A weekend with Brian Henry

We are kicking off our fall program with a weekend event led by writer and book editor Brian Henry (http://quick-brown-fox-canada.blogspot.com/). He will conduct a full weekend workshop on children’s writing, writing query letters, and memoir, on September 27-28. Brian has visited us in New Brunswick before, having been invited by the WFNB, as well as the Moncton Chapter of the Professional Writers Association of Canada.

A longtime-member and award-winning writer, Odette Barr, along with her partner YoAnne Beauchamp have kindly offered their outstanding coastal home  near Cap Pelé to serve as the venue for this event. This lovely oceanside home is located at: 83 Chemin du Camp, Petit-Cap, NB (Beaubassin-est/Cap Pelé).

Arrive from Moncton, NB: 37 minutes

Arrive from Shédiac, NB: 24 minutes

Arrive from Confederation Bridge (NB side): 33 minutes

Arrive from Confederation Bridge (PEI side): 43 minutes

Arrive from Amherst, NS: 37 minutes

A maximum of twenty participants will be able to take in the excellent teaching sessions, participate in Q & A, and public critiques. Brian will provide lots of timely information about the publishing industry and how to get published. PEI Writers' Guild members https://www.peiwritersguild.com/  and Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia members https://writers.ns.ca/ may attend for the WFNB price. Contact info@wfnb.ca for the registration code.

About Brian:

Brian Henry has been a book editor, writer, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He teaches creative writing at Toronto Metropolitan University. He also leads weekly creative writing courses in Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville and Georgetown and conducts Saturday workshops throughout Ontario. His proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get published.

Stay for the weekend

This includes all activities from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. There are a number of places to stay in nearby Cap Pele or Shediac, and shoulder-season rates should be lower than summer.  Here are some possibilities:

Event location:

83 chemin du Camp, Petit-Cap, NB (Cap Pelé)

Places to stay near the event:

Cap Pelé

Glamping Aboiteau

10 Allée du Glamp, Cap-Pelé, NB

(506) 577-2234

https://www.glampingaboiteau.com/

Les Chalets De L'Aboiteau

55 Allee Des Chalets, Shediac, NB

https://les-chalets-de-laboiteau.gonewbrunswick.com/en/

Cottages in Canada

https://www.cottagesincanada.com/cottage-rentals/new-brunswick/acadian-shore/cap-pele

Shédiac

Hotel Shediac

222 Belliveau Ave, Shediac, NB

(506) 532-6100

https://hotelshediac.ca/

Parlee Beach Motel

691 NB-133, Pointe-du-Chêne, NB

(506) 532-4299

https://parleebeachmotel.com/

Shores Inn & Hotel

634 Main St, Shediac, NB

(506) 532-5563

https://www.shoresinnandhotel.com/

Gîte Le Griffon B&B

426 Main St, Shediac, NB

(506) 532-5412

https://www.legriffon.ca/

Chalets Parlee Beach

642 Main St, Shediac, NB

(506) 532-5339

https://www.chaletsparleebeach.ca/

Hotel Gabrièle

296 Main St, Shediac, NB

(506) 532-8007

https://gabrielegourmet.com/

Tait House

293 Main St, Shediac, NB

506-381-6761

https://www.staybower.com/tait-house-en

Seely’s Motel

21 Bellevue Heights, Shediac, NB

(506) 532-6193

https://www.seelysmotel.ca/

Hôtel du Vieux Port

310 Main St, Shediac, NB

(506) 381-6761

https://www.staybower.com/

The Waterfront Motel

1584 NB-133, Grand-Barachois, NB

(506) 351-0344

https://the-waterfront-motel.gonewbrunswick.com/

Vacation Village Cottages

37 Belliveau Beach Rd, Pointe-du-Chêne, NB

(506) 532-5755

https://vacationvillagecottages.ca/en/

Gaudet Chalets & Motel

14 Bellevue Heights, Shediac, NB

(506) 533-8877

La Casa en Shédiac

19 Rue St Joseph, Shediac, NB

(506) 899-0595

Other

Little Shemogue Inn

2361 Route 955, Little Shemogue, NB

(506) 538-2320

https://www.little-shemogue-inn.com/

Auberge Wild Rose Inn

17 Baseline Rd, Lakeville, NB

(506) 830-6668

https://wildroseinn.com/

Cottages in Canada

https://www.cottagesincanada.com/

AirBnB

https://www.airbnb.ca/

Or, come for either Saturday or Sunday

Saturday's focus will be on children's literature, and Sunday's focus will be on writing query letters in the morning and memoir in the afternoon. 

Bring a bag lunch, or one can be provided.

Coffee, tea, water and snacks will be provided through the day. If you prefer, please  bring a bag lunch, but arrangements can be made to order lunch for an additional fee ($20 per day). This is an option on the registration form. If you're ordering lunch and have dietary restrictions, let us know by dropping a note at info@wfnb.ca 

If you have trouble registering, contact us at 506-974-1476, and we'll assist you.

Schedule

Saturday, September 27, 2025

10 am to 3:30 pm

WRITING KID LIT: A full day dedicated to Children’s Literature! The day will include information sessions about the various forms of children's literature, writing exercises, public critiques, and Q & A. 

Coffee, tea, and refreshments provided.

10 am – 12:30 pm: session one

Lunch: either Brown bag it, or sign up for lunch, provided by Resto 577

1 pm – 3 pm: session two, including editing/public critique

Sunday, September 28, 2025

10 am - 3:30 pm

THE ART OF THE QUERY LETTER, plus a session on MEMOIR. Coffee, tea and refreshments provided.

10 am – 12:30 pm: How to write query letters that get a yes, plus public critiques of submitted queries, and questions and answer.

Lunch: Either Brown bag it, or sign up for lunch, provided by Resto 577

1 pm – 3 pm: Memoir - This workshop will introduce you to the tricks and conventions of telling true stories and will show you how to use the techniques of the novel to recount actual events. Whether you want to write for your family or for a wider public, don't miss this workshop.

Melissa Addey writes richly researched historical fiction. Her novels span Ancient Rome, medieval Morocco, 18th-century China, and Regency England. She has a PhD in Creative Writing, was Writer in Residence at the British Library, and lives in London, England, with her family. She runs workshops and webinars for authors wanting to take an entrepreneurial approach to their writing careers. Melissa has spent 10 years as a fulltime self-published author, 20 books written and published, Over 4,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. She has a MA in business creativity, a PhD in Creative Writing, and has spent hundreds of hours delivering workshops and webinars.

Discover resources for writers at her website: www.MelissaAddey.com/free-resources

We gratefully acknowledge the sponsorship of:

Born in Miramichi, Chuck Bowie graduated from the University of New Brunswick in Canada with a Bachelor Degree in Science. His writing is influenced by the study of human nature and how people behave. Chuck loves food, wine, music and travel and all play a role in his work.

In 2021 he launched his latest thriller set in Ireland and England, entitled Her Irish Boyfriend, fifth in the international suspense-thriller series: Donovan: Thief For Hire. He has just completed and published the third novel in a cozy mystery series, set in a fictional town in New Brunswick. It is entitled Death Between the Decks, and the setting is loosely based on the Miramichi area. He has also contributed to two anthologies of short stories: Autumn Paths and Winter Paths.

- Chuck recently completed tenure on National Council of The Writers’ Union of Canada

- Acted as Writer in Residence at Kingsbrae International Residence for the Arts, 2019

- Acknowledged as an author of note in the Miramichi Literary Trail installation, 2021

http://www.chuckbowie.ca

chuckbowie33@gmail.com

We gratefully acknowledge the sponsorship of: