The Art of Storytelling – Writing Workshop
Saturday, August 27, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sunbury Shores Arts and Nature Centre, St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick
Cost: $85/person
Spaces are limited; please contact Gerard (gerardcollins@gerardcollins.ca) and register in advance by August 24.

Need a refresher on the art of storytelling? Seize the remaining hours of summer and join award-winning author and professor Dr. Gerard Collins for this condensed version of his storytelling masterclass, which he recently taught at the invitation of the Frye Festival.

In this half-day workshop, we’ll talk about story structure, how to show instead of tell, how to develop characters, enhance narrative tension, infuse your prose with subtext, and write dialogue that gets people talking.

Bring your questions and conundrums – we’re putting it all on the table.

~~~~~~~~~~

About your host:

Gerard Collins is the award-winning author of FINTON MOON, MOONLIGHT SKETCHES, and most recently, THE HUSH SISTERS. (www.gerardcollins.ca)

Gerard is a Newfoundland writer, now living in New Brunswick, whose first novel, Finton Moon, was nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage and History Award, and has won the Percy Janes First Novel Award. In 2019, he turned the Finton Moon experience into a multi-media art exhibition, “The Book that Wrote Itself”. His short story collection, Moonlight Sketches, won the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award. In 2021 his second novel, The Hush Sisters won an international Next Generation Indie Book Award in the suspense category and also was a finalist in the paranormal category.

Gerard has won numerous arts and letters awards for fiction, published in journals and anthologies, garnered positive reviews and arts grants, had his short stories taught in multiple university courses, and his first novel has been placed in high school learning resource centres across Newfoundland and Labrador.

A lecturer at Memorial University for two decades and an occasional lecturer at University of New Brunswick, Gerard has a Ph.D. in American (Gothic) literature. He is an experienced leader of writing retreats and workshops in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Gerard has been a featured workshop leader with the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick, Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador, the prestigious Piper’s Frith in Newfoundland, and Lily Daly Assembly in New York. He has delivered multiple workshops to high school students, and in 2017, Gerard was invited to deliver a lecture to Masters in Creative Writing students at Newcastle University, UK, as well as a public reading at the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts. Most recently, Gerard was invited to teach a Masterclass in creative writing by the Northrup Frye Festival.

Gerard regularly serves on juries of writing and granting competitions while mentoring writers who show great promise, and all three of his books have been placed in libraries around the world.

To ask a question or to register for "The Art of Storytelling," email gerardcollins@gerardcollins.ca.

In case you missed tuning in during the live event, the audio version of the WFNB July Open Mic night via Zoom will be aired on Local 107.3fm Saint John on Monday, July 18 at 2pm, and the rebroadcast will be aired on Thursday, July 21st at 8am, and Sunday, July 24th at 4pm.

Video footage of older Open Mic night episodes will be placed in the members-only section before the end of July.

Would you like to apply to become an exhibitor at the Canadian National Book Exhibition 2022 in Ottawa on August 26 - 28? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzyJMz9p-Ms&t=22s

Ottawa, July 6, 2022 – Earlier this year, the Parliament of Canada issued a call for nominations to find Canada’s 10th Parliamentary Poet Laureate.

The role of the Parliamentary Poet Laureate is to promote the importance and value of poetry to Canadians. Pursuant to the Parliament of Canada Act, the Parliamentary Poet Laureate may perform the following duties: compose poetry, especially for use in Parliament on occasions of state; sponsor poetry readings; advise the Parliamentary Librarian on the Library’s collection and acquisitions to enrich the collection’s cultural holdings; and perform related duties at the request of the Speaker of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Commons, or the Parliamentary Librarian. The Parliamentary Poet Laureate holds office for a maximum of two years.

To ensure that Canada's official languages are equitably represented, the person selected alternates every two years between poets who work primarily in English and poets who work primarily in French. The 10th Parliamentary Poet Laureate will work primarily in French. The Parliament of Canada recognizes the diversity of Canada’s literary scene and encourages the participation of poets from all communities.

The deadline for nominations has been extended to September 4, 2022. Nominations for the position can be submitted by a member of a literary or writing organization, a parliamentarian, or directly by interested candidates. Nominations will be reviewed by a selection committee chaired by the Parliamentary Librarian, who will submit a short list of three candidates to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons for final selection.

When it created the position of Parliamentary Poet Laureate in December 2001, Canada joined the United Kingdom, the United States and many other countries that have established poets laureate.

For more information on the Parliamentary Poet Laureate, the nomination process, and to learn more about the works of our current and previous Poets, please visit the Parliament of Canada website at www.parl.gc.ca/poet.

AX, the Arts and Culture Centre of Sussex will welcome award-winning comedian and writer James Mullinger to the AX gallery on Thursday, June 16 at 7:00 p.m. as part of our AX Reading Series. James will read from his newly-published memoir, Brit Happens, and take questions from the audience. Brit Happens chronicles Mullinger’s life from his childhood in England to his life-changing move to New Brunswick and all of his adventures in between.

On June 25 at 2:00 p.m. AX will welcome journalists and authors Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon and Jacques Poitras. The authors will read from their books, Shadow of Doubt, the Trials of Dennis Oland and Irving vs Irving: Canada’s Feuding Billionaires and the Stories They Won’t Tell. Moderator Dr. Sandra Bell will lead a discussion on the common theme of controversy in prominent New Brunswick families before a question and answer period. There will be limited seating for these events, so come early.

