Inkspot: February 2024

Our February-not-so-wintry edition of Inkspot is chock-full of information! Let’s get right to it:

The 2024 New Brunswick Writing Competition is now open. Remember that the competition is open to New Brunswick residents only--unless you are a WFNB member. WFNB members can participate from anywhere.

We’d like to encourage any teens, ages 13 to 18, to submit to the Sheree Fitch Prize for Teen Writers, and for all you closet screenwriters to submit your short screenplay to the Jane LeBlanc Screenwriting Award. Polish up those works-in-progress and send them in! Deadline is March 31.

Our last monthly professional development workshop for the season is with Beth Powning, who will present a three-hour workshop, touching on both memoir and historical fiction from her home in Markhamville. There’s only one in-person spot left, but you can still tune in via Zoom.

There’s still a few days left to register for the winter retreat at Villa Madonna on February 23-25. It’s a productive time for everyone, and an economical weekend, too. Don’t miss it!

We’re still working on venues and other details for WordSpring in Moncton this year, but we can tell you that the dates are May 31 - June 2. The New Brunswick Writing Competition Literary Soiree will take place May 31 at the Empress Theatre (above The Capitol), and the 2023 NB Book Awards will be held June 1, at the Moncton Press Club. Mark your calendars! The event page for this big weekend will be open by early March.

And finally, Kris is working hard at a new six-part podcast series that will soon be available for broadcast, and we hope will become a regular part of our programming, funding dependent. Stay tuned for more details about this great initiative, coming up soon.

That’s it for now. Stay warm, writers. Rhonda and Kris

New Members

Katherine Adlam joins us from Ontario and writes in the genres of Children’s, Poetry, Flash/Micro fiction, and Middle Grade. Welcome, Katherine!

Christine Bédardjoins us from Quebec. Welcome, Christine!

Allison Billings is a writer from Rothesay who is interested in Biography, Creative non-fiction, Memoir, Poetry, and Flash/Micro fiction. Welcome, Allison!

Aidan Creaghan (pen name A.M. Creaghan ) is a writer from Fredericton who is looking to expand his skills and meet other people with a passion for writing. He writes in many genres: Creative non-fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Non-Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult, Flash/Micro fiction, Copywriting, Graphic Novel, Spoken Word, Middle Grade, Mystery, Thrillers, Short stories. Welcome, Aidan!

Sandra English: Is a writer from Taymouth, who is working on a collection of poetry and short stories that goes back several decades. She is looking for advice with a view to publishing. She is interested in the genres of Creative nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, Flash/Micro fiction, and short stories. Welcome, Sandra!

Sue Griffith (pen name Sue Nelson Buckley, Susan Lyn) is a new member from Saint John who writes in the genres of romance, young adult, and short stories. Welcome, Sue!

Paul Kasdan (pen name Bao Luo) https://www.schoolofunusualarts.com/ From his home in Saint John, Paul writes short stories that are both playful and serious and reflect on the central question of the meaning of life.

Joe Mahoney (https://joemahoney.ca/) Joe retired from a long career with the CBC in 2023 and now writes full time from his home in Riverview. He has published in the genres of speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy and memoir.He is interested in a wide variety of genres, including: Blogging, Comedy, Editing, Fantasy, Fiction, Memoir, Playwriting, Science Fiction, Scriptwriting, Songwriting, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult, short stories. Welcome, Joe!

Jane Touchie writes creative nonfiction from her home in Gagetown. Welcome, Jane!

Laura Watson (http://www.laurakwatson.com/) is an artist and writer living in Sackville, NB in the Siknikt district of Mi'kma'ki. She acquired her BFA from Mount Allison University in 2015 and is currently Tantramar’s poet laureate. She makes zines, prints, and textile works that combine drawing and poetry and runs a monthly open mic for writers.She is interested in illustration and poetry. Welcome, Laura!

