario). The award aims to spotlight Canadian authors navigating the evolving publishing landscape.

The winner will receive the Toby Award statue—a unique metal sculpture of a dog reading a book, created by acclaimed Ontario artist Carol Nasvytis (Soul Metal), with silver eyeglasses crafted by Ladysmith, B.C. silversmith Vonda Croissant.

Last year’s winner was Charlotte Morganti of Gibson, B.C. with her winning entry, Breaking News: Local Heiress Dead. Morganti described her win as “the highlight of my year. A Canadian award for Canadian indie authors of mysteries—what could be better?”

 For more information on eligibility criteria, please visit https://tobyaward.wordpress.com/

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Submit to the National Dave Williamson National Short Story Competition!

This competition, now in its fourth year, has attracted a growing number of entries from around the country.

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The Fiddlehead’s 2025 Ralph Gustafson Prize for Best Poem

Submissions to The Fiddlehead’s 2025 Ralph Gustafson Prize for Best Poem are now open until December 1, 2025! Submit up to three poems for a chance to win $2000 and publication in Issue 307 (Spring 2026) of The Fiddlehead. Find all the submission guidelines here: https://thefiddlehead.ca/poetry-contest. This year’s judges are Douglas Walbourne-Gough, T. Liem, and Bertrand Bickersteth.

 

Hello, Members and Friends.

For the first time ever, my husband and I took a seven-day Caribbean cruise in August, and in my mind, I’m still there.

We have been on very few vacations together since we were married in 1991, and when I booked it - on impulse - in June, the travel agent said, “I am going to hook you for life.”

I wasn’t exactly skeptical - I’d had a very stressful year, and I figured the bar was pretty low - but I was rather concerned about practical things: like what if the ship is racked by rough seas and I’m overwhelmed with motion sickness? What if we run into Hurricane Erin? What if the electricity runs out and we experience a repeat of the Poop Ship?

But despite the fact that we were affected by the Air Canada strike and had to make other travel arrangements (which was stressful and expensive in itself), it was a really wonderful trip.

So wonderful that I had a hard time coming home and settling back into routine. A week on the MSC Seashore simply wasn’t long enough. The ship was beautiful, the seas were calm, the weather was hot and sunny, and I did nothing but enjoy the atmosphere, the food, the entertainment, and the smell of the sea. I even wrote the first chapter of my next writing project.

So far, I am indeed hooked. If you’d like to read more about that, you can check out my blog, which has moved to Substack. https://www.rhondabulmer.com/p/notes-on-my-very-first-cruise  (Substack is pretty slick, too, writers. If you have a blog, I think you should move it there. Soooo much easier than WordPress, and designed to build audiences.)

Regardless, time ticks onward, and here we are in September.

A Writers’ Weekend with Brian Henry.

I am super excited to meet and chat with Brian Henry at the end of September, in a unique venue – the lovely home of our generous member, Odette Barr. There’s still room to join us, either in-person or in the comfort of your home via zoom. Check that out ASAP. 

Buy a NB Book Day is September 20.

This program is no longer organized by the Frye Festival, but Marie Cadieux of Bouton d’Or Acadie is leading the charge this year. Make sure to promote and buy local. Encourage your local authors, and better still, buy their books from an independent bookstore.

Rising Tide

In conjunction with Friends of Fundy, we are participating in a Rising Tide event on October 10, hosted by Moonbrook Manor, a new event venue in Riverside-Albert. WFNB member Andrew MacLean will tell some Fundy stories from the pages of his Backyard History series, along with other participants. More info on this event to come.

Fall/Winter workshop lineup

Our fall/winter lineup of online professional development workshops is beginning to appear on our event registration pages. Check out The Foundations of Book Marketing workshop from British romance and historical author Melissa Addey, who will offer her wisdom on promoting your work on November 1 – coming all the way from London, England. And Chuck Bowie will teach us How and Why to Write a Cozy Mystery on December 6.

More fall/winter workshops event pages will appear soon: Look for The Indie Publishing Primer, led by Joe Mahoney– his workshop is coming up first, on October 26. Writer, editor and publisher Lee Thompson will also lead a workshop on Self-Editing (writing is re-writing, amiright?) in November. More details to come very soon.

Through the winter, we’ll also hear from Heather Browne on her Writing Well series, Sandra Phinney with a flash non-fiction mini-course, Elaine McCluskey will share the Short Story Love, and Wendy Kitts will talk about The Back Page – Pitching and Summarizing your work – elevator pitch, synopsis and query letter.

Submit to the NB Book Awards

Reminder: If you are a New Brunswick resident and you published (or will publish) a book in the 2025 calendar year (January to December), you can submit it to the NB Book Awards. Fill out the submission form and send two copies of your book to the office by December 1.

That’s it for now. All best wishes, Writers.

WordWorthy:

Writers ask, ‘Why is it so hard to get published?’ but editors always ask me, ‘Why is it so hard to find good stuff?’ So, GO home and write something EXCELLENT.

