Louise Chase kicks off the open mic in St. Andrews, November 12, 2026.

Hello, Members and Friends.

As I write this, I’m ensconced in a hotel room in St. Andrews, listening to Bach’s Prelude in G Major after hosting a well-attended open mic in St. Andrews on Thursday evening. This event was spearheaded by the Fundy Bay Writers Group. St. Andrews is such a lovely little town, and just as picturesque in November as it is in the height of tourist season - although Water Street is much quieter!

The event was held at the Drewhaven Restaurant, a cozy place where the walls are covered with whimsical murals, and the air is filled with the warm smells of coffee, sugar and buttery croissants. The owner, who is a musician, wrapped up our evening with an original song. Congratulations to Fundy Bay writers for fostering such a supportive and productive group of local writers.

Incidentally, I decided to stay overnight in St. Andrews so that I can participate in a Friday afternoon panel with my fellow Merlin Star Press authors at Roundtable by the Sea Literary Festival and Conference. I’ll take off my arts admin cap, and put on my writer cap, while we discuss the topic 'Discover the allure of small communities in uncertain times' at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre.

But enough about me – here’s what’s goin’ on!

Three more events in November

Sign up for the open mic in Moncton at Soeur Claudette – another great venue. Give us your new stuff, people. We wanna hear it!

And two great workshops at The Write Cup, on November 20 with Francis Adrien Morneault, and November 27^, with Luke Francis Beirne. There’s still plenty of room to sign up, and I’m looking forward to gleaning lots of new perspectives on writing noir, and building atmosphere in my writing.

NB Book Awards

Have you sent your books in for our five award categories? Please fill out your submission form (you, or your publishers) by December 1, and mail your two copies as soon as possible. Submissions are low this year, but we have stellar judges, and we look forward to sending them the best that NB has to offer.

NB Writing Competition

We’ll be announcing the judges for the 2027 NB Writing Competition shortly, including (new this year!), our NINTH category: The Alcyone Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy, generously sponsored by the GMG Foundation, which supports wildlife and environmental causes, as well as the arts. 

WordWorthy

“You may be writing a contemporary book, fiction or non-fiction, but some trigger: a memory of your character, a building’s architecture, etc., will send you (the writer) into the past. If you go, leave with the intention to apply rigour to how things look, feel, taste, sound, and smell. The reader will appreciate the integrity with which you study the recent, or distant past.” – Chuck Bowie, Using Research to Improve Your Book, November 5, 2026

All the best to you, dear writers. Chat again in December,

Rhonda

Welcome, New Members

Susan Amos joins us from Sackville, where she writes biography, memoir, and nonfiction. Welcome, Susan!

Justin Clowater writes fiction and Science Fiction from his home in Fredericton. Welcome, Justin!

Kathy-Diane Leveille (http://www.kathy-dianeleveille.com/) is a former broadcast journalist who writes fiction and journalistic articles from her home in Quispamsis. Kathy-Diane’s prose has been published in a number of literary journals and anthologies. Kathy-Diane is a member of WFNB, TWUC and WFNS. Welcome, Kathy-Diane!

President’s message

So much is happening in our literary community. Pages in the Province, in its sophomore year, was a great success. It's wonderful to see so many talented authors in one place. Coming up, we have some Open Mic events, including November 18^th in Moncton. We look forward to hearing from authors and poets, English and French, as we continue our mission to create community with words. Exciting times ahead, as we pursue healthy revenue streams that will allow expanded programmes and outreach. Stay tuned!

Invest in the Stories Yet to Be Told

Every province has stories to tell. New Brunswick has generations of them. For more than 40 years, the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) has helped ensure those stories are written, shared and remembered. Through mentorship, competitions, workshops, professional development and community programming, we nurture writers at every stage of their journey. As a member, you know the value of a community that connects, encourages and supports writers. Now, you can help keep that support growing. WFNB is now a registered charity! Your donation is eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

Make your gift by December 31, 2026 , to claim it on your 2026 tax return. Explore how your gift can make a difference and donate today: www.wfnb.ca/Donate

Rayanne Brennan, Chair, Fundraising Committee

Member News

Katherine Adlam would like to establish two online writing groups, and is looking for members.

