Hello, members and friends.

I apologize for the lateness of the hour. The November bugs and viruses came calling this week, and I am miserable.

“My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,

I’m going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox…”

Sick, by Shel Silverstein 1930-1999

Nevertheless, Inkspot is chock full of lots of writing news, and I urge you to read the full newsletter on the website. Also, take a look at our upcoming events and sign up. So far, our workshops with Joe Mahoney and Melissa Addey have been stellar, with plenty of great information for participants to mull over and put into practice. Don’t miss what’s next!

Upcoming Events

Open Mic in Moncton, November 26 – There’s still space. Brush up your best piece, and try it out on the crowd. We are planning another similar event for Miramichi in the New Year.

Online workshops – there’s still room to sign up!

Lee Thompson, The Seven Persistent Troubles that Keep your Manuscript Up at Night, November 27

Chuck Bowie, How and Why to Write a Cozy Mystery, December 6

Heather Browne, You and Your Voice, January 24

Elaine McCluskey, Short Story Love, February 8

Sandra Phinney, a four-part series on Writing Flash Nonfiction, beginning February 7

Wendy Kitts, Bios, Book Blurbs and Back Cover Copy, March 28

If you’re looking for a weekend away to kickstart your writing project, The WFNB Winter Writing Retreat is at Villa Madonna once again, and Heather Browne will be our mentor, February 20 -22, 2026. Quiet, economical and collegial. I look forward to it every year, and I hope to meet some of you there.

I hope you can find something that interests you here, but wherever your writing is taking you these days, I wish you great success.

WordWorthy

In a world of AI, be human. Melissa Addey, November 1, 2025

Welcome New Members

Kimberly Gautreau is an Irish Acadian poet living in Moncton , NB. A passionate patron of the arts and holistic massage therapist, she reflects on beauty through humanity, the sensual, the feminine, and the brave birthing of emotion we embody. Kim writes poetry and is a photographer. Welcome back, Kim!

Marie Andree Hebert (pen name, Emma Lodge) http://www.emmalodgebooks.ca/ Is a author from Southeast NB with a background in psychology. Her novel, Wind Borne, was published in 2025. Marie writes in the genre of fiction. Welcome, Marie!

Tony Hebert (pen name, Tony J. Hebert) http://www.tonyhebert.com/ is a nonfiction writer living in Moncton who has a background in sales in more than a dozen industries. Tony writes in the genres of biography, memoir and nonfiction. Welcome back, Tony!

Nikki Kennedy writes memoir, poetry and spoken word from her home in Moncton. She hopes to inspire others through her unique writing style, and is currently working on her first poetry collection. Welcome, Nikki!

Ell Orion is a writer from Moncton who wishes she were Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Represented by Sam Hiyate at The Rights Factory. Ell writes in the genres of comedy, fiction, horror, romance, science fiction, screenplay and thrillers. Welcome, Ell!

Emma Theriault (http://www.lapcatediting.ca/) is a freelance editor based in Moncton, NB. Building on 20 years of experience writing for government and business, and a lifelong interest in language and story, she launched Lap Cat Editing in fall 2025. While corporate editing is her bread and butter, she loves a good story and welcomes the opportunity to work on fiction or memoir projects. She writes in a wide variety of genres, Biography, Blogging, Children's, Corporate, Creative nonfiction, Editing, Fiction, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Copywriting, Website copy, Freelance, Middle Grade, and Mystery. Welcome, Emma!

Bev Wells (http://www.bevwellshonestly.com/) writes about the things most people avoid: grief, rage, and what it takes to keep living after everything breaks. Based in Saint John, she’s a trauma speaker and mentor. She has two upcoming books, Grief Made Me Mean and Letters I Never Got to Send, and concentrates on the genres of memoir, nonfiction and screenplay. Welcome, Bev!

Member News

Jim Read, the Sussex, N.B-based writer is excited to report that he’s on the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize longlist, for his poem, Refugee! https://www.cbc.ca/books/literaryprizes/23-writers-from-across-canada-make-2025-cbc-poetry-prize-longlist-9.6956574 Congratulations, Jim!

The winner of the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and have their work published on CBC Books. 

The four remaining finalists will each receive $1,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and have their work published on CBC Books.

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Jane Tims and her publisher, Merlin Star Press are pleased to announce her latest book, Open to the Skies. Jane is holding a book launch this Saturday, November 15, at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto, from 11 am to 3 pm. Anyone who buys this book at a signing in November will have their name entered in a draw for a blue toy truck, a key element of the book. Hope to see you there!

WORKSHOPS AND RETREATS

Go and Write! Retreats created by writers, for writers

Writing retreats offered by award-winning authors Dr. Gerard Collins and Jane Simpson, from New Brunswick, Canada. Participants include emerging and established writers of all genres.

For more information, visit www.goandwrite.ca or contact janiegoandwrite@gmail.com.

Springtime Writing in the Cotswolds

May 8-15, 2026

Small group retreat (only 9 rooms) in the charming village of Broadway, at the Abbots Grange, a 14^th century former monastery. We’ll visit Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, and Stonehenge. Our Cotswolds retreats sell out quickly, so reach out if you’re interested.

Retreat to Old Town Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

June 7-16, 2026

Join us for a June writing retreat in a timeless fishing town on Nova Scotia’s south shore. We’ll have 10 days in the pristine, UNESCO World Heritage site of Old Town Lunenburg on the East Coast of Canada, surrounded by colourful 18th and 19th century buildings, quaint shops, and the historic waterfront at your fingertips. Come take a sail on the Bluenose II Schooner with us!

Retreat to Kingsbrae—St. Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick

June 19-26

August 26-September 2

September 4-11

September 23-30

Micro-group retreats (only 5 rooms) in a seaside town on the East Coast of Canada. Private, ensuite bedroom in a gorgeous, historic mansion, your own private writing studio, and the award-winning Kingsbrae Garden at your doorstep.

Go and Write! Merry and Bright—Christmastime in the Cotswolds 2026

December 8-16, 2026

Small group retreat (only 9 rooms) in the charming village of Broadway, at the Abbots Grange, a 14^th century former monastery. We’ll visit Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, and Bretforton. Our Cotswolds retreats sell out quickly, so reach out if you’re interested.

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Banff Centre

We’re thrilled to share the launch of Banff Centre’s 2026 Literary Arts programs! These residencies bring together writers, journalists, and storytellers from across genres to create, connect, and take their work to the next level.

Here’s what’s coming up:

• Late Spring Writers Residency 2026 — Dedicated time and space for writers of all genres to dive deep into their projects.
• Literary Journalism 2026 — Craft compelling long-form stories that combine rigorous reporting with literary style.
• Summer Writers 2026 — A vibrant residency where emerging and established writers can develop manuscripts and spark new ideas.
• Crime Writing 2026 — Hone your skills in mystery, thriller, and crime fiction with guidance from experienced faculty.
• Computational Writing 2026 — Experiment at the crossroads of literature and technology with digital and algorithmic approaches to text.
• Sports Writing 2026 — Explore the art of storytelling, reportage, and commentary through the lens of sport.

CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

Sequestrum is pleased to announce two new themes: Reprints and Humor. Reprints will spotlight exceptional work from past publications, while Humor invites writing that entertains, surprises, and provokes. Whether revisiting a favorite piece or sharing something fresh, we look forward to reading your finest work.

Reprint submission details are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/theme-reprints.

Humor submissions are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/themed-submissions-humor.

And as always, our general submission guidelines are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/submissions.

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Milk Bag Magazine is extending their submissions call for Issue 1.4: The Long Night 

We are launching a contest and extending submissions!!!!!

We recognize that we need some more submissions and that artists may need a better incentive. 

The grand prizes will be as follows:

ART: Winner of the Art category will be featured on the cover and win $100. Additionally they will receive a two page spread in the magazine to showcase their work.
Poetry: Winner of the Poetry category will receive $50.
Fiction: Winner of the Fiction category will receive $50.

Deadline has been extended to November 21st @ 11:59 PM

To enter, submit your work through our submission manager for Art, Poetry, or Fiction.

All current submissions will be considered contest entries.
Any contestants whose submissions are not chosen as winners, but whose work is selected to be featured in issue 1.4 will be paid for their work.

EVENTS

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC
Sunday, December 7th
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, songs, 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. Just bring your files along on a USB. Accessibility concerns and general questions can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com. Follow the Writers’ Open Mic on Instagram at @writersopenmic for updates.

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Please join The Fiddlehead in celebrating the virtual launch of Issue 305 (Autumn 2025) on November 19th at 7:00 PM AST! The launch will feature readings from 2025 Creative Nonfiction Contest winner Shelley Pacholok, Will Richter, and A-E Best. The event will take place on Zoom with ASL interpretation provided. The event is free to all. To attend, please register by emailing thefiddlehead@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link. 

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THE WRITE CUP BOOKSTORE AND CAFÉ EVENTS

Check out their full calendar here: https://thewritecup.ca/events

November 14, 2025 - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Devour Book Launch

November 19, 2025 - 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Seeking Alignment Book Launch

For every woman who has whispered, “There has to be more than this.” You are not alone.

November 22, 2025 – Death Between the Cays by Alexa Bowie book launch.

Alexa Bowie is releasing the 4th book in the Old Manse Mysteries, a fantastic Cozy Mystery.

Join us for a Q&A, author reading, a chance to get a copy of the book, and a lot of fun!

November 26, 2025 - 8:30 pm – 10:00 pm: 18+ Author Readings.

This is an 18+ event scheduled to take place after our regular hours.

November 26, 2025 - 8:30 pm – 10:00 pm: Book Launch – Merry Clitmas by Amelia Dax.

November 29, 2025 - 6:00 pm - 12:00 am: Novel November Write-In @ The Homeport Inn

To take part in the event authors are asked to register before the event by emailing amanda@partridgeislandpublishing.ca by November 24, 2025. 

November 29, 2025 – Dark Storm by Sue Nelson Buckley book Launch.

November 30, 2025 - 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Saint John Voices

A literary open mic event. Sign-up is at 6:00 pm, and reading starts at 6:30 pm. The event features a range of literary works, including prose, poetry, and plays. Readers have 7 minutes to read their piece. Experts are available to offer feedback upon request.

Anyone can sign up to read, locals and visitors alike.

COMPETITIONS

The RSPB and The Rialto are additionally working with BirdLife International, the Cambridge Conservation Initiative and the University of Leeds Poetry Centre. There’s a fantastic range of prizes on offer and prizewinners will be invited to read their poems at an event with Mona Arshi at CCI in summer 2026.

The closing date for entries is midnight on 1^st April 2026.

As well as offering poets the chance to win considerable cash prizes and publication of their poems, the competition supports conservation and poetry. We are working in partnership with leading independent UK poetry magazine, The Rialto, as we feel the magazine will be the perfect place to showcase the winning entries.

Prizes

1st PRIZE £1000
2nd PRIZE £500
3rd PRIZE £250

Our judge is celebrated poet, Mona Arshi.

Mona Arshi is a poet, novelist and essayist. Mona trained as a Human rights lawyer. Her debut collection Small Hands won the Forward Prize for best first collection in 2015. Her second collection Dear Big Gods was published in 2019. Her writing has been featured in The Times, The Guardian, Granta, The Yale Review and The Times of India as well as on the London Underground. She was writer in Residence at Cley Marshes, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust Reserve, in Norfolk in 2021. Nature Matters was published by Faber in May 2025. Her third collection Mouth was published by Chatto and Windus in July 2025.

The entry fee is £7 for the first poem and £4 for each subsequent poem.

Full details and the facility to enter online can be found on The Rialto website:

  https://www.therialto.co.uk/pages/nature-poetry-competition/

Hello, Members and Friends

From where I sit, this Thanksgiving weekend was quite perfect: beautiful weather, beautiful colours, and relaxed visits with family and friends. I hope that your turkey was tender, and your gravy was free of lumps. (I was not so lucky, but I ate it anyway.)

Fall/Winter Lineup

Our online professional development workshops are ready for registration! First up is Joe Mahoney from Donovan Street Press on October 26 with his Indie Publishing Primer– if you’ve been thinking about publishing a manuscript on your own, this session is NOT to be missed! Tune into Joe’s advice before you take those crucial first steps.

Next is The Foundations of Book Marketing workshop from British romance and historical author Melissa Addey, who will offer her wisdom on promoting your work on November 1 – coming all the way from London, England. And Chuck Bowie will teach us How and Why to Write a Cozy Mystery on December 6.

Then, on November 27, writer, editor and publisher Lee Thompson will lead a workshop on self-editing, entitled The Seven Persistent Troubles (that keep your manuscript up at night). Lee will share observations and tips to help you identify those SPTs and become your very best book doctor self.

On December 6, Chuck Bowie finishes off 2025 with How and Why to write a Cozy Mystery, and in 2026, Heather Browne will lead a discussion called You and Your Voice, the great Elaine McCluskey will share the Short Story Love in February, and in March, Wendy Kitts will help you make the back cover of your book sing with Bios, Book Blurbs and Back Cover Copy.

Also: More details to come about Sandra Phinney’s mini-course on writing flash nonfiction.

Submit to the NB Book Awards

Reminder: If you are a New Brunswick resident and you published (or will publish) a book in the 2025 calendar year (January to December), you can submit it to the NB Book Awards. Fill out the submission form and send two copies of your book to the office by December 1. We’ll be announcing the judges for this season’s crop of titles soon, as well as new sponsors for the event, including The Seaboard Review!

That’s it for now. All best wishes, Writers.

WordWorthy

“There are two hats that we wear. There’s the creative hat, and there’s the business hat. Creative hat says, “how long does this picture book want to be?” and the business hat says, “Can I sell this? Will I publish this?” The two hats don’t always work that well together. But I’ll also say that the businessperson’s hat, I think, to a surprising degree helps make it a better story. They’ll say, ‘yes, that’s a great picture book. Now, can you take away 400 words?’ Yes! But it’s really hard, and is it a better book? Probably.” – Brian Henry, WFNB Writers’ Weekend. Sept 27, 2025

Welcome, New Members

Alyssa Leigh Briscoe joins us from Fredericton, where she pursues editing, plus writes in the genres of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, and Short story. Welcome, Alyssa!

Peter de Niverville writes Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, Flash/Micro fiction from his home in Riverview. Welcome, Peter!

Karen J. MacLean is a returning member from Saint John who writes in a wide variety of genres: Biography, Blogging, Creative non-fiction, Editing, Essays, Fiction, Journalism, Memoir, Non-Fiction, Photography, Poetry, Flash/Micro fiction, Copywriting, Website copy, Freelance writing, Short story, Ghostwriting, and travel. Welcome back, Karen!

Robert (Bob) Stutt (robertstutt.ca) joins us from Fredericton, after a 40-year career as a puppeteer for film and TV, and having written more than 300 scripts produced by CBC, CTV, PBS and Disney. His novel of suspense, "Puppet," was published in March 2025 by Merlin Star Press. Robert writes in the genres of: Children’s writing, Comedy, Corporate writing, Fiction, Suspense, and Ghostwriting. Welcome, Bob!

Our Newest Lifetime Member

We'd like to welcome Richard Toth as our most recent Lifetime Member. 

Richard's published work includes poetry, short stories, magazine articles, essays, part of a memoir, and two novels. Richard is a former WFNB director and a multiple award winner in WFNB's Writing Competition including the Dawn Watson Memorial Prize (in 2015 and in 2019) and the David Adams Richards Prize (2019).

Richard's most recent publication is in "Porch to Porch," A Maritime Haiku Anthology published by Haiku Canada Publications, 2024. His short story "Harrington Cleans House,' will be published by the U.K. publisher Close to the Bone, in July, 2025. Richard is currently working on a dystopian novel that after eight years might be nearing completion.

Thank you, Richard, for all your support through the years, and best wishes as you continue writing.

Member News

MICHAEL SIMON is beyond thrilled to share that Extinction, First Command, and Second Chances are now on their way to readers in Ukraine! Huge thanks to BookChef for bringing these stories to life in Ukrainian, and to my incredible agent, Michelle at Storm Literary Agency, for making this possible.