Brian Henry, during his workshop “How to Get Published,” May, 2010

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed a great summer. I’ll keep this short, by inviting anyone who is taking part in the Grown-Up Bookfair (see details below) in Mahone Bay, NS on Oct 11^th to visit me at my table, pick up a WFNB decal and proudly wear it. It never hurts to represent our federation. If you have any of our two-sided placards that outline 10 reasons to join the WFNB, bring them along too. Thanks.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS

Tracey O’Brien edits, illustrates and writes creative non-fiction, essays, journalism, memoir, non-fiction, freelance writing from Killarney Road. Welcome, Tracey!

MEMBER NEWS

The Seasonal Collective, which includes several WFNB members, has released their latest anthology, available now. Earth is the first in a four-part series of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

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Maritimes history is full of mysteries, and Andrew MacLean’s fourth book explores some of the most fascinating ones. The Backyard History series has grown from a newspaper column into a podcast, a TV miniseries, and now four books, all combining classic East Coast storytelling with deep archival digging. Find your copy at backyardhistory.ca

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Valerie Sherrard’s podcast interview about A Bend in the Breeze, is now available to listen here! https://www.burckhardtbooks.com/podcast/episode/7baf59a8/s4-ep180-valerie-sherrard-middle-grade-author-of-a-bend-in-the-breeze

NEWSY BITS

An announcement from The Writers’ Union of Canada:

As you will have seen in recent days, the U.S.-based AI-developer Anthropic has reached a $1.5 billion settlement in a class action lawsuit against them. The settlement damages will be paid out to members of the class whose books were obtained through pirated datasets.

Excellent information about the settlement, and next steps for authors (including Canadian authors) can be found on the U.S. Authors Guild website. The Writers’ Union of Canada has confirmed that Canadian authors are eligible to be considered part of the class in this case, as long as their books have met certain specific requirements, such as registration with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Here is the latest information from the Authors Guild:

All authors whose book(s) were downloaded by Anthropic from the pirate sites are potential members of the certified class, provided certain criteria are met. Such criteria include the legal or beneficial ownership of copyrights, the existence of an ISBN or ASIN number, and copyright registration with the Copyright Office (within three months of publication or before the infringement). Publishers are class members as well.

[TWUC note: If you are unsure if your book has been registered with the U.S. Copyright office, please contact your publisher.]

A trial is set for December 1. If the Plaintiffs succeed at trial and show willful infringement, damages will be minimally $750 per work and could be much higher.

To register with the class action, authors should visit the settlement website, and provide their contact information to the legal team.

More class action lawsuits concerning AI-training uses of published work are active in both the U.S. and Canada, and the Union will inform members as important developments occur.

Please note: The Writers’ Union of Canada is not part of the administration of any of the Anthropic lawsuit, and has no say over who is and is not part of the settlement class.

AWARDS PROGRAMS

The Next Generation Short Story Awards is a not-for-profit international awards program now in its third year, which is currently accepting submissions for the 2026 awards. Here are the key details:

• Submissions accepted: Short stories or poems in English (5,000 words or fewer)
• Categories: 30+
• Deadline: Thursday, February 26, 2026
• Prizes for winners: Cash awards, gold medals, digital promotional stickers, social media exposure, publication in the Anthology of Winners, and a complimentary copy of the anthology.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEER JURORS

Want to help identify the next great Canadian crime writer? Crime Writers of Canada seeks jurors with:

·  A passion for the world of crime and mystery writing, whether fiction or non-fiction.

·  The time and focus between December and April to read and evaluate numerous books or short stories.

·  The ability to work collaboratively with fellow jurors to identify a shortlist and winner

·  Fluency in English or French to judge works in the corresponding category.

· Ability to download and read submissions in digital format (PDFs).

Our jurors are librarians and booksellers, writers and justice professionals, readers and academics. We welcome applications from Canadian and international readers.

CWC membership is not a requirement.

Interested? Request the Juror Guidelines and Juror Information Form by email below:

Ludvica Boota, Awards Manager at awards@crimewriterscanada.com

or Jayne Barnard, Jury Chair at awardsjudging@crimewriterscanada.com

DEADLINE TO VOLUNTEER: 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

EVENTS

SACKVILLE

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC Sunday, September 28th
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Bill Johnstone Memorial Park Activity Centre
70 Main Street, Sackville, NB

The Writers’ Open Mic is a free monthly event open to all. Come out and read your poems, songs, short stories, comics, novels, essays, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen.

A projector will be set up for those with comics or other images or videos they want to share. Just bring your files along on a USB. Accessibility concerns and general questions can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com. Follow the Writers’ Open Mic on Instagram at @writersopenmic for updates.

UPCOMING BOOK FAIRS

The Fantastic Grown Up Book Fair - Takes place at the Mahone Bay Centre (45 School St., Mahone Bay) on Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 10 am - 2 pm. Brought to you by Aren Morris and Karen Dean, this 3rd installment will be, yet again, a book affair to remember! The event includes:

- two FREE writing workshops to the public! (Authors/ writers providing those workshops will be paid for their time and announced shortly!)