Member News

Don Bourque and Sarren Scribner will be featured authors at The Grand Author Takeover 2024 will take place at the Grand Hotel in Carleton Place, Ontario. This international book fair takes place from February 22nd-24th, beginning with a author panel at the Carleton Place Art Gallery on the 22nd, a VIP reception at the hotel the evening of the 23rd and an all-day book signing event on the 24th at this same beautiful venue. Two WFNB members will be among the featured authors, Sarren Scribner (one of the event’s organizers) and Don Bourque. The WFNB will also be promoted there, as there are many NB ex-patriots in the National Capital Region.

For 2024, the event has chosen First Book Canada as a supported beneficiary.

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Congratulations to WFNB member Jacqueline Clydesdale, who is one of the selected artists (writer) for the Winter 2024 cohort of the CATAPULT Arts Accelerator (mentorship) program administered by ArtsLink NB! You can meet all the artists and hear their pitches about their artistic practice at Launch Day on March 4th at 2pm in Saint John.

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WFNB member EM WHELLY is an author who has suffered from imposter syndrome, who, she explains, is someone who has published a book or is attempting to publish a book and feels like a fraud. She has written a book called The Imposter Author: Banish Author Imposter Syndrome depicting her journey with imposter syndrome. If you are feeling stuck in your own work, Em hopes this story will help you validate yourself and give you the self-confidence you so deserve. Check out the eBook : Whelly, E: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store https://a.co/d/8P3VU2K

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Gerard Collins is off to Halifax for a reading at the Halifax Public Libraries on Feb. 24. There'll be tea and coffee and a cozy, intimate setup for the conversation in the best room in the library, in one of the most beautiful libraries you'll ever see. It would be so lovely to see some friends and acquaintances, and to make some new ones. Carol Bruneau is a great talent herself, and I'm looking foward to chatting with her about anything and everything related to the writing life. Nova Scotia, here we come! (This event sponsored by the Halifax Public Library and artsnb).

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S.C. Eston would like to announce the publication of Spring Paths.

Sometimes, a compelling short story is all you need.

Let our tales of gods, ghosts, alien worlds, mystery, secrecy, love, loss, and horror get under your skin for a while.

Nine North Atlantic writers have collaborated to create this anthology, the third in a series of multi-genre fables that will entertain, possibly unsettle, and cause you to think about the present in which we live.

Curl up on the sofa and allow yourself to be lost in the pages of this fascinating book.

NEWSY BITS

The Fiddlehead, Studies in Canadian Literature, and Acadiensis are searching for a new Production and Marketing Coordinator to join their production team. Reporting to the Managing Editor, the Production & Marketing Coordinator coordinates the production of each issue of the three Faculty of Arts journals, including typesetting and layout, and acts as a liaison with the printers. Additionally, the coordinator will plan and market promotional events, as well as performing other administrative tasks as required for the journals. Applications can be made through the University of New Brunswick. The deadline to apply is February 22. https://jobs.careerbeacon.com/details/production-and-marketing-coordinator/1971508?utm_source=University+of+New+Brunswick&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=refer&utm_content=1971508&

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DERNIER RAPPEL ! APPEL D'OFFRES : région hôtesse des Éloizes 2026

L'Association acadienne des artistes professionnel·les du Nouveau-Brunswick (AAAPNB) productrice des Éloizes, lance un appel pour sélectionner la région hôtesse de l’édition 2026 de cet événement artistique d’envergure! Qui peut soumettre une candidature?

Une municipalité dans les quatre provinces du Canada atlantique ou aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine peut soumettre sa candidature pour devenir la municipalité hôtesse des Éloizes.

La date limite pour soumettre une candidature est le 1er mars 2024. Tous les critères et directives pour postuler se trouvent dans l'appel d'offres.

