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