- a one hour reading event of unpublished works. (Readers may join us from the wider community of attendees or from our own ranks, all at NO COST. Applications on the website.)

- a short Author Social directly after the event (2:30-3pm, same location), which will include nibbles and beverages before you hit the road. We hope it will be an excellent opportunity to network and meet other authors.

SAINT JOHN

AT THE WRITE CUP BOOKSTORE AND CAFE

September 18, 2025 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Write Now Saint John: Pitch Prep Event

Our regular writing meeting will be transformed into a Pitch Prep event to help authors prepare for the big Pitch to Publishers event. Bring your prepared pitch and present it to our panel of experts to get feedback and experience before the big day.

September 20, 2025 – 10:15 am – 12:15 pm: Askance Publishing Event.

One of the publishers who is taking part in the Pitch the Publisher event is coming in early to do a workshop and signing with the crowd. If you ever wanted to know anything about publishing, this will be an excellent opportunity to ask your questions.

September 20, 2025 – 11:00 am - 1:00 pm:  First Chapter Book Fair.

This is a free event to get the first chapter of some of the books available at The Write Cup Bookstore Café. Check out the start of some of the books you may be interested in and see how important the first chapter really is.

Various local authors are participating, so come on in and check them out.

September 20, 2025, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm: By Donation Author Photos.

This is a chance to get a professional picture that you can use for your author page or resume. It's an excellent chance to give yourself a head start online.

This is a free event; however, the photographer will accept donations, and requests can be made for a larger photoshoot.

September 20, 2025 – 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Pitch the Publisher

In conjunction with Buy an NB Book Day, Partridge Island Publishing will be hosting a 'Pitch the Publisher' event to give authors and publishers a chance to meet.

Get your manuscript directly into the eyes and ears of publishers for your best chance to get a publishing deal.

The publishers included are: Askance Publishing, Merlin Star Press, and Partridge Island.

In addition to the opportunity to get published, we will also have a photographer on site to provide authors with high-quality author photos.

During the event, we will do a draw for our Review Local contest.

This is a no-fee event, but authors must register for the event in advance by emailing amanda@partridgeislandpublishing.ca

September 24, 2025 – 8:30 pm – 10:00 pm: 18+ Author Readings.

This is an 18+ event scheduled to take place after our regular hours.

We will have four local authors reading spicy scenes.

This event welcomes locals and visitors alike, as the scenes being read are chosen for their content rather than continuity.

We have a door prize provided by Pleasures ‘N Treasures (and a toy demo) and special drinks and treats during the event.

Authors will be on hand before and after the event to answer questions and sign books.

September 27, 2025 – 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Fog Lit Festival Workshop: Pathways to publishing.

If you missed the Pitch the Publisher event or want some information about the various ways to get published, come talk to our guest authors about the different ways to publish.

This workshop will cover the differences between traditional publishing, self-publishing, hybrid publishing, and vanity publishing.

September 28, 2025 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Saint John Voices

A literary open mic event. Sign-up is at 6:00 pm, and reading starts at 6:30 pm. The event features a range of literary works, including prose, poetry, and plays. Readers have 7 minutes to read their piece. Experts are available to offer feedback upon request.

Anyone can sign up to read, locals and visitors alike.

COURSES

Whether you’re working on a new book, writing up your research for a larger audience, or you want to develop your writing skills, the King’s Writing Workshops can help you become the author you want to be. Our non-credit 4- and 8-week workshops are open to everyone, even if you’re still at the idea phase or already have words down on the page.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Marianne Sawchuk, Artistic Director of Women At Play(s) 8th festival (coming 2026) is seeking original one act plays with female characters by Canadian women playwrights for a CAEA festival policy approved production in Toronto in Feb/Mar 2026.  There is no submission fee.  Submissions are selected by a jury. All characters must be female identifying.  Plays must original, not produced or published, and no longer than 20 minutes in length. Please submit before October 6,2025. Submissions may be emailed to womenatplays2023@gmail.com

Women At Play(s) is currently looking for new original one act plays from Canadian women playwrights, emerging or established, for it's eighth festival. 

Women At Play(s) provides a creative outlet for female identifying playwrights, directors and actors.  It was created to give women a voice and meant to inspire and showcase artistic achievements in theatrical performance for women.

For more information, please check out our Instagram and Facebook pages.

WOMEN AT PLAY(S) is a festival of short one-act plays written, directed, and acted by Canadian women identifying playwrights, directors, and actors. The festival has 6 one act plays of original works, 10 to 25 minutes in length, ranging in comedic and dramatic tones. Women At Play(s) provides opportunities and is meant to inspire artistic achievements in theatrical production for people who identify as women of all diversities, of all sizes, 2SLGBTQIA+ and different abilities inclusive, from Gen-Zs to Silver Foxes for an audience of all.
It is a grass roots non-profit and it is a Canadian Actors’ Equity Association production under the Festival Policy.

https://www.facebook.com/womenatplays/

https://www.instagram.com/women_at_plays/

https://linktr.ee/womenatplays