Message from the President

Thanksgiving: a time to rake the leaves, close the cottage for the season, and especially to take stock of our many blessings. Friends and family, friends who become family, are all in our thoughts. In building a community through words, the WFNB is also an extended family I remain grateful for, and so I pass on my best wishes to all of you. – Don Bourque

Calls for Submission

THE 2026 ATLANTIC BOOK AWARDS

Book award submission season is upon us and The Atlantic Book Awards wants your submissions!

Books written by Atlantic Canadian authors that have been published between November 2, 2024 and November 1, 2025 may be eligible for one (or more) of the following awards:

J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award

• $2,000 prize for a book of poetry that was written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada
• Administered by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia

Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children’s Literature

• $5,000 prize for a book of fiction or non-fiction that was written for young readers by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada
• This year we are accepting picture books and middle grade books
• Administered by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia

Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award

• $30,000 prize for a book of fiction that was written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada
• Administered by the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia

Alistair MacLeod Award for Short Fiction

• $2,000 prize for a short-fiction collection (including novellas) that was written by a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada
• Administered by the Cabot Trail Writers Festival

APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book Award

• $4,000 prize ($3,000 for the publisher; $1,000 for author or split between author & illustrator) for a book that was published by an Atlantic publisher
• Administered by the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association

The submission deadline for these awards is Saturday, November 1.

Please direct all submission questions to the administrator of each award. 

Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia: Book Awards Submission Guidelines

Cabot Trail Writers Festival: Submission Process

Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association: Submission Guidelines

About the Atlantic Book Awards Book Awards

The Atlantic Book Awards is a non-profit society that promotes and acknowledges excellence in Atlantic Canadian writing and book publishing. They organize a series of events that comprise the Atlantic Book Awards Festival, which celebrate all nominees for both the Nova Scotia and Atlantic Book Awards. They also organize the Atlantic Book Awards Gala held annually in early June.

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Submissions are open for AfriCANthology II: Strange Truth of Black Canadian Fiction until the deadline of October 31, 2025.

After the resounding success of AfriCANthology: Perspectives of Black Canadian Poets, the anthology returns to amplify more writing about the experiences of African Canadians. If you are a Black fiction writer, this is your opportunity to contribute to AfriCANthology II.

Renaissance Press is looking for short stories (2,500 to 4,000 words) in any genre of fiction that honour the anthology’s themes and relate to the Black experience in Canada. This call is open to writers who live in Canada or are Canadian citizens living outside the country who self-identify as Black, as defined under Canadian federal law.

If you are interested in contributing to AfriCANthology II, all you need to do is fill out this online form with your contact information, a 100-word writer’s bio, the genre(s) that you write about, and your submission.

Website link: https://www.africanthology.ca/submit

http://pressesrenaissancepress.ca

pressesrenaissancepress@gmail.com

Renaissance acknowledges that it is hosted on the traditional, unceded land of the Anishinabek, the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka, and the Omàmìwininìwag. We acknowledge our settler privilege and encourage all our fellow settlers to reflect on their privilege and engage in acts of reparations. 

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Special Issue Call: Disability: The Revolution! 

For their Summer 2026 issue, The Fiddlehead is seeking work from disabled writers on the theme of revolution. What does revolution look like from a disability standpoint? How do we remember that disabled writers just taking up space is revolutionary? How do we, as disabled writers, consider that question of the wheel and its many manifestations — literal, temporal, and symbolic? How do we celebrate it, remake, and open ourselves to the revolution, ongoing and future, that must usher in a more accessible world? Send us your fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and review pitches. Submissions are open until November 30, 2025. Find the full submission call here: https://thefiddlehead.ca/revolution

Upcoming Workshops

The UNB Art Centre has writing classes for everyone! Offered both in-person and online, classes cover topics including crafting the short story, horror, novella writing, editing, self-publishing, and much more. Register early and save 15%   https://www.unb.ca/artcentre/learning/  

AWARDS and COMPETITIONS

The High Marsh Press (a micro-press operating at Mount Allison University) is putting out a call for the third 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 are limited to 12 pages.

More information can be found on our website (www.highmarshpress.ca), instagram: @highmarshpress

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Toby Award for Self-Published Canadian Mystery Writers Now Open for Submission

The second annual Toby Award is open for submissions from self-published Canadian mystery authors until December 15, 2025. 

The Toby Award, the first of its kind in Canada, recognizes excellence in self-published mystery novels by Canadian mystery authors. This year’s award is open to novels released in trade paperback format in 2024 and is sponsored by Barbara Crook (Ottawa), and ReBound Press (Ashton, Ontario). The award aims to spotlight Canadian authors navigating the evolving publishing landscape.

The winner will receive the Toby Award statue—a unique metal sculpture of a dog reading a book, created by acclaimed Ontario artist Carol Nasvytis (Soul Metal), with silver eyeglasses crafted by Ladysmith, B.C. silversmith Vonda Croissant.

Last year’s winner was Charlotte Morganti of Gibson, B.C. with her winning entry, Breaking News: Local Heiress Dead. Morganti described her win as “the highlight of my year. A Canadian award for Canadian indie authors of mysteries—what could be better?”

 For more information on eligibility criteria, please visit https://tobyaward.wordpress.com/

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Submit to the National Dave Williamson National Short Story Competition!

This competition, now in its fourth year, has attracted a growing number of entries from around the country.

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The Fiddlehead’s 2025 Ralph Gustafson Prize for Best Poem

Submissions to The Fiddlehead’s 2025 Ralph Gustafson Prize for Best Poem are now open until December 1, 2025! Submit up to three poems for a chance to win $2000 and publication in Issue 307 (Spring 2026) of The Fiddlehead. Find all the submission guidelines here: https://thefiddlehead.ca/poetry-contest. This year’s judges are Douglas Walbourne-Gough, T. Liem, and Bertrand Bickersteth.

 

Hello, Members and Friends.

For the first time ever, my husband and I took a seven-day Caribbean cruise in August, and in my mind, I’m still there.

We have been on very few vacations together since we were married in 1991, and when I booked it - on impulse - in June, the travel agent said, “I am going to hook you for life.”

I wasn’t exactly skeptical - I’d had a very stressful year, and I figured the bar was pretty low - but I was rather concerned about practical things: like what if the ship is racked by rough seas and I’m overwhelmed with motion sickness? What if we run into Hurricane Erin? What if the electricity runs out and we experience a repeat of the Poop Ship?

But despite the fact that we were affected by the Air Canada strike and had to make other travel arrangements (which was stressful and expensive in itself), it was a really wonderful trip.

So wonderful that I had a hard time coming home and settling back into routine. A week on the MSC Seashore simply wasn’t long enough. The ship was beautiful, the seas were calm, the weather was hot and sunny, and I did nothing but enjoy the atmosphere, the food, the entertainment, and the smell of the sea. I even wrote the first chapter of my next writing project.

So far, I am indeed hooked. If you’d like to read more about that, you can check out my blog, which has moved to Substack. https://www.rhondabulmer.com/p/notes-on-my-very-first-cruise  (Substack is pretty slick, too, writers. If you have a blog, I think you should move it there. Soooo much easier than WordPress, and designed to build audiences.)

Regardless, time ticks onward, and here we are in September.

A Writers’ Weekend with Brian Henry.

I am super excited to meet and chat with Brian Henry at the end of September, in a unique venue – the lovely home of our generous member, Odette Barr. There’s still room to join us, either in-person or in the comfort of your home via zoom. Check that out ASAP. 

Buy a NB Book Day is September 20.

This program is no longer organized by the Frye Festival, but Marie Cadieux of Bouton d’Or Acadie is leading the charge this year. Make sure to promote and buy local. Encourage your local authors, and better still, buy their books from an independent bookstore.

Rising Tide

In conjunction with Friends of Fundy, we are participating in a Rising Tide event on October 10, hosted by Moonbrook Manor, a new event venue in Riverside-Albert. WFNB member Andrew MacLean will tell some Fundy stories from the pages of his Backyard History series, along with other participants. More info on this event to come.

Fall/Winter workshop lineup

Our fall/winter lineup of online professional development workshops is beginning to appear on our event registration pages. Check out The Foundations of Book Marketing workshop from British romance and historical author Melissa Addey, who will offer her wisdom on promoting your work on November 1 – coming all the way from London, England. And Chuck Bowie will teach us How and Why to Write a Cozy Mystery on December 6.

More fall/winter workshops event pages will appear soon: Look for The Indie Publishing Primer, led by Joe Mahoney– his workshop is coming up first, on October 26. Writer, editor and publisher Lee Thompson will also lead a workshop on Self-Editing (writing is re-writing, amiright?) in November. More details to come very soon.

Through the winter, we’ll also hear from Heather Browne on her Writing Well series, Sandra Phinney with a flash non-fiction mini-course, Elaine McCluskey will share the Short Story Love, and Wendy Kitts will talk about The Back Page – Pitching and Summarizing your work – elevator pitch, synopsis and query letter.

Submit to the NB Book Awards

Reminder: If you are a New Brunswick resident and you published (or will publish) a book in the 2025 calendar year (January to December), you can submit it to the NB Book Awards. Fill out the submission form and send two copies of your book to the office by December 1.

That’s it for now. All best wishes, Writers.

WordWorthy:

Writers ask, ‘Why is it so hard to get published?’ but editors always ask me, ‘Why is it so hard to find good stuff?’ So, GO home and write something EXCELLENT.

Brian Henry, during his workshop “How to Get Published,” May, 2010

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed a great summer. I’ll keep this short, by inviting anyone who is taking part in the Grown-Up Bookfair (see details below) in Mahone Bay, NS on Oct 11^th to visit me at my table, pick up a WFNB decal and proudly wear it. It never hurts to represent our federation. If you have any of our two-sided placards that outline 10 reasons to join the WFNB, bring them along too. Thanks.

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS

Tracey O’Brien edits, illustrates and writes creative non-fiction, essays, journalism, memoir, non-fiction, freelance writing from Killarney Road. Welcome, Tracey!

MEMBER NEWS

The Seasonal Collective, which includes several WFNB members, has released their latest anthology, available now. Earth is the first in a four-part series of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

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Maritimes history is full of mysteries, and Andrew MacLean’s fourth book explores some of the most fascinating ones. The Backyard History series has grown from a newspaper column into a podcast, a TV miniseries, and now four books, all combining classic East Coast storytelling with deep archival digging. Find your copy at backyardhistory.ca

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Valerie Sherrard’s podcast interview about A Bend in the Breeze, is now available to listen here! https://www.burckhardtbooks.com/podcast/episode/7baf59a8/s4-ep180-valerie-sherrard-middle-grade-author-of-a-bend-in-the-breeze

NEWSY BITS

An announcement from The Writers’ Union of Canada:

As you will have seen in recent days, the U.S.-based AI-developer Anthropic has reached a $1.5 billion settlement in a class action lawsuit against them. The settlement damages will be paid out to members of the class whose books were obtained through pirated datasets.

Excellent information about the settlement, and next steps for authors (including Canadian authors) can be found on the U.S. Authors Guild website. The Writers’ Union of Canada has confirmed that Canadian authors are eligible to be considered part of the class in this case, as long as their books have met certain specific requirements, such as registration with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Here is the latest information from the Authors Guild:

All authors whose book(s) were downloaded by Anthropic from the pirate sites are potential members of the certified class, provided certain criteria are met. Such criteria include the legal or beneficial ownership of copyrights, the existence of an ISBN or ASIN number, and copyright registration with the Copyright Office (within three months of publication or before the infringement). Publishers are class members as well.

[TWUC note: If you are unsure if your book has been registered with the U.S. Copyright office, please contact your publisher.]

A trial is set for December 1. If the Plaintiffs succeed at trial and show willful infringement, damages will be minimally $750 per work and could be much higher.

To register with the class action, authors should visit the settlement website, and provide their contact information to the legal team.

More class action lawsuits concerning AI-training uses of published work are active in both the U.S. and Canada, and the Union will inform members as important developments occur.

Please note: The Writers’ Union of Canada is not part of the administration of any of the Anthropic lawsuit, and has no say over who is and is not part of the settlement class.

AWARDS PROGRAMS

The Next Generation Short Story Awards is a not-for-profit international awards program now in its third year, which is currently accepting submissions for the 2026 awards. Here are the key details:

• Submissions accepted: Short stories or poems in English (5,000 words or fewer)
• Categories: 30+
• Deadline: Thursday, February 26, 2026
• Prizes for winners: Cash awards, gold medals, digital promotional stickers, social media exposure, publication in the Anthology of Winners, and a complimentary copy of the anthology.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEER JURORS

Want to help identify the next great Canadian crime writer? Crime Writers of Canada seeks jurors with:

·  A passion for the world of crime and mystery writing, whether fiction or non-fiction.

·  The time and focus between December and April to read and evaluate numerous books or short stories.

·  The ability to work collaboratively with fellow jurors to identify a shortlist and winner

·  Fluency in English or French to judge works in the corresponding category.

· Ability to download and read submissions in digital format (PDFs).

Our jurors are librarians and booksellers, writers and justice professionals, readers and academics. We welcome applications from Canadian and international readers.

CWC membership is not a requirement.

Interested? Request the Juror Guidelines and Juror Information Form by email below:

Ludvica Boota, Awards Manager at awards@crimewriterscanada.com

or Jayne Barnard, Jury Chair at awardsjudging@crimewriterscanada.com

DEADLINE TO VOLUNTEER: 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

EVENTS

SACKVILLE

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC Sunday, September 28th
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, songs, 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. Just bring your files along on a USB. Accessibility concerns and general questions can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com. Follow the Writers’ Open Mic on Instagram at @writersopenmic for updates.

UPCOMING BOOK FAIRS

The Fantastic Grown Up Book Fair - Takes place at the Mahone Bay Centre (45 School St., Mahone Bay) on Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 10 am - 2 pm. Brought to you by Aren Morris and Karen Dean, this 3rd installment will be, yet again, a book affair to remember! The event includes:

- two FREE writing workshops to the public! (Authors/ writers providing those workshops will be paid for their time and announced shortly!)

- a one hour reading event of unpublished works. (Readers may join us from the wider community of attendees or from our own ranks, all at NO COST. Applications on the website.)

- a short Author Social directly after the event (2:30-3pm, same location), which will include nibbles and beverages before you hit the road. We hope it will be an excellent opportunity to network and meet other authors.

SAINT JOHN

AT THE WRITE CUP BOOKSTORE AND CAFE

September 18, 2025 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Write Now Saint John: Pitch Prep Event

Our regular writing meeting will be transformed into a Pitch Prep event to help authors prepare for the big Pitch to Publishers event. Bring your prepared pitch and present it to our panel of experts to get feedback and experience before the big day.

September 20, 2025 – 10:15 am – 12:15 pm: Askance Publishing Event.

One of the publishers who is taking part in the Pitch the Publisher event is coming in early to do a workshop and signing with the crowd. If you ever wanted to know anything about publishing, this will be an excellent opportunity to ask your questions.

September 20, 2025 – 11:00 am - 1:00 pm:  First Chapter Book Fair.

This is a free event to get the first chapter of some of the books available at The Write Cup Bookstore Café. Check out the start of some of the books you may be interested in and see how important the first chapter really is.

Various local authors are participating, so come on in and check them out.

September 20, 2025, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm: By Donation Author Photos.

This is a chance to get a professional picture that you can use for your author page or resume. It's an excellent chance to give yourself a head start online.

This is a free event; however, the photographer will accept donations, and requests can be made for a larger photoshoot.

September 20, 2025 – 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Pitch the Publisher

In conjunction with Buy an NB Book Day, Partridge Island Publishing will be hosting a 'Pitch the Publisher' event to give authors and publishers a chance to meet.

Get your manuscript directly into the eyes and ears of publishers for your best chance to get a publishing deal.

The publishers included are: Askance Publishing, Merlin Star Press, and Partridge Island.

In addition to the opportunity to get published, we will also have a photographer on site to provide authors with high-quality author photos.

During the event, we will do a draw for our Review Local contest.

This is a no-fee event, but authors must register for the event in advance by emailing amanda@partridgeislandpublishing.ca

September 24, 2025 – 8:30 pm – 10:00 pm: 18+ Author Readings.

This is an 18+ event scheduled to take place after our regular hours.

We will have four local authors reading spicy scenes.

This event welcomes locals and visitors alike, as the scenes being read are chosen for their content rather than continuity.

We have a door prize provided by Pleasures ‘N Treasures (and a toy demo) and special drinks and treats during the event.

Authors will be on hand before and after the event to answer questions and sign books.

September 27, 2025 – 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Fog Lit Festival Workshop: Pathways to publishing.

If you missed the Pitch the Publisher event or want some information about the various ways to get published, come talk to our guest authors about the different ways to publish.

This workshop will cover the differences between traditional publishing, self-publishing, hybrid publishing, and vanity publishing.

September 28, 2025 – 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm: Saint John Voices

A literary open mic event. Sign-up is at 6:00 pm, and reading starts at 6:30 pm. The event features a range of literary works, including prose, poetry, and plays. Readers have 7 minutes to read their piece. Experts are available to offer feedback upon request.

Anyone can sign up to read, locals and visitors alike.

COURSES

Whether you’re working on a new book, writing up your research for a larger audience, or you want to develop your writing skills, the King’s Writing Workshops can help you become the author you want to be. Our non-credit 4- and 8-week workshops are open to everyone, even if you’re still at the idea phase or already have words down on the page.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Marianne Sawchuk, Artistic Director of Women At Play(s) 8th festival (coming 2026) is seeking original one act plays with female characters by Canadian women playwrights for a CAEA festival policy approved production in Toronto in Feb/Mar 2026.  There is no submission fee.  Submissions are selected by a jury. All characters must be female identifying.  Plays must original, not produced or published, and no longer than 20 minutes in length. Please submit before October 6,2025. Submissions may be emailed to womenatplays2023@gmail.com

Women At Play(s) is currently looking for new original one act plays from Canadian women playwrights, emerging or established, for it's eighth festival. 

Women At Play(s) provides a creative outlet for female identifying playwrights, directors and actors.  It was created to give women a voice and meant to inspire and showcase artistic achievements in theatrical performance for women.

For more information, please check out our Instagram and Facebook pages.

WOMEN AT PLAY(S) is a festival of short one-act plays written, directed, and acted by Canadian women identifying playwrights, directors, and actors. The festival has 6 one act plays of original works, 10 to 25 minutes in length, ranging in comedic and dramatic tones. Women At Play(s) provides opportunities and is meant to inspire artistic achievements in theatrical production for people who identify as women of all diversities, of all sizes, 2SLGBTQIA+ and different abilities inclusive, from Gen-Zs to Silver Foxes for an audience of all.
It is a grass roots non-profit and it is a Canadian Actors’ Equity Association production under the Festival Policy.

https://www.facebook.com/womenatplays/

https://www.instagram.com/women_at_plays/

https://linktr.ee/womenatplays

Hello, members and friends.

If you’ve already had your time of rest and relaxation this summer, I hope it was full of beauty and inspiration for your current projects. If you are in the vicinity of current wildfires, I do hope that you, your family and your property remain secure. My vacation begins in just a few days, and I can’t wait for it. We’re headed somewhere hot, and while I’ve enjoyed the heat at home this summer, I do hope an abundance of rain will pour forth in our absence.

In the meantime, I’d like to remind you about our Brian Henry Writers’ Weekend, coming up at the end of September. Have you registered? There’s still lots of room to join us, but if you can’t attend this inspiring, yet out-of-the-way venue in person, I have added a zoom link so that you can watch the weekend proceedings from home -- for a very reasonable price. Check that out ASAP.

Fall/winter zoom sessions

Our monthly zoom professional workshops are all set for the fall and winter. Watch for the event registration pages later in the fall. Our leaders will be Joe Mahoney (Donovan Street Press), who’ll present the Indie Publishing Primer; Lee Thompson will teach Self-Editing; Chuck Bowie will explain How and Why to Write a Cozy Mystery; Elaine McCluskey will dive into fiction with Short Story Love; Wendy Kitts will talk about The Back Page – Pitching and Summarizing your work - elevator pitch, synopsis and query letter. Heather Browne will also teach a portion of her Writing Well series, and we may even hear from British romantic fiction writer, Melissa Addey, on The foundations of book marketing + unusual marketing moves. Stay tuned!

WordTravels

In lieu of a formal WordsFall this year, I’d like to set up a series of Open Mic events featuring a special reader or two through the fall and winter. If you have ideas about venues, locations, or featured readers, and are keen to help set up one of these events in your area, please drop a line to our email: info@wfnb.ca

Writers’ Services Reminder

Do you offer professional editing, writing, or publishing services that your fellow members could use? If you’re a WFNB member, we’re happy to list your contact information for free on our writers’ resource page here: https://wfnb.ca/Writers-Resources If you are willing to offer a discount to our membership, that would be a great perk, too.

That’s it for me. Enjoy the remaining days of August, and I do hope some of them are cool and rainy. All best wishes,

WordWorthy

Punctuation has been defined many ways. Some grammarians use the analogy of stitching: punctuation as the basting that holds the fabric of language in shape. Another writer tell us that punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop. I have even seen a rather fanciful reference to the full stop and comma as “the invisible servants in fairy tales – the ones who bring glasses of water and pillows, not storms of weather or love.” But best of all, I think, is the simple advice given by the style book of a national newspaper: that punctuation is “a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.” Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves – The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (2003, Gotham)

A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Summer is flying past at Mach 2 (Mach 3 with the Humidex), and we’ll soon be in “cozying up with a book season.” I just wanted to give a short update on my activities as your new president. First, let’s stress the word “new.” The biggest hurdle I’ve overcome so far involves the online banking arrangements for our accounts; with Rhonda’s help, and that of the bank officer, I’m now good-to-go. Speaking of Rhonda, she and I were privileged to attend the unveiling of New Brunswick’s first Project Bookmark Canada plaques in honour of our own David Adams Richards. I’d also like to recognize our Secretary, Sandra Bunting, who took part in this unveiling ceremony in Miramichi.

I’m looking forward to our first Board of Directors meeting in September with our new BoD, that will take place after the next issue of InkSpot, so you likely won’t hear from me before then. Conversely, if you want to drop me a note, you can do so here: The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick - Email member

On Editing

This isn’t a rhetorical question, as you’re welcome to reply with your thoughts. What is the single most important investment in your publishing path? For me, the answer is editing. It is the magical process that turns a fair manuscript into a good one, or makes a good one even better. I won’t cite titles or authors, but there have been works I’ve read that could have been so much better with the right editor. While self-published authors are faced with the challenges of funding editors and traditionally published authors aren’t, that’s not to say some “trads” are perfectly edited either. My own published trilogy, scrutinized by several editing rounds, alpha and beta readers (my street team) still has six typos in the three books. Suffice to say, the “100% solution” is rare indeed; it’s still worth aiming for. If you don’t know where to look for such help, check out this link on our WFNB Web Page: The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick - Writers’ Resources and put the proper polish on your manuscript. – Don Bourque

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Rebecca Carrigan (pen name, Becca Blue) is a writer, filmmaker and storyteller from Lincoln, whose work blends emotional depth with a touch of the supernatural. She founded Sakura Blue Studios as a multimedia studio that offers publishing, photography, film and design services. Becca also offers workshops and one on one training sessions. For more information, visit her website www.sakurabluestudios.ca, and also find her at Facebook.com/sakurabluestudio E: Sakurabluestudios@gmail.com

Leah Driscoll (pen name LeVraie Bellemère) writes biography, creative nonfiction, and poetry from her home in Summerfield, and is putting the finishing touches on a memoir at this time. Welcome, Leah!

Joshua Izzard writes fantasy, fiction, horror, poetry, science fiction, songwriting, spiritual and suspense from his home in Oromocto. Welcome, Joshua!

Using his varied career background in science and tech, Michael McCool writes speculative fiction full-time from his home in Edmundston. (Glad to have a new member from that part of the province!) He writes in the genres of fantasy, nonfiction, science and science fiction, speculative and technical. Welcome, Michael!

