Program Newsletter
Current and Upcoming Program News
I am so proud of the work I’ve done here at WFNB.
Over the last two years, while working for and with the WFNB executive and membership, I have enjoyed planning, dreaming, and executing some pretty audacious projects with Rhonda. From our weekly meetings over coffee and date squares to frightening her with *yet another* new plan or idea to worry about, it has been a pleasure to carry on in our little army of two.
I may yet make a few more cameo appearances on the Kris and Rhonda Roadshow moving forward, but because of personal obligations and the still unsatisfactory science of cloning, it’s time for me to hang up a handful of the way-too-many hats I’m wearing.
Given the current need for teachers in NB - and the not insignificant impact a few young writers had on my heart this past WordSpring - I know that moving back to the classroom as a teacher will be a satisfying one, but I’ll miss the work we do, and the joy with which I’ve dreamt of all we can still do in our small but mighty literary province.
Thank you so much for the experience, writers! It has been a great challenge and pleasure. That said, read on for this month’s program news.
WordCraft Season 1
The inaugural season of our professional development and public outreach podcast, WordCraft, has received nothing but lovely reviews. I’m not personally surprised, because the incredible talent of our host, Jenna Morton, and the quality and generosity of the established writers here in New Brunswick work together in such a way that makes success inevitable.
That’s not to say that success came without work and commitment. We’d like to thank Jenna Morton and Tosh Taylor of the Podcast Hub, as well as the six authors who shared their time and experience with us. If you haven’t listened yet, please do so on Spotify - and leave a review! It helps others to find and benefit from the great work these folks have done.
Transcripts and show notes are available here, on the WordCraft blog.
I have truly enjoyed the process of developing this project: the excitement of brainstorming and planning, designing graphics and production materials, transcribing the terrific conversations - and finally sharing them with you. It’s been a pleasure, and timed very well for me personally as a lovely cap on my time at the WFNB.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Volunteer/Work Opportunities
Request for Volunteer Jurors
Crime Writers of Canada seeks jurors for our 2025 CWC Awards of Excellence. Candidates should be:
- knowledgeable about mystery & crime fiction & nonfiction, whether by long reading or work/volunteering in the writing and publishing industries
- willing to spend the time necessary to thoughtfully read the entries in their category
- prepared to provide 1-3 sentence assessments of the material for the author
- proficient in the language of the award category they are assigned (English or French), and
For more information contact Ludvica: awards@crimewriterscanada.com
Deadline to volunteer: 25 October 2024
Applications for Saskatoon Public Library's Writer in Residence 2025-2026 term are now open. Check out the job posting for more information.
Community Events
Writers’ Open Mic in Sackville
WFNB member Laura Watson is announcing another Open Mic in Sackville!
Sunday, September 15th
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 for writers of all ages and genres. Come out and read your poems, short stories, comics, novels, essays, twitter posts, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen. All are welcome.
A projector will be set up for those with comics or other images or videos they want to share. Files can be brought on a USB or emailed in advance. Accessibility concerns, general questions, and image or video files can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com.
Online Event: Poetry Workshop
Intimate Negotiation: The Art of Writing Family in Poetry workshop will look at the art, and challenges, of writing family in poetry. We will discuss poetry and how to write about family (style, technique and some unique approaches), try out a few writing exercises and workshop participants' poems.
Hosts: Margo Wheaton & Kayla Geitzler
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2024
Time: 1-4pm AST
Where: on Zoom
Cost: $59 CAD you register before Sept. 15th, 2024
$69 CAD after September 15th.
$30 for BIPOC participants
Writers of all levels are welcome in this safe and supportive space!
Margo Wheaton is the author of The Unlit Path Behind the House (Gerald Lampert Award) and Rags of Night in Our Mouths (amazing book!). Margo has won many awards for her writing and is well-regarded for her superior workshop facilitation skills.
Kayla Geitzler is the author of That Light Feeling Under Your Feet and co-editor of Cadence: Voix feminines Female Voices. She was named a Rad Woman of Canadian Poerty and was Moncton's first Anglophone Poet Laureate.
Saint John
Amazing News: The Fog Lit Festival is back!
Saint John’s flagship literary festival is returning to Saint John on September 26-28, 2024 with a weekend of in-person author events and writing workshops.
Headlining this year’s festival are award-winning Newfoundland poet Douglas Walbourne-Gough, whose poetry collection Island will be launched at the Saint John Arts Centre on Friday, September 27; and Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted fiction author Michelle Winters, whose new book Hair for Men is set in New Brunswick. The festival will also feature a variety of local authors including writer and cartoonist Brandon Hicks, bestselling children’s author Riel Nason, and writer Sue Nelson Buckley.
