InkSpot, March 2023 Edition | | | Hello, Members and Friends. We hope you like our new Inkspot format! We also hope you enjoyed a fabulous weekend of mild temperatures, sunny, blue skies and melting snow. It can only mean one thing—spring. Ignore the sputter of storms in the next few weeks. They will be overcome. It will soon be time for fresh air, light jackets, and tromping about the garden in muddy boots. We, too, are springing to life with fresh activities in the coming months. Helaine Becker will drop in for her popular YOU'RE HIRED AT WRITER, INC. business workshop on April 24 in Moncton. You can participate online if you can’t get to Moncton on a Monday night. This workshop occurs during Frye Festival (April 21-30), so if you’re in Greater Moncton, make sure you check the Frye Calendar for all the events happening that week. You can also register for WordSpring on the website. Looking forward to meeting with all of you in Saint John. We’ll have a separate event page set up for the NB Book Awards in the coming weeks—it’s still a free, public event, as always, but this year we’d like to get a sense of numbers, so make sure to take the time to tell us you’re coming! Julia Wright of CBC has agreed to be our host, and Susanne Alexander of Goose Lane Editions will be our guest speaker. Look for an announcement re: the 2022 NB Book Award shortlist around the end of March or early April. Finally, there are five days left to the deadline in the NB Writing Competition. If you’ve paid for your submission, but have not sent us your manuscript, send it to info@wfnb.ca, along with your cover letter, before midnight on March 18. Cheers, Rhonda Bulmer & Kris Windley | | | | | | | Debra Adshade is from Saint John and writes fiction. Welcome, Debra! Dorrie Brown lives in Moncton and is interested in writing flash/micro fiction. Welcome, Dorrie! Allison Calvern lives in Ottawa and writes in the following genres: Creative non-fiction, Editing, Memoir, Poetry, Flash/Micro fiction. Welcome, Allison! Jacqui Clydesdale is a writer based in Saint John. She works as a UX copywriter by day and writes screenplays, plays and narrative short fiction by... weekends? These are Jacqui's genres: Children's, Comedy, Corporate writing, Creative non-fiction, Editing, Essays, Fiction, Journalism, Non-Fiction, Playwriting, Scriptwriting, Speculative Fiction, Flash/Micro fiction, Copywriting, Website copy, Freelance writing. Welcome, Jacquelyn! Robert Estey-Willick is a writer from Sackville who is interested in Fiction, Poetry, and Songwriting. Welcome, Robert! Sandy Hargraves lives in Bayside and has published two books of romantic thriller fiction, Stitches and Stitched. www.sandyjhargraves.com Welcome, Sandy! Andrew MacLean writes a column called Backyard History (backyardhistory.ca) that appears in a variety of newspapers. He is also interested in the genres of biography, creative-nonfiction, editing, journalism, non-fiction, copywriting/website, and freelance. Welcome, Andrew! Alison Taylor lives in Fredericton https://www.alisontaylor.ca/ and published Aftershock, in 2020, which won the 2021 Atlantic Book Awards First Book Award and was Shortlisted for the 2021 Rakuten Kobo First Book Award. Alison is interested in the genres of Pat (Patsy) Whipple is in Gagetown and has written many children's plays, stories and poems. She is currently working on one teen and one pre-teen novel and a romance book. Pat has published two children's books, The Legend of the Christmas Song, and Mommy and Baby Go for a Walk. Pat is interested in the following genres: Children's, Fiction, Playwriting, Poetry, Romance, Scriptwriting, Songwriting, Young Adult, Flash/Micro fiction. Welcome, Patsy! | | | | | - Don Bourque is pleased to announce his second novel, The Grand Chieftain is now published, which is a spin-off/sequel to Willow Awakened, Ascended, Avenged. Don will launch The Grand Chieftain at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto on April 15, a bookstore which is a great supporter of local authors. Congratulations, Don!
- Ephrem Carrier would like to announce his latest fiction novel, Frauds and Bankruptcies, is now available through the Friesen Press bookstore, and soon, through other retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. Congratulations, Ephrem!
- Congratulations to Cat LeBlanc, WFNB vice-president, and founding member, along with Maureen LeBlanc, of the Jane LeBlanc (JL) Legacy Fund. The Jane LeBlanc (JL) Legacy Fund can now apply for core and project funding for its ongoing programs and activities as a Multidisciplinary Arts Support Organization. In only its third year of operation, the JL Legacy Fund has grown from 1 to 18 cash awards (including our very own Jane LeBlanc Screenwriting Award!) in different creative disciplines. They have also developed a new mentorship engagement program, and other ongoing activities supporting creatives in multiple artistic disciplines, as well as the JL Legacy Fund Creative Podcast, which focuses on Fund sponsors, supporters, award-winners, mentors, and jury members. Congratulations, Cat! Great work.
To learn more about the Fund and see its sponsors, award winners, and upcoming award deadlines, visit https://www.janeleblanclegacyfund.com - Sarah Xerar Murphy is pleased to announce her Canada Council grant for the completion of her new series, The Quetzalcóatl Quartet. Congratulations, Sarah!
Have you published or self-published a book? Won an award?
Are you hosting a book signing or launch event? Share it here!
| | | | | - The Chapter One Writing Group, led by Roche Sappier, has moved to a monthly format, and its next meeting will be Thursday, March 23, 2023, from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at the Perth-Andover library. All are welcome! Contact PerthAndover.PublicLibrary@gnb.ca for more information.
- The Writers of Kingston Peninsula are an eclectic group of people that write for a variety of reasons, with many motivations they joyfully share. If you’d like to join them for an exercise in writing from prompts, share your own writing journey, or just to meet other writers, check out our Facebook page or reach out to us through Messenger. Times and dates may vary.
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The Sunbury Shores writing group is open to receiving new members. They meet on Zoom every 2nd Tuesday and 4th Thursday of every month. Every 2nd Tuesday the group meets in the morning from 10:00am-11:30am and every 4th Thursday they meet in the evening from 7:00pm-8:30pm. For more information or to join, email info@sunburyshores.org or call 506-529-3386. The Writing Group Exhale: Grand Falls, meets every 3rd Saturday at 10:00 AM at the Grand Falls Public Library. The next meeting will be held on February 18, 2023. For more information contact Denise McClure at 75deemac@gmail.com, or call 506-473-6125. The AX, the Arts and Culture Centre of Sussex has a writing group that meets monthly in the gallery. For more information, check out the website, visit 12 Maple Ave., Sussex, or call (506) 433-8351.
| | | | | Part-time Publicity and Marketing Assistant, Goose Lane Goose Lane Editions is seeking a part-time Publicity and Marketing Assistant to assist its marketing and publicity departments with media outreach, the creation and dissemination of marketing materials, and data management.
| | | | | Sussex The AX, the Arts and Culture Centre of Sussex Reading Series offers regular readings and literary events. Visit the AX Literary page for more information.
Greater Moncton The 24th edition of the International Frye Festival is just around the corner, April 21-30 in Greater Moncton. They announce their lineup on March 21. Check out frye.ca for all the details. Mark the date in your calendar - April 22nd 10am - 4pm, for THE GREATER MONCTON BOOK FAIR (Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview). More than 30 authors and their books all in one place. Please SHARE with all your friends. Visit the website and meet the authors. There are new listings everyday. This independent book fair is organized by regional authors, many of whom are WFNB members. If you would like to participate as an author, please contact Allan Hudson at gmrdbookfair@gmail.com for details and registration.