MEMBER NEWS

The annual Burnt Church Writers evening was held this year on July 31st in the Burnt Church Community Hall to a packed house. Sandra Bunting started off with advice to take time to play silly games this summer, with her poem  'An Ode to Cousins". She was followed by Malcolm Mc Connell, who read an excerpt from his latest memoir, a work in progress, about his travels in the 70s along the 'HippyTrail'. Next came Sandy Burnett who read from his book, 'A History of the Canadian Wildlife Service', a heartbreaking account of our disappearing wildlife. There was also an optimistic note, discussing the passion and dedication of those trying to preserve what's left. Jonathan Creaghan gave a philosophical argument on how a sense of peace trumps the much overrated concept of happiness. Johannes Bosma read an account from one of his memoirs and biographies of a teacher (from Burnt Church) who encouraged him artistically and actually inspired him to go into teaching. The evening ended with a treat. David Adams Richards, who summered in Burnt Church in his youth, read from his soon to be published book of essays - a selection that dealt with memories of Burnt Church. Richards was recently the recipient of a legacy award from the Writers Federation of New Brunswick in recognition of his large body of work and contribution to the literary heritage of New Brunswick. Also this summer he received an Honorary Doctorate in Letters from McGill University, where he also gave the convocation address to graduates. Finally, in July he was included in the Canadian Bookmark Project with a plaque in Miramichi showcasing his book, Friends of Meager Fortune. 

Burnt Church is a small community on the bay north of Miramichi, adjacent to Esgenoopetitj First Nation and a gateway to the Acadian Penninsula.

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Erik Jingles is pleased to announce the publication of his classic fantasy-adventure, The Nomies and the Surface Protocol, available now on amazon.

Written for middle-grade readers, but appealing to much older readers as well, this story weaves its way across Canada, both above and below ground, in a race to save the world from an underground dictator. 

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Riel Nason's follow-up to the bestselling picture book The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt, is titled The Little Ghost Quilt's Winter Surprise.  It is the second book in The Little Ghost Quilt series and will be published by Tundra Books (Penguin Random House Young Readers Canada) on August 26.  Illustrations are by Byron Eggenschwiler.  Kirkus Reviews says "This quietly lovely holiday tale underscores the true meaning of the holidays: friendship and togetherness."  Riel will be having a local launch (in Quispamsis) and signings later in the fall.  The book is available for Pre-order from your favourite independent bookseller, Indigo, Amazon, or wherever you buy books. Follow Riel on Instagram @rielnason

The Little Ghost Quilt's Winter Surprise - August, 2025

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It was beyond Dr. Amber Swan’s greatest dream to win in the "Inspirational Category" of the Next Generation Short Story Awards (https://shortstoryawards.com/winners.php?year=2025) for her piece, Herding Pigs.  The Next Generation Short Story Awards' stated mission is to recognize and honor the best short stories in the world and celebrate and award the creative minds behind the words.  Receiving an award and publication was tremendously shocking and encouraging for her, and she hopes that her little story will be an inspiration for others now!

Book a Table at the Fantastic Grown-Up Book Fair!

This Fall we are hosting another Fantastic Grown Up Book Fair on Sat Oct 11 10am-2pm in Mahone Bay, NS. This will be a satellite event in association with Booktoberfest (a WFNS event some of you may be familiar with) and as such will be co-promoted by the WFNS. 

Details can be found at our website www.GrownUpBookFair.com .

In response to some of the feedback given after our first event in Truro (December 2023), there will be no fee for the public to enter and the event will run from 10am - 2 pm. 

Additionally, there will be 2 free writing workshops and a reading hour of unpublished works for the public to attend (applications for writers/ authors to read at no cost on our website). With a lower rental fee we are able to offer tables for only $40.

COMPETITIONS

Here’s a reminder that The Fiddlehead's fiction contest deadline is September 2. Don’t miss it!

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The annual McNally Robinson Booksellers & Prairie Fire Writing Contests are on now!
Three contests:
Fiction, Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction

Prizes: $1250 cash
prize—per winner—per contest

Deadline: November 30, 2025
Check out prairiefire.ca/contests for all the submission details!

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The fifteenth annual Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest is now open.

The annual juried contest spotlights new musical talent from around the world, offering cash prizes and opportunities to be heard and published.

First prize: $500, a composer profile in Musicworks in 2026, and the composition released on the accompanying Musicworks CD. 

Second prize: $200 and composer coverage on musicworks.ca in 2026. 

Third prize: $100 and composer coverage on musicworks.ca in 2026. 

Contest closes October 31, 2025 

Prize details, eligibility, assessment criteria, rules and restrictions, and the entry portal can be found at: musicworksmag.myshopify.com/products/2025-musicworks-electronic-music-composition-contest 

OPEN CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

Sunspot Lit’s open calls for very longform fiction, CNF, poetry and graphic novels close in September. Accepting all genres and categories; seeking exceptional craft from every voice. Guidelines and deadlines here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit.

  

WRITER IN RESIDENCE APPLICATION

The Saskatoon Public Library (SPL) is looking for a Writer in Residence, Sept 2026-May 2027 term.

The application can be found on their website: https://saskatoonlibrary.ca/about/careers/ or via this direct link: https://saskatoonlibrary.ca/isl/uploads/2025/06/WIR-Job-Posting_2026_27.pdf

Hello, members and friends.

I revel in this warm and sunny July, and love the sights, sounds and smells of summer – my cherry tree, for example, which has more cherries on it than I expected this year, maybe enough for a pie.

A pair of hummingbirds flit around my fragrant honeysuckle in the evening. I love to hear the steady low thrum of their wings.

The arctic kiwi, which I planted on an archway in my backyard three years ago, is finally bearing edible fruit for the first time. How delightful!

…And a single potato plant has popped up in the garden bed. I bet that’ll give us half a meal this fall! Woo-hoo!

You all know that I hate to see the end of summer, but there are other great things to look forward to when fall comes, including our invitation to 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 been invited to New Brunswick by the WFNB before, as well as the Moncton Chapter of the Professional Writers Association of Canada.

WFNB member and award-winning writer, Odette Barr, along with her partner YoAnne have kindly offered their outstanding coastal home (see photo left) near Cap Pelé to serve as the venue for this event. Twenty participants will be able to ask Brian questions and receive public critiques as well as timely information about the publishing industry.

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.

The event page is ready so read all the details here.

Welcome New Members

Erin Brandt Filliter lives in Fredericton and is a 2025 first prize winner of the Douglas Kyle Memorial Prize for short fiction. Welcome, Erin!

Jeremy Gilmer (jeremythomasgilmer.com) is a former WFNB board director, who currently lives in Saint John and celebrates the recent publication of his nonfiction story collection, This Rare Earth. Welcome back, Jeremy!

Michael Lawton writes memoir, nonfiction and poetry from his home in Quispamsis. Welcome, Michael!

Ian Ross (ianrobertross.com) is a fantasy and sci-fi writer living in Ottawa, but is originally from Miramichi, NB. With a background in newspaper and magazine publishing, Ian now focuses on the genres of editing, fantasy, fiction, science writing, speculative fiction, and short story. Welcome, Ian!

MEMBER NEWS

Heather Browne’s short story “Black Snow Blade” merited publication in this summer’s issue of Grain the journal of eclectic writing. Vol.52.4

Heather pitched a creative and performative synopsis of her novel to four publishers at WFNB’s June AGM in Fredericton, NB.  Marion Fairwater, a major character, aproned-up and had much to say about the author’s writing habits, herself and her brother Charlie.

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Sara Moginot is delighted to announce the release of her picture storybook, Are You My Puppy? Purchase here: https://lazy-bear-publishing.square.site/product/are-you-my-puppy-/FTCZXB5KQDRLYQDF6426BOST?cs=true&cst=custom

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For those of you who plan to submit a manuscript to the 2026 NB Writing Competition, you may be interested in listening to the experiences of Erin Brand Filliter, who was recently interviewed for a local podcast in regards to her first place win in the 2025 Douglas Kyle Memorial Prize for Short Fiction. Listen on Spotify here:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/3v6rnZPLRD4hOHZYCRezdL?si=62111b6739f34060

And here is the Apple link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erin-brandt-filliter/id1820011897?i=1000715863968

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Jeremy Gilmer is pleased to announce the release of This Rare Earth, a graphic account of twenty-five years of working for some of the largest mining and engineering companies in the world. Find it here: https://vehiculepress.com/shop/this-rare-earth-building-the-dams-mines-and-megaprojects-that-run-our-world-by-jeremy-thomas-gilmer/

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A rainy day activity:

Here is a crossword using the names of our 2024 NB Book Award winners, just celebrated on May 31. Answers in a separate post in this Inkspot page.