For Poetry: “I am looking for online Poets who'd  like to take part in a monthly meeting format. I'm an established poet and have poetry I'd like to exchange and get feedback on, with other Poets, who also would like serious, thoughtful feedback. Please contact me at kmaryadlam@gmail.com.”

And for Children’s Books: “I am looking for online children's book writers who'd like to take part in a monthly meeting format. I write picture books, and am now exploring early chapter books. If you write children's stories and would like thoughtful feedback, and feel you can offer the same, please contact me at kmaryadlam@gmail.com.”

***

Kelly Cooper invites readers to her upcoming launch, November 14 at the Fredericton library at 10:30 am, and November 21 at the Sussex library at 10 am, for her new children’s book, Grey is very Quiet. Congratulations, Kelly!

***

Lynn Davies invites readers to the Moncton launch of her new release, The Graveyard Cat, November 14 at 1 pm at the Bright & Brine Fine Art Gallery.

***

Tony Hebert, author of One Memory at a Time©, a free Canadian guided storytelling program designed to help seniors rediscover, share and preserve the stories of their lives, is looking for help from the writing community to develop his free program further.

The program has now reached close to 80 communities across Canada, with 37 communities also using the digital app. Conversations during his presentations inspired him to develop a new companion resource and eight-week program called One Memory at a Time© — Write Your Own Memoir.

The goal is not necessarily publication. It is to help ordinary people, many of whom have never considered themselves writers, discover that they have stories worth preserving and that writing them may be far more achievable than they imagined.

He is now preparing to introduce the program through a small, free eight-week pilot with three to six participants, at a local retirement home followed by what he hopes will become a broader, FREE, Canadian initiative through libraries, seniors' organizations and community groups.

Tony would welcome one or more experienced writers familiar with memoir, creative nonfiction or writing instruction, to review the draft and offer constructive criticism. He is seeking the thoughtful guidance of people who understand the craft of writing and who might help him make this resource the best it can be. If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer project, contact Tony at: tony@tonyhebert.com

***

Readers, check out Sharon McCutcheon’s recent memoir, Brain Storms, My Life with a Brain Tumour – A Family Doctor’s Memoir, available through Nimbus. This is not just the story of a doctor with a brain tumour, or how a brain tumour and seizures led to the end of her career. It’s also about beginnings—how our childhood determines our coping skills during life-changing events. It’s about mothers and daughters passing traumatic experiences down through the generations, creating strength and resilience despite family dysfunction. Ultimately, it’s about recognizing that people are complex and that every illness has a psychological impact.

***

Valerie Sherrard is pleased to report that her recent publication, Absolutely No Body Parts, has been nominated for a Red Maple Award. In this book, Nick and Khenan (both 14) need cash but can’t find jobs. So, they start a business cleaning stuff others find too gross to tackle. This puts them on a path to the strangest summer ever. From hiring a most unlikely helper to shocking their entire town, these guys will face far bigger, and scarier, messes than they ever expected.

***

You are cordially invited to A CONVERSATION WITH COLIN THORNTON, author of King Nut and Other Stories

November 19th, 5:30 pm, Alma City Club, 114 Alma Street, Moncton

 And, to his SHEDIAC BOOK LAUNCH, where Colin will talk about short story writing and his new book, November 26, 5:30 pm at the Shediac Art Gallery, 59 Ohio Road, Shediac.

***

Joe Mahoney is pleased to announce that his second novel, Captain's Away! Beausoleil, is officially available for purchase! Link here: Captain's Away! Beausoleil It’s also available in all the usual places via IngramSpark, Draft2Digital etc. A physical launch for Captain's Away! Beausoleil will be held at the public library in Riverview NB on Nov 28th 2-4pm.

COMPETITIONS

The High Marsh Press (a micro-press operating at Mount Allison University) is putting out a call for the fourth 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 close December 1.

More information can be found on our website (www.highmarshpress.ca)

***

This year, Briarpatch Magazine is hosting its 16th annual Writing in the Margins contest. We are inviting your members to submit original, unpublished writing and photography works that bring to life issues of political, social, and environmental justice. This year the categories are creative non-fiction, poetry, and documentary photography. Have your students’ work seen by judges Iryn Tushabe (creative non-fiction), Rollie Pemberton (poetry), and Morgan Tsetta (photography).