AX has a writing group that meets monthly in the gallery. For more information, visit axartscentre.ca, come see us at 12 Maple Ave., Sussex, or call (506) 433-8351.

The deadline for the 2023 Artist-in-Residence program is Sunday July 31, 2022.

Submissions must be made by email to info@jogginsfossilcliffs.net.

To submit to the Artist-in-Residence Programme please send:

1. an artist’s statement (maximum 500 words) describing your recent artistic activities and professional development, your work in general, its influences and direction;
2. a brief description of your project (maximum 500 words);
3. technical requirements and/or site specifications if applicable (maximum 1 page);
4. a plan and a working schedule;
5. a biography (maximum 1 page);
6. documentation of your work:
   • visual artists: up to 10 images or 5 minutes of audio/visual material — (JPEG or TIFF @ 300 dpi minimum)
   • writers: up to 25 pages of prose or 10 poems;
   • performers/composers: up to 10 minutes of audio/visual material
7. a current curriculum vitæ;
8. a letter of reference from a peer, mentor or professor (for emerging artists)

Please note

The residency programme is contingent upon funding. Applicants will be notified as soon possible if the residency is not be to offered in a particular year.

For further information contact:

Laurie Glenn Norris M.A.
Education and Outreach Manager
Joggins Fossil Centre
(902) 251-2727, ext 224 or education@jogginsfossilcliffs.net

The 2022 Federal Budget, released yesterday, includes a public statement and commitment to “ensure a sustainable educational publishing industry, including fair remuneration for creators and copyright holders”.  The short statement is found on page 274 of the budget, excerpted here:

Amendments to the Copyright Act

In Budget 2022, the government proposes to introduce amendments to the Copyright Act to extend the general term of copyright protection from 50 to 70 years after the life of the author as agreed under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

The government is committed to ensuring that the Copyright Act protects all creators and copyright holders. As such, the government will also work to ensure a sustainable educational publishing industry, including fair remuneration for creators and copyright holders, as well as a modern and innovative marketplace that can efficiently serve copyright users.

https://budget.gc.ca/2022/home-accueil-en.html

Access Copyright, the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, understands that both Minister Rodriguez and Minister Champagne pushed to get the statement included in the budget.  The Prime Minister’s Office and the Privy Council Office are actively monitoring reactions to the budget to assess how to move forward with its content.

Access Copyright has released the following statement in support of the budget commitment. We encourage all our member organizations to publicly celebrate this positive step forward, such as through a public statement and/or on social media. Please be sure to tag Minister Rodriguez and Minister Champagne on any social media posts. 

www.accesscopyright.ca

ArtsLink NB is presenting Dreaming Inventive Futures, its first-ever intensive workshop on anti-oppression in the arts April 23 and 24. This is the first workshop ArtsLink NB has offered that is geared not only towards artists, but also toward professionals working for creative organizations. We would love to have you join us.

I've attached the press release, and the info is also on our website: https://artslinknb.com/blog/2022/04/06/artslink-nb-to-host-anti-oppression-workshop-for-creative-sector/

The intensive workshop will be held virtually via Zoom and is free for members of ArtsLink NB. Sessions will run from 9am to 4pm each day. To register, cultural sector workers should send an email to Jericho Knopp, jeri@artslinknb.com, with their name, their field or organization, and a brief description of why they’re interested in taking the workshop.

Friends, writers, librarians, teachers and their classrooms, are all welcome to attend this virtual conversation with author Valerie Sherrard, who will be chatting about her newest middle grade novel. And of course, there will be prizes and time for Q&A. 

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/virtual-conversation-valerie-sherrard-on-her-new-book-a-bend-in-the-breeze-tickets-310015453567

March 22, 2022 – The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) and The Fiddlehead have announced the shortlisted titles for the 7th annual New Brunswick Book Awards. The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony on Saturday, June 4, as part of WFNB’s annual WordSpring writing festival in Fredericton.

The program will celebrate books published in the 2021 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: Richard Cumyn is the author of nine books of fiction, most recently The Sign for Migrant Soul, and a past fiction editor of The Antigonish Review.

Amber McMillan, The Running Tree (Goose Lane Editions), Fredericton

Beth Powning, The Sister’s Tale (Knopf Canada), Markhamville

Valerie Sherrard, Birdspell (DCB/Cormorant Books), Miramichi

Alice Kitts Memorial Award for Excellence in Children’s Writing
Judge: Author of over 27 books, Dr. Kari-Lynn Winters is a children's author, playwright, performer, and scholar.

Jodie Callaghan, Ga’s The Train (Second Story Press), Campbellton; translated by Joe Wilmot, and illustrated Georgia Lesley

Leo LaFleur, The Errand: The Queen (Simply Read Books), Saint John; illustrated by Adam Oehlers

Riel Nason, Disaster at the Highland Games (Chocolate River Publishing), Quispamsis; illustrated by Nathasha Pilotte

The Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize
Judge: An editor at Room magazine, Isabella Wang is the author of the chapbook, On Forgetting a Language and her full-length debut, Pebble Swing.

Triny Finlay,Myself a Paperclip (Goose Lane Editions), Fredericton

Rebecca Salazar, sulphurtongue (McClelland & Stewart), Fredericton

Jane Tims, a glimpse of waterfall (Indie published), Rusagonis

Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Nonfiction Award
Judge: Julie Sedivy is a language scientist, editor, and award-winning writer of nonfiction whose work crosses and recombines scientific and literary genres.

Michael Boudreau and Bonnie Huskins, Just the Usual Work: The Social Worlds of Ida Martin, Working-Class Diarist (McGill-Queen’s University Press), Fredericton

Janet Coulter Sanford,Memories on the Bounty: A Story of Friendship, Love, and Adventure (Nimbus), Moncton

Martha Vowles, Senior Management: Parenting My Parents (Nevermore Press), Grand-Bay Westfield

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 30 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.