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.
