Events

Sussex Events

The AX, the Arts and Culture Centre of Sussex Reading Series offers regular readings and literary events. Visit the AX Literary page for more information.

Moncton Events

Do you like the words ? Do you like fashion? Here is your chance to participate in a double writing/sewing workshop that will give you the chance to learn, on the first day, to shape words into poems with the poet Paul Bossé and then discover, the next day, how to arrange your poems on costumes with the seamstress Guylaine Joly. All participants will have the chance to showcase their creations at the Frye Festival Poetic Fashion Show next April.

Saint John Events

Check back next month for more literary events in Saint John!

Fredericton Events

Check back next month for more literary events in Fredericton!

Online Events

Live Canon - For fourteen years Live Canon have been publishing, performing, promoting, celebrating and sharing poetry. Visit the website, check out their Lunchtime Reading Series.

Writing Groups

Fredericton Writers’ Groups

• Ann Kitching is hosting a Sunday Morning Writers Group from 9 am to noon, starting on 17 Sept 2023. We'll write, chat, and increase our output. Meet at 209 Willow Ave in Fredericton North. Free to join. Contact almkitching@outlook.com with any questions--kindly write "Writers Group" in the subject line.

  Also, Ann leads courses through Dog Eared Books in Oromocto on Friday evenings from 6:30 to 8 pm. (Bad weather moves the course to Willow Ave in F'ton.) Starting on Friday, 6 October, our mission is to write serial adventures (one complete story per week) for a character of our choosing. By the end of May, we should have enough chapters to publish as a book which is our aim for next summer. This course is $15/week (alumni pay $10).

• Freddy Words (a public Facebook group) is connected, though not currently as active and not specifically tied to NaNo. It was (and hopefully will be again) a year-round group.
  
  

• Lou Ellen Mielke Somerville tells us about FredNoWriMo, which is a collection of Fredericton NaNoWriMo participants who are always open to accepting new members/participants. Check out their private Facebook group. They are doing virtual events and aim to get back into having in-person events - primarily from late October to early December. There is also CampNaNo in April and July. Lou Ellen is one of two Municipal Liaisons this year.

Saint John Writers’ Groups

• Jeremy Cairns tells us about Saint John Writers (SJW), which meets every Sunday. They welcome a wide variety of ages and different types of writers. They are about getting together and producing, rather than exchanging work or reading aloud. They write from 10 am-11:30 am and then they sit and discuss narrative, character development, publishing, etc. https://saintjohnwriters.wordpress.com/
  
  
• John Hanson tells us that Fog City Scribes has become a loose connection for writers in the Saint John area, originally formed for NaNoWriMo.
  
  
• Amanda Evans and Jaimie McGivery tell us about Write Now Saint John, which is a social writing group which takes place every other Thursday evening (the next one is Thursday, September 21st) at Homeport Inn on Douglas Avenue. They review work, do activities, and have social events. The proprietor of the Homeport Inn is Lane Mack and her husband’s name is Neil. https://www.homeportinn.caEmail: stay@homeportinn.ca

Other Writing Groups

• The Chapter One Writing Group, led by Roche Sappier, has moved to a monthly format at the Perth-Andover library. All are welcome! Contact PerthAndover.PublicLibrary@gnb.ca for more information.
  
  
• The Writers of Kingston Peninsula are an eclectic group of people that write for a variety of reasons, with many motivations they joyfully share. If you’d like to join them for an exercise in writing from prompts, share your own writing journey, or just to meet other writers, check out our Facebook page or reach out to us through Messenger. Times and dates may vary.
  
  
• The Fundy Bay Writers is open to receiving new members. They offer monthly Zoom sessions, in-person workshops, shared readings, and ongoing support for writers at all stages of the craft. This group is affiliated with the Sunbury Shores Art & Nature Center in St. Andrews. For more information or to join, please email Carole Martignacco and Louise Chase, WFNB members and co-founders: fundybaywriters@gmail.com
  
  
• The Writing Group Exhale: Grand Falls, meets every 3rd Saturday at 10:00 AM at the Grand Falls Public Library. The next meeting will be held on February 18, 2023. For more information contact Denise McClure at 75deemac@gmail.com, or call 506-473-6125.
  
  
• The AX, the Arts and Culture Centre of Sussex has a writing group that meets monthly in the gallery. For more information, check out the website, visit 12 Maple Ave., Sussex, or call (506) 433-8351.

Workshops, Courses, and Retreats

Banff Centre is excited to announce their new Literary Arts residency programs for 2024/2025. Full program details and application information are available online. 

Literary Arts Thematic: Form and Constraint – Spring 2024

This program will consider how authors of fiction and poetry use form and constrained forms to create opportunities for new and unfettered expression. 

Program dates: April 22 – May 3, 2024 | Application deadline: January 10, 2024

Literary Journalism: Memoir – Summer 2024

This residency gives memoir writers time to work on their manuscripts, have individual consultations with faculty, and participate in workshops. 

Program dates: June 10 – 21, 2024 | Application deadline: February 7, 2024

Summer Writers Residency - 2024

This is a self-directed program offering time and space for writers to reconnect and re-energize their practice. 

Program dates: July 29 – August 9, 2024 | Application deadline: March 6, 2024

Early Career Writers of Fiction Residency – Fall 2024

During Early Career Writers of Fiction Residency, new writers of fiction – from not-yet-published writers to those with one published book – will expand upon their practice. 

Program dates: September 30 – October 12, 2024 | Application deadline: May 16, 2024

Go and Write! retreats are designed for writers, by writers.

Our participants range from those who are just getting started, to published, professional authors with years of experience. We support all types of writers, including poets, memoirists, travel writers, playwrights, fiction and non-fiction writers, children’s writers, and those who want to jot down thoughts about their journey along the way.

Because we’re writers, we get it—writers need time and space to write, and we structure our retreats to have a balance of quiet writing time, touring, and time spent together. We don’t pair up strangers on retreats, but participants are welcome to bring a partner, relative, or another writing friend to share their space and costs; all participants, whether or not they are writers, are encouraged to take part in as many or as few of the elements of the retreat as they like.

We hope you’ll join us this year. See below for our 2024 retreats, and contact us if you’d like to discuss details. You can also check out our previous adventures to see where we’ve hosted past retreats.

We’re actively rolling out our 2024 lineup and will be announcing these retreats as we get each one finalized, so sign up for our newsletter to be in the know early.