• Take some time for yourself this summer to help move your writing forward with two live writing workshops. Each session will take place in Caissie Cape, NB.
  These workshops are for aspiring writers who are looking to sell their writing, or anyone who wants to learn how to leverage their expertise — i.e. coaches, speakers, and workshop leaders looking to expand their reach, promote services, increase credibility, and create multiple streams of income. (If you have enough content for a weekend workshop, you have enough for a book.)
  
  
• 1. A Life in PJs: How to sell your writing without leaving the house
  
  Learn how to find story ideas; create a niche; target and pitch markets (print/online); and more. June 18^th, 10-5 / $149.99 plus HST (Sign up for both and pay only $99.99 each!)
  
  2. Selling Your Expertise: Write a nonfiction book (or e-book)
  
  Learn how to brainstorm ideas; determine the best idea to develop; and create an outline through fun, targeted exercises to help you write your book easily. You’ll also learn how to write a book proposal to target the right agent or editor should you wish to publish traditionally. July 9^th, 10-5 / $149.99 plus HST (Sign up for both and pay only $99.99 each!)
  
  Bio: Wendy Kitts is a professional freelance writer with over 20 years’ experience. She’s written over 200 articles for publications such as Saltscapes, the Globe & Mail, Readers’ Digest, and the LA Times and is the author of eight traditionally-published nonfiction books. To learn more go to: https://www.wendykitts.ca/classes or email info@wendykitts.ca.  

*Le texte en français suit le texte en anglais.*

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 6, 2023

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax): The winners of the 2023 Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award were announced on Friday, June 2 at a lively awards ceremony at the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre. They are:

English Nonfiction

How to Promenade With a Python (And Not Get Eaten), written by Rachel Poliquin and illustrated by Kathryn Durst (Tundra Books, 2021)
In this hilarious non-fiction chapter book series, a savvy cockroach shares wise tips and tricks to surviving an encounter with a charming predator who may (or may not) want to be your friend.

English Fiction

Stealing Home, written by J. Torres and illustrated by David Namisato (Kids Can Press, 2021)
When Sandy Saito struggles after moving to a Japanese internment camp during WWII, baseball shows him another way to approach life.

French Nonfiction

Docteur RIP : C’est mortel ! by Michel Quintin and illustrated by Freg (Michel Quintin, 2021)

Doctor RIP and sidekick Darwin the guinea pig reveal entertaining facts about death.

French Fiction

Am stram gram, by Sophie Labelle (Hurtubise, 2021)

Stephie, a high achieving 12-year old who excels in school, advances to the final rounds of an important spelling bee, tackling fear, stress, and competitiveness along the way.

AND

Le chien d’or de Québec, by Denis Boucher and illustrated by Paul Roux (Bouton d’or Acadie, 2021)
When the Musée de la civilisation receives threats signed ‘Le Chien d’or de Québec’ Gabriel, Ania and Mamadou begin an investigation. Could it be the same golden dog that adorns the portico of a historic building?

Across the Atlantic region, children in grades four to six participated in the Hackmatack program by reading from the shortlist of 40 titles (20 French and 20 English) and voting for their favourite in each category.

Hackmatack was pleased to return to an in-person author tour for the first time since the pandemic. In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, eight authors visited schools and libraries across the Maritimes, presenting to over a thousand young readers. Another six authors gave virtual presentations, allowing us to reach readers in all corners of Atlantic Canada. Getting the chance to meet and learn from a real author was a thrilling and memorable opportunity for students. The author tour was made possible by generous support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute, the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick, the Conseil Communautaire du Grand-Havre, and realtor Rosie Porter.

Taking place alongside the author tour, Hackmatack’s third annual Festival of Reading featured public events for authors and illustrators working in children’s literature. Events included a virtual workshop with author Rachel Poliquin called “Finding the Fun in Children’s Nonfiction,” a virtual panel discussion with authors Valerie Sherrard, Edeet Ravel, and Laura Best on “Writing Tough Topics for Young Readers,” and in-person author events with Andre Fenton, Jack Wong, and Kendra Brown. Hackmatack’s public events were supported by Arts Nova Scotia.

Hackmatack is also excited to announce the new shortlists for our 2023/2024 reading program. Visit our website to view the 2023/2024 English and French shortlists.

The Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award program is generously sponsored by the Nova Scotia Department of Education, the New Brunswick Public Library Service, the Nova Scotia Provincial Library, the Atlantic Provinces Library Association, the Nova Scotia Library Association, and the Nova Scotia Teachers’ Union, and supported by our partners the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, the Halifax Public Libraries, the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute, the Prince Edward Island Public Library, and the Centre for Equitable Library Access. For more information, visit www.hackmatack.ca.

