Dear Writers

Hello, Members and Friends. April 8 was a mild and clear day, and I enjoyed a drive north to Rogersville with friends to take part in this momentous—and communal—viewing of this once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse. I was excited that, unlike other parts of the country, there were no cloudy skies to obscure the celestial show. The event has punctuated the seasons for me, a period to end the sentence of winter. I feel sure, as I write this on another mild, sunny day, that the reliable warmth of spring cannot be far away. (Apologies that I seem to lead every Inkspot with a comment about the current weather. I’ll do better next time.)

We regret to announce that one of our newest board members, Dianne Churchill, died suddenly and unexpectedly last week. Dianne was a lawyer who practiced law through the offices of Grew MacDonald in Riverview and joined the WFNB board last year at the invitation of our program director, Kris Windley, who was a longtime friend. A musician who was active in many community projects and non-profit organizations, Dianne is survived by her husband, Caleb MacDonald, her two brothers, Phil and Peter Churchill, and a loving extended family. She was an active member of the community and will be missed deeply by many. On behalf of the board, we extend our deepest sympathies to Dianne's family. A go fund me page has been set up to offset the costs arising from Dianne's untimely death.

WordSpring is just around the corner. If you need to stay at the Rodd Moncton Inn, you only have until May 2 to make your reservations at the group rate. And remember that if you can’t take part in the whole weekend, you can just come for Saturday, or just pay per workshop.

Thank you for your participation in the NB Writing Competition. We had an increased number of submissions, and adjudication is now underway. I expect the results from the judges by mid-May. The shortlist for the 2023-24 NB Book Awards has also been announced. Look for posts on social media featuring the shortlisted authors as we creep closer to June 1, when the winners will be announced! Both the literary soiree for the NB Writing Competition, and the NB Book Awards Gala are free and open to the public. Even if you don’t register for WordSpring, you are welcome to attend these reading and award ceremonies – and bring a friend!

Finally, The Annual General Meeting is coming up soon as well. The AGM is an online event that occurs in early June, following WordSpring. If you know someone who you’d like to nominate for the board, please contact info@wfnb.ca. We will forward you a nomination form. Please fill it out and send back, and we will pass it along to the nominating committee. As our bylaws stipulate:

“Nominations of members of the Board may be made by any member of the Federation for consideration of the Nomination Committee up to two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the Annual General Meeting. Nominations will not ordinarily be accepted from the floor of the Annual General Meeting.”

Welcome New Members!

We have twelve new members this month, and we are so happy to welcome you all. Please take a moment to read a little more about our new members. We have new poets, memoire writers, short-story writers, former Book Award winners and more - coming from all over New Brunswick and beyond.

Julia Bannister

Julia Bannister writes Creative non-fiction, Scriptwriting, Technical, and Short stories from her home in Fredericton. Welcome, Julia!

Caitlin Carpenter

Caitlin Carpenter is a writer in Waterloo, Ontario who focuses on a wide variety of genres: Corporate writing, Fiction, Journalism, Scriptwriting, Suspense, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult, Flash/Micro fiction, Copywriting, Freelance writing, Middle Grade, Thrillers, and Short stories. Welcome, Caitlin!

Peter J. Clair 

Peter J. Clair is a 2017 New Brunswick Book Award winner ((Taapoategl & Pallet, Chapel Street Editions) and writes Fiction, Flash/Micro fiction from his home in Perth-Andover. Welcome, Peter!

Jenna Clarke

Jenna Clarke is interested in the genres of Fiction, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Speculative Fiction, Freelance writing, Mystery, and Thrillers, and writes from her home in Edmunston. Welcome, Jenna!

Louise Collette

Louise Collette writes from her home in Moncton. Welcome, Louise!

Shelley Egan

Shelley Egan (eganediting.com) taught English to adult speakers of other languages and was a parliamentary editor. She now edits full time from her home in Fredericton. She also writes Creative non-fiction, Editing, Fiction, Flash/Micro fiction. Welcome, Shelley!

Alice Finnamore

Alice Finnamore (dreambringer.com) comes to us from Scotch Settlement, York County. Her areas of focus are Blogging, Creative non-fiction, Poetry, and Spiritual. Welcome, Alice!

Barb Parker  

Barb Parker has published two memoirs ((Find "Headache to Heartache" and "The Choice My Path My Destiny" on Facebook) and is working on a third book. Besides memoir, Barb works in the genre of Non-Fiction, Flash/Micro fiction, Middle Grade from her home in Fredericton. Welcome, Barb!

Celine Parlee

Celine Parlee (pen name Céline Savoie) writes Biography, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Suspense, Flash/Micro fiction, Middle Grade from her home in Fredericton. Welcome, Celine!

Tricia Snell

Tricia Snell (http://www.triciasnell.com/) recently published a poetry chapbook, “Rooted” (Little Books Collective, 2023, and recently completed a novel manuscript, which she is shopping around to publishers. Besides poetry, she has published short fiction, fiction on the radio, and nonfiction reviews. She lives in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, where she is interested in a wide variety of genres. Welcome, Tricia!

Jake Swan

Jake Swan is a novelist who comes to us from Quispamsis, and writes in the genres of Fiction, Science Fiction, Scriptwriting, and Speculative Fiction. Welcome, Jake!

Diana G. Tingley

Diana G. Tingley is a Monctonian who writes Poetry, Flash/Micro fiction, and Middle Grade. Welcome, Diana!

Community Events and Announcements

Frye Festival in Moncton is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

And it’s just a few days away! The festival runs from 19 April 2024, 12:00 AM - 28 April 2024, 12:00 AM ADT.

If you are an active member of our community, fill out this form to request a Free Festival Pass. Once you receive your pass, then you can sign up for all ticketed events, except for the literary lunches and the Frye Jam. Check out the schedule at frye.ca

Sell your book at Area 506, with Partridge Island Publishing.

Partridge Island Publishing is accepting authors who want to sell their books in the bookstore at Area 506 on the Saint John waterfront. Any author interested in selling their books through PIP can contact Amanda Evans, the Managing Director of Partridge Island Publishing. Her email is amanda@partridgeislandpublishing.ca.

Their season runs from May 17th - November 4th this year. They also can also book the community area for book launches for any interested authors.

Raymond Fraser’s estate is fulfilling his legacy.

Raymond Fraser was a New Brunswick writer who published 13 novels, three books of non-fiction and eight collections of poetry. Ray’s final novel, Through Sunlight and Shadows, won the Mrs. Dunster’s fiction prize – posthumously – in 2018. One of the last things he did before his death in 2018 was to compile poems for a final collection. His literary executor wanted to help fulfill his legacy by making this collection a reality. The book is now available at Westminster Bookstore and the UNB bookstore in Fredericton, and online through Amazon and Friesen Press.

Member News

WFNB member Cathy Adams just published her third book. It's called "When we walk and talk." Cathy also illustrated this story about a mother penguin and her little one who learns to appreciate the little things around them that they see and find during their walk together. It's available on Amazon.ca and locally in a few stores.

WFNB member Michelle McLean is pleased to announce her upcoming book launch for Tesserae, taking place at the L.P. Fisher Library in Woodstock, N.B. on May 4th, from 2-4.  The poems collected in Tesserae trace the journey of trauma, grief, addiction, and recovery.  The book is being published by Chapel Street Editions.

That’s it for me. Here’s your quote of the month: “Write like it matters, and it will.” Libba Bray

Rhonda