***

The SIXTH biennial Joan Betty Stuchner - Oy Vey! - Funniest Children’s Book Award! Please enter your funny book to win one of our TWO prizes.

The $752.81 x 2 Joan Betty Stuchner - Oy Vey! - Funniest Children’s Book Award is presented biennially to the Canadian authors or illustrators of the two works of juvenile writing that had the jury most incapacitated with giggles, buckled over with guffaws, and/ or rib-ticklingly, side-splittingly, thigh-slappingly entertained in these two categories:

1. A board book or picture book

2. A book with lots more words than pictures

Please send 3* copies of the work along with a completed form (attached or available on Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable—www.vclr.ca) site to: Joan Betty Stuchner - Oy Vey! - Funniest Children’s Book Award, 6637 Emerson Street, Burnaby BC V5E 1W5.

Please include a $30 Canadian submission fee per title via E-transfer to jbs.oyvey.award@gmail.com (OyVey Award), or a cheque payable to “JBS Oy Vey Award.” (Note that there is no longer a Paypal option, with apologies for the inconvenience.) Submission deadline: Cat Herders Day, December 15, 2026.

***

Open Call: Supernova

Sunspot Lit’s open call for very long fiction, CNF, poetry and graphic novels closes November 22. Accepting all genres and categories. See guidelines and submission form, along with the journal’s other open calls (including art), here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit.

***

gritLIT: The Hamilton’s Readers and Writers Festival writing contest is now open! Once again the contest will be in stages: longlisted writers will be invited to expand on their stories. This year’s theme is heirloom, and they welcome creative interpretations. Both fiction and creative non-fiction are accepted. Open to writers all over Canada.  You can check out gritlit.ca/contest for full details, including information on the entry fee and three cash prizes!

EVENTS

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC

Sunday, November 29th
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, stand-up comedy, etc. Or just come to listen. 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 and general questions can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com. Follow @writersopenmic on Instagram for updates.

***

https://www.facebook.com/share/19kzha4t2J/

Free Postcard Writing Workshop!

November 19, 2026, at 874 York Street, from 6 to 7:30 (with tea)

Postcard Stories and Poems with Jo-Anne Elder

Sometimes called flash fiction, microfiction, or short short stories, postcard texts can also include poems and prose poems. In the first session, we'll talk about some of my personal thoughts about postcard writing and do some warm-up activities, and in the second participants will choose from postcards or their own photos to write a postcard poem or story. Remember, these are designed to be fun, low-pressure, and inclusive sessions. If you want, you can just come for the tea and take home a card. Come to one or both sessions; RSVP Joanne.elder.nb@gmail.com if you're coming on November 19 only so I'll bring enough supplies.

***

On November 18, from 6-8 pm, the Kingston Peninsula Writers are meeting at the Reeds Point Pub and Grill for another evening of Prompts at the Pub - this pub event is on the members only page for Kingston peninsula writers, but they would welcome any WFNB member.

All events are free. Pub requires registration for reservation purposes – please reach out to Sara Moginot, through the Kingston Peninsula Writers Facebook page.

RESIDENCY

Applications are open for the 2027 Hideout residencies and The Susan Buchanan Hideout scholarship. Now in its ninth year, the Hideout Residencies welcome writers, artists, journalists, musicians, therapists, and self-care practitioners to Prince Edward Island’s south shore each spring and fall. Residencies are a week in length and allow for uninterrupted time to work on a creative project. Over the years, The Hideout has welcomed residents from all corners of Canada and around the world.

In order to support Atlantic Canadian writers and practitioners, The Susan Buchanan Hideout scholarship covers residency costs for a writer or practitioner with financial need based in the Atlantic provinces. Writers or wellness practitioners who identify as BIPOC or 2SLGBTQ+ are especially encouraged to apply. The scholarship deadline for 2027 is February 15. For more information about the Hideout Residencies, the application process, or the scholarship, visit www.thehideoutpei.com.

-- 30 --