CONSULTEZ L'APPEL D'OFFRES

Pour renseignements : Joëlle Tougas, directrice de production des Éloizes

506-852-3313, poste 228 | joelle.tougas@aaapnb.ca

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Montreal-based novelist Christopher DiRaddo has been named the inaugural writer-in-residence at The Hideout in Prince Edward Island. Now in its fifth year, the Hideout Residency program welcomes writers, artists, and self-care practitioners from across Canada and internationally to PEI’s south shore each spring and fall. A new writer-in-residence component of the program is being launched to mark the fifth year anniversary of the Hideout residencies, with the goal of inviting prominent Canadian writers to visit the Island each year to engage in new work. Created by writer Trevor Corkum (2022 Alfred G. Bailey competition judge) and psychotherapist Joshua Lewis, The Hideout offers retreat and vacation space to writers, creative folk, wellness practitioners, and visitors from across Canada and around the world. The Hideout is located on the scenic South Shore of PEI, a few minutes outside the village of Victoria-by-the-Sea. The Hideout Residency program was founded in 2020.

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The winners of the Sixth Annual Pottersfield Prize for Creative Nonfiction are Martin Bauman in first place for Hell of a Ride and Chris Harvey-Clark in second place for In Search of The Great Canadian Shark. Bauman’s top winning entry is a coming-of-age tale of a 7,000-kilometre solo bicycle voyage across Canada. The second-place winner is a first-hand account of diving research adventures with sharks and other exotic undersea creatures in Canadian waters. Both books will be published by Pottersfield Press in 2024.

WRITING GROUPS

There have been some changes to our groups – please take note.

FREDERICTON

Come Write with Ann. Sunday afternoon Open Writers Group, 2 to 4 pm ($5) at 209 Willow Ave, Fredericton. (This replaces the Sunday morning group, and the Oromocto courses can be dropped since they've changed, too.) -- Ann Kitching

SAINT JOHN

WFNB member Jeremy Cairns is organizing/running several writer programs in Saint John that he would like to inform the WFNB community about. 

Saint John Writers (SJW)

Saint John Voices (SJV)

Saint John Publishing Forum (SJPF)

All programs are free and for all ages. At every SJW session, Jeremy encourages people to work on submissions, and submit them to our competition. 

Currently, Jeremy is looking for participants in all of the programs and potential Featured Authors and Readers for Saint John Voices & the Saint John Publishing Forum.  The Forum is held six times per year, and Jeremy is always looking for a published author to talk about their publishing journey. Jeremy has open spots for visiting authors in May and July, so if you would like to volunteer, get in touch with him at the above link. Saint John Voices is a show with music and different readers, the last of which is the Featured Reader, who is a published author. There is no monetary compensation, but there is a merch table, so the author can sell/sign books at the table.

EVENTS

MONCTON

festival FRYE festival

onperSsotdlthatmg6huillm15fu2u387925iumhm0941iai0l34950hm2at  ·

Do you like to cook, drive, meet female authors? We are looking for volunteers for the 25th edition of the FRYE Festival to be held from April 19-28, 2024

Here’s the form: https://airtable.com/app09i5AO4ZCS5bke/shr6fZIYl2iZ8pfcf

Do you like cooking, driving and meeting authors? We're looking for volunteers for the 25th FRYE festival, which runs from April 19 to 28, 2024. Here is the form : https://airtable.com/app09i5AO4ZCS5bke/shr6fZIYl2iZ8pfcf

SACKVILLE

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC

Sunday, March 10th

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 open to all. Come out and read your poems, short stories, comics, novels, essays, twitter posts, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen. Please wear a mask.

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.

COMPETITIONS

The CBC nonfiction prize is now open between Jan. 1 and March 1. You can submit original, unpublished nonfiction that is up to 2,000 words. There is no minimum word requirement. Nonfiction includes memoir, biography, humour writing, essay (including personal essay), travel writing and feature articles.

CBC offers 3 prizes for original, unpublished work: the CBC Short Story Prize, the CBC Nonfiction Prize and the CBC Poetry Prize. The winner of each receives $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a two-week writing residency at the Banff Centre and the five finalists have their work published on CBC Books. The  CBC Literary Prizes poster is here to download.

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THE CAMEL LITERARY PRIZE

The competition is now open for The Gilmer Prize.