Thursday, September 26
Opening Reception & Book Launch: On the Border by Brandon Hicks 7PM at Imperial Theatre (Golding's Lounge), 12 King Square S
Friday, September 27
Poetry Launch: Island by Douglas Walbourne-Gough
in-conversation with Rachel Bryant 7PM at Saint John Arts Centre, 20 Peel Plaza
Saturday, September 28
The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt: Kids' Craft Workshop with Riel Nason:
11AM at Saint John Free Public Library, 1 Market Square
How Stories Grow & Evolve: Reading & Workshop with Sue Nelson Buckley
1PM at Imperial Theatre (Golding's Lounge), 12 King Square S
Fiction Launch: Hair for Men by Michelle Winters in-conversation with Julia Wright
7PM at Imperial Theatre (Golding Lounge), 12 King Square S
Fog Lit Festival is a not-for-profit literary festival based in Saint John, New Brunswick that offers an inclusive and exciting lineup of in-person events, book launches, literary panel discussions, workshops, and author readings. The original Fog Lit Festival, which operated from 2013-2019, has been relaunched with a new board of directors to oversee the development of the revamped festival.
Fredericton
The Charlotte Street Arts Centre, 732 Charlotte Street, Fredericton, NB, presents a fall Horror Fiction Writing Class with Mike Thorn. Check out the Facebook Event or visit their website.
The Fiddlehead is extending an invitation to every near and far to join us on September 21 to celebrate our 300th issue! The festivities will start at 1:00 AST with a free fiction writing workshop at the Fredericton Public Library hosted by Kasia Van Schiak followed by a hybrid reading from 2:00 - 3:00 AST on Zoom and at the Fredericton Public Library. The reading will feature contributor Eleni Zaptses, Kasia Van Schiak, and members of the local writing group FEILDS. To attend the readings virtually, please register by emailing thefiddlehead@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link.
When registering please provide your name and whether or not you require ASL services. If attending the reading in person, registration is not necessary. Please also send us an email if you plan to attend the workshop. Walk-ins are welcome but we would like to have an estimate of how many people plan on attending. Find all our event details on our Facebook Event.
Community Writing Groups
Online “The Artist’s Way” group
Starting in September a new Facebook group page will be open for writers interested in following the principles and creative activities taken from Julia Cameron’s classic, The Artist’s Way.
If you are interested in receiving an invite to this page and joining others to participate for thirteen consecutive weeks as outlined below, please contact Louise at fundybaywriters@gmail.com and she will send you a Facebook invite for September 15th. Each week will commence on Sunday evening.
Two weeks will give you enough time to obtain a copy of the book either from the library or purchase through any number of sources (new or used) and then we can communally get our creative juices flowing using weekly readings, daily morning pages, Artist dates, ongoing playful activities and check-in’s as suggested in the book.
- Week one - introductions
- Week two - recovering a sense of safety
- Week three - recovering a sense of identity
- Week four - recovering a sense of authority
- Week five - recovering a sense of integrity
- Week six - recovering a sense of possibility
- Week seven - recovering a sense of abundance
- Week eight - recovering a sense of connection
- Week nine - recovering a sense of strength
- Week ten - recovering a sense of compassion
- Week eleven - recovering a sense of self-care / protection
- Week twelve - recovering a sense of autonomy
- Week thirteenth - recovering a sense of faith
Upcoming Contests, Submissions, and Grants
2024 Troubadour International Poetry Prize
You have a little over a week to submit a poem to the 2024 Troubadour International Poetry Prize! Poems on any subject must be received by Monday 23rd September.
Prizes of £2,000, £1,000 & £500, plus 20 commendeds, & a chance to read online alongside our judges Jane Yeh & Glyn Maxwell in an online international prize-night celebration on Monday 9th December.
More information on the website.
Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest
The fourteenth annual Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest opened August 1, 2024 and closes October 31. This juried contest spotlights new musical talent from around the world, offering cash prizes and opportunities to be heard and published. In 2023, we received 150 submissions from nineteen countries, including Canada, the U.S., the U.K., as well as Belgium, Slovenia, Taiwan, Brazil, and others. Check out prize details, eligibility, assessment criteria, rules and restrictions, and the entry portal here.
That’s all for this letter, and for me. Thanks again for sharing the WFNB with me these past two years, folks. I will miss developing projects and sharing them with you each month, but I know that the Federation will keep on growing in the coming years. I’m excited to see where we all go together.
xo
Kris