Saint John Check back next month for more literary events in Saint John! Fredericton Check back next month for more literary events in Fredericton! Online Live Canon - For fourteen years Live Canon have been publishing, performing, promoting, celebrating and sharing poetry. Visit the website, check out their Lunchtime Reading Series. Literary Festivals Check back next month for more literary festival news!
| Writing Courses, Workshops and Retreats
| | | Go and Write! Writing retreats for the wandering soul See below for this year’s line-up of writing retreats offered by New Brunswick-based authors (and WFNB members) Dr. Gerard Collins and Janie Simpson. Participants range from beginning writers who want to start jotting down their thoughts to experienced writers who’ve published extensively. Previous attendees include playwrights, poets, novelists, TV producers, short story and memoir writers, children's book authors, and everything in between. April 10-20, London and the Cotswolds One spot left! Join us on an adventure from London to the Cotswolds and back again. It’s also about the craft: two workshops, two one-on-one meetings with Gerard to discuss your own projects, group readings, customized literary tours, and most importantly, time alone to focus on your own writing. *Closer to home* May 14-19 / June 16-23, Kingsbrae, St. Andrews, New Brunswick One spot left for June; reduced costs for May – register by March 16 for early bird discount Make time for your own writing with a small group retreat. You’ll have a private room in a historic mansion, separate private writing studio, and the award-winning Kingsbrae Garden at your doorstep. Retreats include all breakfasts and some suppers. Only 5 rooms available. Register as a single or bring someone to share your room, studio, and costs. November 19-28, Writing in the Highlands (Scotland) Just announced! Join us for this 10-day writing retreat in the Highlands, including a full week at the Loch Ness Country House Hotel, just five minutes from Loch Ness and Inverness. We’ll tour the Culloden Battlefield, Isle of Skye, Glencoe, and Clava Cairns, and wrap up with a literary walking tour of Edinburgh and two nights in a hotel with views of the castle. December 3-16, Christmastime in the Old Country (Ireland)
Note: this retreat is already half full.
Christmas in Ireland is every bit as magical as you might think. We’ll start with a week in a West Coast castle overlooking a cozy village on the bay, then spend three nights at a glorious old hotel in the heart of Galway, and another three nights at a charming hotel in the centre of Dublin when all the old country is decked out in its festive finest. Questions? Contact janiegoandwrite@gmail.com or visit www.goandwrite.ca.
FREE SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP for WFNB Members, offered by the NB Film Co-operative! The NB Film Co-op would like to offer WFNB members a free screenwriting workshop! On March 22, From the Page to the Screen: The Art of Literary Adaptation, will be hosted by Canadian screenwriter, Tony Sekulich, at no charge (the Film Co-op Member rate is free). The workshop is on Zoom from 7:00 to 8:00 pm and whoever registers will get a private Zoom invite the day before it happens. Email info@nbfilmcoop.com to register! Visit the members-only section on wfnb.ca for a workshop description. The Tennants Cove Writers' Workshop Announces its 2023 Summer Sessions Tennants Cove Writers is located in a century-old farmhouse on 175 acres of protected woods and fields on the Saint John River in New Brunswick. For the 2023 Summer season, TCWW is doubling the number of weeklong workshops to give more writers an opportunity to work with us and retreat in an inspiring natural setting. They are accepting four to five students for each session. Room and board are included. Travel to the retreat is at one’s own expense. More information from their news release on the WFNB news section. Session 1: July 30-August 4, 2023 (six days, five nights)
Half-day Sessions: August 5, 2023 workshops in screenwriting publishing
Session 2: August 6-August 11, 2023 (six days, five nights) Check back next month for more writing development opportunities from the web, across Canada and across the globe!
| Free Online Writing Resources & Support
| | | | Unleash Creatives Community Write-ins: Let's write! Hosted by Unleash Creatives, this hour-long event will include a simple writing prompt (all genres welcome), and time to write. This community write-in will be delivered via Zoom. Free & open to everyone.
When: 2nd Thursday of every month at 4 p.m. ET.
Where: A direct link will be emailed 24 hours in advance. RSVP here.
The Odyssey Online Writers' Salon is meant for those who would like to participate in lively discussion about writing. Share insights, discuss struggles, set goals, ask questions, comment on stories or novels you've read, or recommend good books or resources on writing. You can also ask any questions about Odyssey programs you might have.