Media Contact:
Oriana Duinker, Executive Director, Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
hackmatack@hackmatack.ca  

(902) 418-9859

______________________________________

Les gagnants du 24e Prix littéraire Hackmatack – Le choix des jeunes sont annoncés lors de la cérémonie de remise des prix à Charlottetown, Î.-P.-É.

POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE, 6 juin 2023

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) : Les lauréats du prix littéraire Hackmatack – Le choix des jeune 2023 ont été annoncés le vendredi 2 juin lors d'une cérémonie de remise de prix animée au Charlottetown Library Learning Centre. Ils sont:

Documentaire français

Docteur RIP : C'est mortel ! par Michel Quintin et illustré par Freg (Michel Quintin, 2021)
Le docteur RIP et son acolyte Darwin le cobaye révèlent des faits amusants sur la mort.

Roman français

Am stram gram, de Sophie Labelle (Hurtubise, 2021)
Stephie, une adolescente de 12 ans très performante qui excelle à l'école, se qualifie pour les derniers tours d'un concours d'orthographe important, luttant contre la peur, le stress et la compétitivité en cours de route.

ET

Le chien d’or de Québec, par Denis Boucher et illustré par Paul Roux (Bouton d’or Acadie, 2021)
Lorsque le Musée de la civilisation reçoit des menaces signées « Le Chien d'or de Québec », Gabriel, Ania et Mamadou entament une enquête. Serait-ce le même chien d'or qui orne le portique d'un bâtiment historique ?

Documentaire anglais

How to Promenade With a Python (And Not Get Eaten), par Rachel Poliquin et illustré par Kathryn Durst (Tundra Books, 2021)

Dans cette série hilarante de documentaire sous forme de roman, une coquerelle avisée partage des trucs et astuces judicieux pour survivre à une rencontre avec un charmant prédateur qui peut (ou non) vouloir être votre ami.

Roman anglais

Stealing Home, par J. Torres et illustré par David Namisato (Kids Can Press, 2021)
Lorsque Sandy Saito se débat après avoir déménagé dans un camp d'internement japonais pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le baseball lui montre une autre façon d'aborder la vie.

Dans toute la région de l'Atlantique, des enfants de la quatrième à la sixième année ont participé au programme Hackmatack en lisant une sélection de 40 titres (20 en français et 20 en anglais) et en votant pour leur préféré dans chaque catégorie.

Hackmatack a eu le plaisir de revenir à une tournée d'auteurs en personne pour la première fois depuis la pandémie. Au cours des semaines précédant la cérémonie, huit auteurs ont visité des écoles et des bibliothèques dans les Maritimes, présentant à plus d'un millier de jeunes lecteurs. Six autres auteurs ont fait des présentations virtuelles, ce qui nous a permis de joindre des lecteurs de tous les coins du Canada atlantique. Avoir la chance de rencontrer et d'apprendre d'un véritable auteur était une opportunité passionnante et mémorable pour les élèves. La tournée des auteurs a été rendue possible grâce au généreux soutien du Conseil des Arts du Canada, du Delmore « Buddy » Daye Learning Institute, de la Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, de la Writers' Federation of New Brunswick, du Conseil Communautaire du Grand-Havre, et de l'agent immobilier Rosie Porter.

Se déroulant parallèlement à la tournée des auteurs, le troisième festival annuel de lecture de Hackmatack a présenté des événements publics pour les auteurs et illustrateurs travaillant dans la littérature pour enfants. Les événements comprenaient un atelier virtuel avec l'auteur Rachel Poliquin intitulé "Finding the Fun in Children's Nonfiction", une table ronde virtuelle avec les auteurs Valerie Sherrard, Edeet Ravel et Laura Best sur "Writing Tough Topics for Young Readers" et des événements d'auteur en personne avec André Fenton, Jack Wong et Kendra Brown. Les événements publics de Hackmatack ont été soutenus par Arts Nouvelle-Écosse.

Hackmatack est également ravi d'annoncer les nouvelles listes de finalistes pour notre programme de lecture 2023/2024. Visitez notre site Web pour voir les listes des finalistes en français et en anglais 2023/2024.