$1000

Entry fee: $10 (etransfer or cheque)

6000 words maximum in short fiction, micro-fiction, essays, nonfiction, travel, memoir

Submit to: camel.litmag@gmail.com

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THE 2024 DESPERATE LITERATURE SHORT FICTION PRIZE

This year Desperate Literature welcomes three new judges (Samanta Schweblin, Alejandro Zambra, and Megan McDowell) in addition to Ottessa Moshfegh, and we have increased the winning prize to 2000€. They also offer writing residencies, manuscript consultations, and meetings with agents for the other winners. Our aim is to give as much visibility and support to new writers, experimental writers, writers with something daring to say.

Desperate Literature offers 100 full and partially sponsored entries to the prize (normally 20€), which can be applied for simply by sending us a message.

NEW THIS YEAR:

- INCREASED CASH PRIZES

- A NEW RESIDENCY

- ALL LONGLISTERS RECEIVE ONE YEAR’S ACCESS TO

THE LITERARY CONSULTANCY’S ‘BEING A WRITER’ PLATFORM

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Sunspot Lit Contest

Rigel 2024: $500 for Prose, Poetry, Art, or Graphic Novel

Literary or genre works accepted. Winner receives $500 plus publication, while runners-up and finalists are offered publication. No restrictions on theme or category. Closes: February 29. Entry fee: $12.50. Enter as many times as you like through Submittable: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit/280342/rigel-2024-500-for-fiction-nonfiction-poetry-art-or-graphic-novel or Duotrope: https://duotrope.com/listing/32395/sunspot-lit-rigel-contest.

Sunspot Literary Journal
SunspotLit@gmail.com

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The Writers' Union of Canada invites submissions to its 31st annual Short Prose Competition for Emerging 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. The Union is proud to announce an esteemed group of jurors for this year's Competition: Francine Cunningham, Frances Itani, C.M., and Ian Roy.  Emerging writers, get writing! The deadline for submissions is February 19, 2024. Learn more: http://ow.ly/cMHR50LSVR7

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Announcing the Seventh Annual Pottersfield Prize for Creative Nonfiction

For the seventh annual prize, Pottersfield Press is again looking for submissions from writers who can provide a manuscript of 30,000 to 150,000 words in any of the following categories: history, memoir, autobiography, biography, literary journalism, political or social commentary, travel writing or virtually any existing or new category that uses the nonfiction medium to tell a story or put forward an idea.

The First Prize winner will receive a contract for the publication of the winning book along with a $1000 advance on 10% royalty for all sales. The Second Prize winner will also see the publication of the book and a $800 advance on 10% royalties.

Deadline is April 30, 2024, but early submissions are encouraged.

Submit your manuscript electronically as a double-spaced basic Word document to:

pottersfieldcreative@gmail.com

and include on the title page your name, address and email address.

Entry fee is $25 (includes HST) and can be paid by Interac Transfer (also to pottersfieldcreative@gmail.com), Paypal or by cheque made out to Pottersfield Press mailed to 248 Leslie Road,  East Lawrencetown, NS  B2Z 1T4 Canada  after the manuscript has been submitted by email. Winners will be announced on June 30, 2024. www.pottersfieldpress.com

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Canadian writers and poets, The Fiddlehead's submissions are currently open to you!

Send us your best poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction by March 31. https://thefiddlehead.ca/submit

#submissionsopen #submit #callforsubmissions #canlit #poetry #fiction #nonfiction

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Poetry submission alert!

Palimpset Press - Submissions for your best poetry, nonfiction and fiction writing are open until March 31st, 2024. Please read our submission guidelines.

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Pure Slush + Truth Serum Press + Everytime Press

R E T I R E M E N T

L i f e s p a n    V o l .    1 0

T o    s u b m i t,

c l i c k    h e r e

T h e    l a t e s t    i n    t h e 

L i f e s p a n

a n t h o l o g y    s e r i e s

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Even better next year!