When: 2nd Wednesday of every month, 8:30-9:30 p.m. AST beginning Sept. 14, 2022 The Creative Penn - New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Joanna Penn runs a YouTube channel that provides tips on self-publishing, marketing, the business of being a writer and more. Janet Fitch's Writing Wednesday - Innovative Novel Structures with Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander, the Revolution of Marina M. Having taught formally for many years, Janet wanted to do something for those who are working alone, as she did. As ultimately we all are. Writing Wednesday is her gift to you. Every Monday at 12pm Dale L. Roberts posts a new video in his Self-Publishing with Dale series. You'll learn how to self publish a book on Kindle and paperback through Amazon KDP. Visit New Brunswick's incredible The Miramichi Reader for everything from coast to coast author updates, new Canadian literary releases, book reviews, interviews, writing advice, events and more! The (Writing) Workshop Finder website features ongoing workshops, retreats and conferences for writers. Many other resources are available here too.
Live Canon - For fourteen years Live Canon have been publishing, performing, promoting, celebrating and sharing poetry. Our courses run in person and online and engage with established and emerging poets globally. |
| | | | | - Geist Postcard Contest–for Flash Fiction writers
Calling all writers and wordsmiths—we are now accepting submissions for The 18th Annual Geist Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest!
How it works: Send us a story and a postcard—the relationship can be as strong or as tangential as you like, so long as there is a clear connection between the story and the image. Deadline: April 3, 2023 at 11:59PM PDT.
Winning entries get cash prizes and publication in Geist, so dig through your drawers and find a postcard that inspires the micro-lit writer in you.
(Looking for inspiration? Check out the winner of the 17th Annual Postcard Story Contest, “Velvet Deathtrap” by Jannie Edwards or visit our postcard story archive for more examples of notable stories.)
- The 2023 Bristol Short Story Prize is open for entries. The competition is open to all writers around the world whether published or unpublished. The closing date for entries is midnight (BST) April 26th, 2023. Twenty stories will be shortlisted and published in Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 16. The winner and 2 runners up will be selected from the shortlist and announced at an awards ceremony in October 2023. First prize is £1,000 (about CAD 1,600), Second prize is £500 (about CAD 800), Third prize is £250 (about CAD 400 ). 17 further prizes of £100 (about CAD 160) will be presented to the remaining shortlisted writers. All shortlisted writers will receive 2 free copies of the anthology. Prizes will be sent to any writer on the shortlist who is unable to attend the awards ceremony. The judging panel is: literary agent, Abi Fellows; writer, editor and creative producer, Heather Marks; writer and independent bookshop manager, Daniel Ross. .Entry fee is £9 (about CAD 15) per story. 250 free online entries are available to those for whom the entry fee is a barrier to submitting to the 2023 Bristol Short Story Prize. The free entries will be offered on a 50 per month basis. One free entry per person. No email request or any other method of application is necessary to use the free entry option. Full details and rules of the 2023 Bristol Short Story Prize are available here.
- Announcing the Sixth Annual Pottersfield Prize for Creative Nonfiction!
For the sixth 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.
(For 2022, the top winning entry was Tom’s Story: My 16 Year Friendship with a Homeless Man by Jo-Ann Oosterman of Ottawa. The second-place winner was Walking the Camino: On Earth As It Is by Maryanna Gabriel of Salt Spring Island.)
Deadline is April 30, 2023, 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. www.pottersfieldpress.com
Winners will be announced on June 30, 2023.
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The Alice Munro Short Story Contest for Emerging Writers
The winning entry will be a Canadian work of up to 2,500 words in the English language, fiction, written by an author not yet published in book format. Winners will be announced at the 2023 Festival with simultaneous social and print media release. Adult contest winners will be awarded prizes of $1,500 CAD and $250 CAD. Youth contest winners will receive a prizes of $500 CAD, and $250 CAD. Visit the website for complete guidelines. Entry fee: Adult - $25 CAD; Youth - $10 CAD
Opens: January 1, 2023
Deadline: March 15, 2023 The Terry Tempest Williams Prize
A $1,000 USD first place prize awarded to previously unpublished nonfiction on any subject so long as it is well executed. Includes the lyric essay, the hermit crab essay, the braided essay, the memoir, the personal essay, literary journalism, and everything in between. Food essays, travel writing, nature essays, sports writing, and literary criticism will also be considered but should have a personal component. The winning entry, runner-up, and any honorable mentions will be offered publication in the North American Review's fall issue. Visit website for complete guidelines. Entry fee: Unspecified
Deadline: Opens January 1, 2023 until April 1, 2023 - An exciting prize for emerging writers has been launched. The Paul Cave Prize for Literature invites submissions for all forms of poetry, flash fiction, short stories and even novellas up to 10,000 words. Entries open on March 30 and close on September 30. Prizes: Best Novella - £100; Best Short Story - £50; Best Poem - £25; Best Flash Fiction - £25
Winners of each category will also receive a complimentary copy of The Paul Cave Prize for Literature 2023 book.