Le Prix littéraire Hackmatack – Le choix des jeunes est généreusement parrainé par le ministère de l'Éducation de la Nouvelle-Écosse, le Service des bibliothèques publiques du Nouveau-Brunswick, la Bibliothèque provinciale de la Nouvelle-Écosse, l'Association des bibliothèques des provinces de l'Atlantique, l'Association des bibliothèques de la Nouvelle-Écosse, et le Syndicat des enseignants de la Nouvelle-Écosse, et soutenu par nos partenaires la Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, les bibliothèques publiques d'Halifax, le Delmore « Buddy » Daye Learning Institute, la bibliothèque publique de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard et le Centre d'accès équitable aux bibliothèques. Pour plus d'informations, visitez www.hackmatack.ca.

Contact pour les médias :

Mireille Mercure, coordonnatrice du volet francophone

mireille.mercure@hackmatack.ca

506-658-4610

--

Oriana Duinker, Executive Director (she/her/elle)
Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award
c/o Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia
1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, NS  B3H 4P7
Phone: 902 418 9859

Visit us: hackmatack.ca | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

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The Indie Author Income Survey, initiated by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi - UK) was presented at the London Book Fair and reported on by The Bookseller (UK trade publishing magazine) and Publishers Weekly (US trade publishing magazine), as well as many other outlets globally. 

Over 2,500 authors took part, from all over the world, which contributed to making the data really robust. The survey was carried out by an independent third party but it was our many contacts around the world who helped us ensure our insights would be meaningful. So thank you!

Self-published authors earn more than writers with publishers. And independent (indie) author incomes are rising, year on year. Key findings included:

 Read the full report: www.allianceindependentauthors.org/resources 

What are the next steps with the research? There was so much interesting data to mine that ALLi ordered a second round of independent analysis, this time on the demographics and on cross-category insights, exploring what factors contribute to author success. This data will form part of what we’re calling the Big Indie Author Data Drop (BIADD), when multiple sources of data from across the self-publishing community will be pulled into one report, providing even more useful insights to authors, and greater visibility of self-publishing’s advances to a wider audience, including mass media outlets. Director Orna Ross will present the secondary report and the BIADD compilation at the Self-Publishing Formula conference in London on the 21st June 2023. 

The Writers' Union of Canada is pleased to announce the short list of nominees for the 26th annual DANUTA GLEED LITERARY AWARD. The Award recognizes the best first collection of short fiction by a Canadian author published in 2022 in the English language. The Award consists of cash prizes for the three best first collections, with a first prize of $10,000 and two additional prizes of $1,000 each. 

The jury this year comprised authors Cynthia Holz, Sally Ito, and Jack Wang, who determined the short list from 23 collections submitted, some by seasoned writers, others by authors being published for the first time. Those finalists are: 

Nada Alic, Bad Thoughts (Vintage Books)  
Kathy Friedman, All the Shining People (House of Anansi Press) 
Kim Fu, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century (Coach House Books)  
Rawi Hage, Stray Dogs (Knopf Canada)  
Saeed Teebi, Her First Palestinian (House of Anansi Press)

The winners will be announced on May 25th at noon ET on The Writers’ Union of Canada’s Facebook page.

The Award was created as a celebration of the life of Danuta Gleed, a writer whose short fiction won several awards before her death in December 1996. Danuta Gleed’s first collection of short fiction, One of the Chosen, was posthumously published by BuschekBooks. The Award is made possible through a generous donation from John Gleed, in memory of his late wife, and is administered by The Writers’ Union of Canada. 

The Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) is seeking a creative, skilled, and innovative leader to oversee WFNS's fundraising, strategic, programming, and operational activities. A demonstrated passion for the arts, in particular the literary arts, is a must for this senior leadership role. This is a four-day-per-week, permanent position with a salary range of $52,000 – $58,000. The position is based in WFNS's Halifax office. Applications will be received until 5pm (Atlantic) on May 8, 2023. Check out details at https://writers.ns.ca/jobs/executive-director/

For Immediate Release

Shortlisted Titles Announced for New Brunswick Book Awards

April 11, 2023 – The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) and The Fiddlehead have announced the shortlisted titles for the 8th annual New Brunswick Book Awards. The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony on Saturday, June 3, as part of WFNB’s annual WordSpring writing festival in Saint John.

The program will celebrate books published in the 2022 calendar year in the poetry, fiction, nonfiction and children’s picture books categories. The finalists are as follows:

Mrs. Dunster’s Award for Fiction
Judge:  Leslie Greentree is an Alberta-based artist and is the author of four books. She has won CBC literary competitions for short fiction and poetry, and the Sarah Selecky 2013 Little Bird short fiction competition.

Valerie Sherrard, A Bend in the Breeze (DCB Cormorant), Miramichi

Meghan Rose Allen, The Summer the School Burned Down (Indie-published), Sackville

Lee D. Thompson, Apastoral: A Mistopia (Corona/Samizdat), Moncton

Alice Kitts Memorial Award for Excellence in Children’s Writing
Judge: Alma Fullerton is an award-winning PEI author- author/illustrator, whose books have been nominated and/or have won awards including the Governor General Finalist 2008 and many others.

Kelly Cooper, Midnight and Moon (Tundra), Belleisle Creek; illustrated Daniel Miyares

Jennifer McGrath, Pugs Cause Traffic Jams (Kids Can Press), Hillsborough; illustrated by Kathryn Durst

Masen Grasse, Trucks (Monster House Publishing); illustrated by Alexia LePage

The Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize
Judge: Weyman Chan of Calgary has written six books of poetry and was a finalist for the 2008 Governor General's Award for his second book of poetry, Noise From the Laundry.

Amber McMillan, This Is A Stickup, (Wolsak and Wynn), Fredericton

Michael Pacey, Wild Apples: A Dialogue With Thoreau (Pottersfield Press), Fredericton

Sue Sinclair, Almost Beauty: New and Selected Poems (Goose Lane Editions), Fredericton

Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Nonfiction Award
Judge: Rowan McCandless is an award-winning writer from Winnipeg whose work has appeared in various anthologies and journals. A finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award in nonfiction, Rowan is also a co-winner of the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book (2022). 

James Mullinger, Brit Happens* Or Living the Canadian Dream, (Goose Lane), Rothesay

Mark Anthony Jarman, Touch Anywhere to Begin (Goose Lane) Fredericton

Jon Claytor, Take the Long Way Home (Conundrum Press), Sackville

The New Brunswick Book Awards are open to traditionally published and self-published authors who have lived in the province for three of the last five years, including the award year.

The book awards program represents a partnership between the Writers’ Federation, which for more than 35 years has passionately supported the development of home-grown writers at all stages of development, and The Fiddlehead, Canada’s oldest literary magazine, which has nurtured New Brunswick's literary culture for more than 75 years.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

April 27th is poetry day in Ireland. WFNB board member Sandra Bunting is inviting Atlantic Canada poets to write a poem, playing with the theme Message in a Bottle or anything to do with Ireland. One suggestion is for poets to learn new things about Ireland and write about them. It can be a take on Irish modern society, reimagining works of the great Irish writers, mythology, descriptions of its stunning landscape or something our two countries have in common. Try to keep away from the stereotypes and the Hollywood portrayal of Ireland and the Irish. Play and have fun. Experiment. Come up with something new or perhaps you have something that would fit. I am making arrangements for the poems to be delivered in Ireland (unfortunately not in a physical bottle) and to be read by Irish poets. More details to come. Deadline: March 31 Send to sandra.bunting@gmail.com.

ATTENTION BOOK LOVERS & READERS. Exciting News! THE GREATER MONCTON RIVERVIEW DIEPPE BOOK FAIR is happening. Mark the date in your calendar - April 22nd 10am - 4pm. Over 30 Authors and their books all in one place. Please SHARE with all your friends. Visit our website and meet the authors. New listings everyday. https://gmrdbookfair.blogspot.com/

On Thursday, February 23, Marianne Ward leads the free Editors Canada webinar "Working With an Editor: An Overview for Writers."

This is your last call to register! 

Presenter: Marianne Ward
Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023
Time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Length: 1.5 hours
Language: English
Level:  Introductory
Type: Informational
Price: Free

Have you always been a little mystified about what it is editors do, or even terrified at the prospect of working with one? This webinar breaks down the editing process (the stages of editing) and describes the relationship between editor and author. Bottom line: there's nothing to fear!

Can't make it this time?

We're pleased to announce this webinar will be recorded and posted on our YouTube channel.

Recordings of many of our recent webinars are now available for sale. When you buy an Editors Canada webinar recording, you'll receive a video file to watch at your leisure on your computer or mobile device. The file is yours to keep, so you can watch it again and again.

Visit our webinar recordings page to see what's available now. We're adding new recordings regularly and some are available for a limited time only, so be sure to check often.

Train online with Editors Canada

Looking for more opportunities to get your training online? Visit our webinars page to learn about our webinar season and meet our topnotch instructors.

Are you considering writing your memoir? Is your story ready to come to life in book form? 

This 90-minute panel from the University of King’s College Master’s in Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Nonfiction program will illuminate the possibilities of memoir, perhaps inspiring you to pick up that pen! 

Join our MFA alumni Pauline Dakin, Sue Harper, Jason Schreurs, and RC Shaw for a session on memoir writing on February 12. 

Register via the link below.

https://ukings.ca/events/its-time-to-write-your-story/