That’s it for me. May the rest of July be inspirational for your writing.

WordWorthy:

“Write as specifically as you can. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something that happened to you (and God bless all the people who can write things like science fiction, because I can’t). I am good at observing from my own life, and then writing that very specifically, and hopefully finding humour in it. I don’t know why – but, I say this all the time – that specificity is the key to being universal. We all deal in specifics, so even though your specific isn’t mine, I will relate to a story you tell about a quirky thing or something you love cause I have something I feel that way about, too. So that feeling is what we relate to.”

Phil Rosenthal, Showrunner, writer/producer of Everybody Loves Raymond and Somebody Feed Phil

in conversation with CBC’s Tom Power, July 2025

MESSAGE FROM THE NEW PRESIDENT

Vision. From an author who writes fantasy and science fiction, you may expect to read something imaginative and wholly unrealistic. I do hope the goals I’m about to outline resonate with you within the realm of the possible, excite you, and call you to action in achieving them.

On our WFNB website, you’ve been introduced to the new Board of Directors and its Executive, including me as your President. This is a role I am honoured to serve on your behalf.

Creating Community Through Words remains our motto. My vision sees that community growing, by sending a clear message that we are a diverse and inclusive community, welcoming accomplished and aspiring authors, poets, playwrights, screen and song writers, traditionally published and self-published alike. We embrace editors, publishers, and others who support the literary arts.

Merely growing our membership isn’t enough. We need to improve our financial health so we can provide more to you, the membership. Workshops, awards, and an influential lobby group to promote the literary arts provincially, all require funding. I hope to encourage WFNB Patrons to bolster our accounts through their generous support.

Advocacy for the literary arts also needs a wider audience, and another goal is to create closer ties with our fellow associations in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in the short term, with the hope to add Newfoundland and Labrador later. A more powerful lobby regionally will in turn help each province individually. We stand stronger when we stand united.

I look forward to working with our new and returning Board of Directors, and welcome all of you to contact me at The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick - Email member

Don Bourque

ASSOCIATIONS

If you are a writer of romance or women’s fiction, The Canadian Romance Writers wants you! Check out their website here: https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/1464404/sites/154689552282289809/KnoSmx

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Volunteer Opportunity with Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) - New Brunswick Regional Coordinator, Canadian Children's Book Week

 The CCBC’s Book Week Coordinators organize the author and illustrator tours in their province/territory by:  

• Sharing Book Week information with potential host organizations (schools, libraries, and community groups) encouraging them to apply to host an author, illustrator or storyteller during Book Week
• Working with Carol-Ann Hoyte (CCBC Events and Program Manager) to match hosts with an author and illustrator based on their list of preferences
• Coordinating itineraries for book creators touring in New Brunswick
• Assisting with booking of accommodation and travel arrangements (as needed)
• Acting as a liaison between touring book creators and host schools and libraries
• Actively promoting Book Week and those book creators touring your region to provincial, regional and local media (if possible) 
• Collecting statistics regarding the number of Book Week participants from host schools and libraries and sharing them with Carol-Ann Hoyte for reporting purposes.
• Encouraging host schools and libraries to participate in post-Book Week survey to help gauge the impact of the tour.  

As compensation for and recognition of their work, the New Brunswick Regional Book Week coordinator will receive a free one-year membership to the Canadian Children’s Book Centre which includes access to our publications, Canadian Children’s Book News and Best Books for Kids and Teens.

If you would like to be considered for this position, please contact Carol-Ann Hoyte, Events and Program Manager, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, by email at carol-ann@bookcentre.ca or by phone at 416-975-0010 extension 2 by no later than 5 pm Eastern Time on September 30^th, 2025.

UPCOMING EVENTS

 Reading and exhibition by poet Kathryn Mockler and artist David Poolman

13 Cedars presents Everyone’s a Blob, an exhibition by Kathryn Mockler and David Poolman, opening Saturday, July 19 from 1 to 4 p.m., with a reading by Kathryn Mockler at 2 p.m.

13 Cedars, is a new independent gallery located rurally in Rowley, New Brunswick, between the city of Saint John and the oceanside village of St. Martins. The space is housed in a small barn, refurbished between 2023-2025.

Kathryn Mockler is the author of the story collection Anecdotes (Book*hug Press, 2023). She co-edited the print anthology Watch Your Head: Writers and Artists Respond to the Climate Crisis (Coach House Books, 2020) and runs the literary newsletter Send My Love to Anyone.

David Poolman is an artist working in drawing, print, sound, and video. Since 2015 Poolman has worked with artist Jeremy Drummond as Never Met a Stranger, a publisher of vernacular arts and culture that collectively explore landscape and culture throughout central Appalachia and the rural North American south.

***

Project Bookmark Canada launches a bookmark in Miramichi  for David Adams Richards

New Brunswick will soon join the Canadian Literary Trail with plaques honouring Senator David Adams Richards, the province’s pre-eminent writer and one who has inspired generations of New Brunswick writers. New Brunswick’s first Bookmarks in both English and French present a passage from Richards’ novel The Friends of Meager Fortune, and will be installed in the City of Miramichi.

All are welcome on July 18, 2025 at 1 pm, to attend the plaque unveiling and readings at a new park, off Newcastle Boulevard at the old Harkins Middle School property in the City of Miramichi, New Brunswick. https://www.projectbookmarkcanada.ca/news/

***

Planting Seeds: A Free Playwriting Workshop with NotaBle Acts Playwright/Dramaturge in Residence, Beth Graham

Sunday, July 13, 6:30-8:00 PM, Carleton Hall, UNB, Room 304 To register: email bethgraham@shaw.ca

There are many ways to create a new play. Some plays begin with a main character, others spring from a setting, still others are inspired by a central idea or an image. In this workshop, we will explore a myriad of different approaches to new play creation with an emphasis on intuition rather than logic. Bring a pen and paper and be prepared to engage in discussion and perform writing exercises. 

About Beth:

Beth Graham is an actor, playwright, and dramaturg. She has been a finalist for the Governor Generals’ Award in Drama and is a two-time recipient of the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Literary Award. From 2020-23 she was the Lee playwright in residence at the University of Alberta, as well as the dramaturg in residence with Workshop West Playwrights Theatre. Her plays and collaborations include Mermaid Legs, The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble, Weasel, and The Drowning Girls (co-creator). Recently, Beth was the dramaturg of The Doorstep Plays with Theatre Yes, a play that toured to the backyards of Edmonton. This fall, Beth will be the writer in residence at Grant MacEwan University and her play, Mermaid Legs, will be published by Playwrights Canada Press.

 COMPETITIONS

The Fiddlehead's 2025 Fiction Contest is currently open for submissions! The best story will receive the $2000 prize and be published in Issue 306 of The Fiddlehead. This year's contest is being judged by award-winning writer Anuja Varghese! You can find all our guidelines for submission here. Deadline to submit: September 1. 

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

 Milk Bag Magazine. 

Submissions are now open for our Fall 2025 issue: "Paintings for Mice &

Coffee for the Burglar", an exploration of unwelcome guests, lingering memories and what it means to make space for what you once tried to shut out. 

We publish short fiction, poetry, visual art and reviews quarterly and would be grateful if you could share this call with your members. 

The key details:

- Deadline for submissions: August 1, 2025

- Submission guidelines: here is the link to our submission portal

- Compensation: We operate on a profit-share model, so all contributors receive a share of the profits from the magazine

***

Open Call for Novella-length Fiction and Nonfiction

Since January of 2019, Sunspot Lit has accepted long-form fiction, nonfiction and graphic novel manuscripts as well as epic poetry. Submit single works of fiction or nonfiction from 29,001 to 49,000 words, graphic novels should between 51 and 120 pages, or a single poem between 86 and 105 single-spaced pages between July 1 and July 31 here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit.

All is quiet on the home front this June, Members and Friends.

I haven’t received many notices about activities, competitions, etc. happening in June, but please check previous issues for announcements about competitions that may still be running.