Entries open: March 30, 2023
Entries close: September 30, 2023
- Submissions for the 2023 RBC Pen Canada New Voices Award are now open.
This annual award aims to encourage new writing and to provide a space where unpublished writers can submit short stories, creative nonfiction, journalism, and poetry. A jury of distinguished Canadian writers will judge the shortlisted submissions, and the winning entry will receive a $3,000 CAD cash prize and mentorship from a renowned Canadian author.
This annual award aims to encourage new writing and to provide a space where unpublished writers can submit short stories, creative nonfiction, journalism, and poetry. A jury of distinguished Canadian writers will judge the shortlisted submissions, and the winning entry will receive a $3,000 CAD cash prize and mentorship from a renowned Canadian author. The deadline for submissions is midnight on Friday, May 5th, 2023. Check out the website for more details.
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Submission Calls & Writing Markets
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Journals, Zines & Podcasts | | | - OPEN CALL for submissions of all-new works
An Exciting New Anthology from Exile Editions, edited by Lynn Hutchinson Lee and Nina Munteanu. Through the Portal: Stories From a Hopeful Dystopia: A collection of eco-fiction that imagines and celebrates the complexity of relationships and the emotional and physical journey from catastrophe. Dystopias embrace an element of hope through a character’s experience, and can serve as a road map for individual or community endurance, resilience, and triumph. Stories can be literary or speculative, with the environment playing an essential role in the narrative. We welcome visual content in the form of black and white illustrations accompanying a story or prose poem, or as graphic stories. We look forward to reading your work! We want submissions from everyone, emerging through established, including but not limited to LGBTQ2S+, Black, Indigenous, marginalized, under-represented, culturally diverse, and persons who are disabled. Deadline for Submission has moved to: May 31, 2023
https://exilepublishing.submittable.com/submit/
- Exclusive Promotional Opportunity for WFNB Members
Mark Dykeman is a writer from Woodstock, NB, who currently publishes a Substack newsletter called How About This described as Notebook nerdery, creativity, reading, writing, and realizing, with a dash of current events and pop culture, cooked in a curious Atlantic Canadian sauce. He invites WFNB members to be interviewed about their work and creative process as a part of his Atlantic Canada Mondays series. He is happy to link back to websites, social media, etc. as a part of the interview.
Mark normally sends a ten-question interview by email and gathers the interviewee's responses the same way. Interested? Contact Mark at markdykeman@gmail.com.
- The Moderate Review is accepting short stories, poems, nonfiction, paintings, sculptures, 280 character stories (they will be tweeted if selected), music, and spoken word. The divisions between these art forms are arbitrary. Blur them. Newly established online journal The Moderate Review, showcasing both established and emerging literary talents, invites your words and voices to the ongoing creative discussion. Currently accepting submissions on a rolling basis with no deadlines or publishing dates. Submissions should be sent as a word attachment to moderatereview@gmail.com. There are no word limits, guidelines, or restrictions. However, all submissions must be original work and not previously published.
- Voyage YA seeking submission — Always free. Always open. Always paid. Please read the submission guidelines carefully. Voyage has no restrictions on the kind of fiction they’re looking for. They simply aim to publish good work and provide a space for new and established voices. To get an idea of what they publish, please read the archives. General submissions are open year-round and there is no fee to submit to the general categories. New work is published weekly. Submissions are only acc
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