Better Next Year: An Anthology of Christmas Epiphanies was a runaway seasonal bestseller in 2023. Upon a Midnight Clear is a new collection, to be published October 2024.

Submission form

Submissions are now open for a second, new anthology, Upon a Midnight Clear, again edited by JJ Lee.  Established and emerging Canadian writers are invited to contribute to this new collection of stories that illuminate the best and worst of Christmas.

We are seeking powerful, amusing, moving and heartfelt stories from diverse established and emerging Canadian authors from across the country in an anthology that debunks the popular depiction of Christmas while delivering its messages of hope and renewal. Submissions of creative non-fiction/memoir should be 3,500 to 5,000 words in length; deadline for submissions is March 31, 2024.

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Creative Screenwriting

Accepting Features and Pilots! We are seeking screenplays from writers with unique perspectives including but not limited to race, sexuality, gender, neurodiversity, disability, economic inequality, and age. Our aim is to break down barriers and celebrate authentic narratives. Up to 3 writers will be invited to the ISADevelopment Slate, where our team of development execs will champion them and their work to our industry partners.  Submit Your Most Original Screenplays!

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Lilac Arch Press has three upcoming calls for submissions that we wanted to share with your members.

All About Christmas—an upcoming anthology about how we celebrate the season. We’re looking for short stories, essays, poetry, artwork, and photography that show how different people find meaning in the Christmas season. Yes, we want to see beauty, joy, and beloved family traditions. But, we also want to hear about the time you ruined the turkey and had to order take-out, the first Christmas without a loved one, or how you manage to deal with the stress of juggling too many to-do lists. Life can be messy and chaotic and that’s okay. We want to celebrate it all. In the quiet of your heart, what does Christmas mean to you? How do you find inspiration and contentment this time of year? Submissions will be open until March 31 2024 and can be sent to submissionslilacarchpress@gmail.com

Hi-Lo Advent Book—Try your hand at crafting a short (250-500 word) holiday story for our hi-lo line for older adults. Hi-lo means high interest/ low reading level. Our hi-lo line can be enjoyed by anyone but is specially crafted for those experiencing cognitive impairments such as dementia. We are looking for sweet, heartwarming stories with older main characters. We are looking for stories that celebrate winter, the Christmas season, or the new year. Submissions close March 31, 2024, and can be sent to submissionslilacarchpress@gmail.com

Celebrating This Chapter—an anthology for women by women as we navigate our 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. What does aging mean to you? What do you know now that you wish you knew then? How are you loving the age you’re at? Share your new adventures, passions, and explorations. What struggles have you encountered and overcome? Or what struggles are you facing now? We want to hear your bold, fearless, authentic accounts. We’re looking for essays, short stories, poems, art and photography that look at the older female experience. The submission deadline is April 30, 2024. Submissions can be sent to submissionslilacarchpress@gmail.com

WORKSHOPS and RETREATS

Go and Write!

New Go and Write! retreats for the wandering soul

For writers who are interested in a focused writing retreat, here in New Brunswick or overseas, Go and Write! has just released its 2024 itinerary. Owned and operated by (WFNB members) Newfoundland native Gerard Collins and his partner Janie Simpson, professional authors living right here in New Brunswick, Go and Write! retreats are a thoughtful blend of dedicated writing time, group writing sessions, one-on-one meetings to discuss your writing, and some touring. Gerard also provides written feedback on a piece of writing that each participant provides in advance of the retreat, and that forms the basis of your one-on-one conversation.

Below are the details for their 2024 offerings. They’re happy to discuss any or all of their retreats with you, so have a look at their website (www.goandwrite.ca) or reach out directly to janiegoandwrite@gmail.com.

~ May 4-11, 2024 Spring retreat to Kingsbrae, St. Andrews by-the-Sea, NB (only one space left)

~ Jul 7-14, 2024 Summer Writing in St. Martins, NB

~ Sep 13-27, 2024 Into the West of Ireland

~ Oct 23-30, 2024 Autumn retreat to Kingsbrae, St. Andrews by-the-Sea, NB (only two spaces left)

~ Nov 24-Dec 5, 2024 Retreat to the Highlands, Scotland

~ Dec 12-19, 2024 Christmastime in the Cotswolds, England (full, but keeping a waiting list)

~ 2025—Newfoundland (details to come)

Go and Write! participants include emerging and established writers of all genres—poets, dramatists, novelists, children’s authors, memoirists, journal writers, and more—as well as their friends, family and spouses. Visit https://goandwrite.ca/ for details.

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Brick Books offers a two-hour workshop which infuses poetry into a very specific practice of rest based on restorative yoga, for any iteration of a group, including but not limited to teams and clients in arts organizations, healthcare, social work, fitness and wellness industries, service organizations, businesses with engaged and thoughtful leadership, community groups, women’s groups, and women’s mentorship programs. They follow up with a series of an email a week for six weeks with a poem and a rest poem.

Their goal is to help open new ways of being and seeing at work by putting the practices of poetry and rest to work; they believe these practices can lead to transformative thinking and innovation, enhanced group connection, resilience in the face of change, and employee retention.

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Sage Hill Writing Experience

Saskatchewan -- 2024 Courses

SPRING FICTION COLLOQUIUM
Facilitated by Jessica Westhead
Dates: May 15 – 24, 2024
Application Deadline: March 1, 2024

SUMMER COURSES
Dates: Online: July 3 – 12, 2024; In Person: 4 – 13, 2024
Application Deadline: March 22, 2024

ONLINE
Emerging A: Prose with D.A. Lockhart
Emerging B: Poetry with Lisa Richter
Summer Nonfiction with Michelle Good
Summer Poetry with Michael Trussler

IN PERSON
Summer Playwriting with Guillermo Verdecchia
Summer Fiction with Madeleine Thien 

For more information and to apply, visit https://www.sagehillwriting.ca/. 
There are also special bursaries available for the summer programs. More details here: https://www.sagehillwriting.ca/adults/scholarships-bursaries

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The American University of Paris Summer School where we are pleased to offer our Creative Writing Institute, intensive writing workshops which meet Monday-Thursday from July 1st-July 23rd. Participants may choose between one of three genre-specific workshops: The Poetic Experience, Fiction Writing, and Creative Nonfiction, each taught by experienced writers and teachers. Participants in all three workshops are also invited to weekly readings by invited authors.Full details of the Creative Writing Institute, including the travel stipend competition, are available here.

All members who wish to take part in AUP Summer School programs may apply through our website, where they can also learn more about tuition and fees, housing options, and optional cultural excursions.

GRANT APPLICATIONS

A couple of days left!

Call for Submissions: Access Copyright Foundation Marian Hebb Research Grants. Deadline: February 15, 2024

Access Copyright Foundation has begun to accept applications for its next round of funding for Marian Hebb Research Grants.

The Foundation’s Marian Hebb Research Grants program supports—both virtually and in-person—inquiry, information gathering and exploration by individuals and organizations relevant to Canadian publishing, writing and visual arts, and toward the realization of a publishable work in progress.

 If this sounds like work you are currently undertaking, we heartily encourage you to consider applying for a Marian Hebb Research Grant.

Applications will be accepted until February 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. CST.

To apply for a grant, please visit the SK Arts Portal. The Foundation’s grants program is administered by SK Arts.

Learn more about the Foundation’s Marian Hebb Research Grants program by visiting the Foundation's website or download its Application Guidelines (please refer to pages 14-19).

Important eligibility information about Access Copyright Foundation’s granting programs

Access Copyright Foundation wants to make sure its granting programs provide the widest and most equitable opportunity to those communities that the Foundation serves. That’s why the following eligibility restrictions are in place for grant recipients.

• ·         Applicants may be awarded a maximum of two Foundation grants within a 24-month period;
• ·         Successful grant applicants must wait two years before applying for another grant in the same category. For example, an individual or organization that was awarded a Marian Hebb Research Grant for 2023 will be able to apply again in 2025.