I hope that you will take the opportunity to rest, recharge and refuel during what is expected to be a glorious summer.

• What a great WordSpring we enjoyed at the Crowne Plaza in Fredericton two weeks ago. I hope that if you attended, you received information and/or inspiration to fire up your writing projects well into the summer and fall.
  
  
• Members, it’s Annual General Meeting time. WE NEED YOU TO ATTEND next Thursday night, June 19 at 7 pm! We need a minimum of 39 members to attend to achieve quorum. We have no major issues that require voting, so it will be a straightforward one-hour session via zoom. 
  
  
• Saint John area poets: Sign up now for the Anne Simpson workshop happening June 28 at the Saint John Arts Centre from 2 to 4 pm. Looking forward to this interesting and interactive event, led by a well-respected Nova Scotia poet!

Welcome, New Members

Zelma Aird – From Fredericton, Zelma is interested in photography and writes flash fiction, short stories and travel writing. Welcome, Zelma!

Lisa Downing – From Grande Digue, Lisa writes poetry, and also writes for children. Welcome, Lisa!

Crystal Gauvin

Cheyenne Kean-Lemery—Writes flash fiction, middle grade and travel

Gary MacDonald

Francis Adrien-Morneault –Francis is a multi-award winning indie author and French teacher from Rothesay, interested in fiction and short stories. Welcome, Francis!

Jennifer Rankin—Writing under the pen name J.K. Rankin, Jennifer writes fiction, suspense and thrillers from her home in Fairfield. Welcome, Jennifer!

Janie Upham—Writes creative nonfiction, memoir, copywriting, and freelance work from her home in Fredericton. Welcome, Janie!

Zachary Vanthournout—hails from Fredericton Junction and writes fiction, science fiction and nonfiction. Welcome, Zachary!

And we welcome three Sheree Fitch Prize-winning students:

Quinn Mallaley Ryan

Nadirah Enitan-Adelakun

Mallory Pitzner

Member News

Physician (and WFNB member!) Michael Simon is happy to announce that the fourth book in his First Command series, in which an old alien nemesis returns to shatter the peace and send the human race to extinction, will be released later this year (Imprint: Aethon). Congratulations, Michael!

***

Lisa Thompson is pleased to announce the publication of her video, Tales of the City, in Books and Pieces magazine. Check out her piece here https://bnpmag.com/2025/05/24/tales-from-the-city-by-lisa-thompson/

Events

Happening tomorrow, June 14!

The Fiddlehead is excited to launch Issue 303 with a special virtual event!

Join them on Zoom for an evening of readings by spring issue contributors, plus selected poems by the late Robert Gibbs, read by the editorial team.

To attend, email thefiddlehead@gmail.com with your name to receive the Zoom link. See you there! The event is free and open to all, with ASL interpretation available.

COMPETITIONS, CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

Sequestrum Literary Magazine

Themes: Time, Nature, & Optimism

Final month for three themes: Time, Nature, and Optimism! You can find details below, but in short, we're after your most ambitious, imaginative writing. Bend time, take us somewhere lush or barren, leave us with a glimmer of hope. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or some combination thereof. We’re eager to read your best. Deadline 7/15.

Nature submission details are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/themed-submissions-nature

Optimism submissions are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/themed-submissions-optimism

Time Submissions are here: https://www.sequestrum.org/theme-time

That's it for me. Enjoy the rest of June!

Cheers,

WordWorthy:

"For I’ve come to realize that struggle for the benefit of others – for goodness, kindness and simplicity, as Leo Tolstoy has reminded us, is always in its own right a sanctification, and when seen is always recognized as something akin to joy." David Adams Richards, June 2, 2025.

Hello, members and friends:

My husband and I love flowers and landscaping, as I know many of you do, but we haven't had much luck with vegetables. We attempt container gardening in our tiny city backyard every year, but it meets with limited success.

This spring we tried again because…well, we're optimists who like to wing it, I guess. We planted squash seeds and placed them in the generous sunshine that pours through our patio door. They sprouted up in robust fashion, big and thick and tough. By this past Sunday night, they had outgrown their seedling trays, and we figured it was safe to transplant them outside in a raised bed.

Nope. They all died I’m staring at the planter below my deck as I write this, struck by the sight of their little withered forms splayed all over the container mix.

I guess we put them outside before the world was warm enough to receive them. We’ve committed squash murder.

But, we're determined to try again.

I suppose this is a little bit like the determination that I require after receiving a manuscript rejection. I hope you are experiencing great success, but if it’s mixed with adversity, I hope you are determined to try again.

In the meantime, if you need a little encouragement from your fellow scribes, why not come to WordSpring?

WordSpring is almost here!

We’d love to see as many people as possible in Fredericton May 30 – June 1. The workshops are going to be stellar, and we are looking forward to our two award ceremonies and our Pitch the Publisher event, organized by Partridge Island Publishing.  We’ll be able to release the winners of the NB Writing Competition by the end of the week, and we hope we’ll be able to hear many of them read at the literary soiree on May 30. Check out the event page and sign up for an event, if you can’t make the whole weekend! We’d love to see you.

I’ve only received a couple of requests to sell books by consignment at the merch table, which will be set up Friday and Saturday. If that interests you, contact me at info@wfnb.ca

Anne Simpson Workshop

Kicking off our summer/fall 2025 series of workshops is an ekphrastic poetry session by Nova Scotia poet Anne Simpson on June 28, who offers her knowledge in the wonderful setting of the Saint John Arts Centre. Anne offers this workshop in collaboration with the Saint John Art Centre's exhibit, "The Presence of Trees". Explore what can take your poems beyond a simple description of what you see as you learn compelling ways to write about art.

That’s it for me. More details to come on events later in the year.

I hope to see many of you at the end of May!

Cheers,

Rhonda

WordWorthy:

The way for a person to develop a style is (a) to know exactly what he wants to say, and (b) to be sure he is saying exactly that. The reader, we must remember, does not start by knowing what we mean. If our words are ambiguous, our meaning will escape him. I sometimes think that writing is like driving sheep down a road. If there is any gate open to the left or the right the reader will most certainly go in it.  - C. S. Lewis

WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS!

Jenna May Bourque is a writer from Saint John who's interested in blogging, fantasy, fiction, horror, scriptwriting, flash/microfiction, middle grade, short stories and travel writing. Welcome, Jenny May!

Jonathan de Jager: From his home in Moncton, Jonathan writes in a wide variety of genres from biography and other forms of nonfiction, to poetry, scripts, and science fiction and speculative writing. Jonathan writes under the pen name J.M. de Jager. Welcome, Jonathan!

Welcome to Josh Landry!

Welcome to Wanda Larson!

Ana Larade writes fiction, memoir, poetry and flash/microfiction from her home in Moncton. Welcome, Ana!

Matthew Taylor joins us from Fredericton where he writes fantasy, historical fiction, science fiction, and scripts under the pen name Weston Taylor. Welcome, Matthew!

MEMBER NEWS

Vanessa Hawkins is having an Alice in Horrorland tea party book launch at the Write Cup Cafe on May 24th. It would be awesome to get as many members in the community together for it. Costumes are encouraged but not required, and there will be some goodies for everyone to take home. :)

Alice is a poor, lonely match girl living in one of the many orphanages of industrial London. When she meets a mysterious young gentleman with the power to turn into a white rabbit, she finds herself tumbling down a manhole into Horrorland. 

Here, the creatures are strange and uncanny, lost in madness. Drug addicted Caterpillars, grinning cats, and homicidal Mad Hatters gambol around Alice like blood-drunk mosquitoes. At the center of it all is the Queen of Hearts, who is said to have lost her own a long time ago.

Horrorland used to be so wonderful, but can Alice make it so again?

Or will she be hunted down by the heartless Queen of Hearts?

***

Screenwriter Gordon Mihan is pleased to announce that his New Brunswick-made indie film is making an exciting return home for a special screening in Fredericton on May 30 (during WordSpring!) at the Fredericton Cineplex Cinemas. Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efhghvh4ymc

After a world premiere at TIFF and international premiere at Busan International Film Festival, Do I Know You From Somewhere? is now being released across Canada. It’s a unique romance with mind-bending elements in the spirit of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind—an intimate and dreamlike exploration of memory, love, and connection.

The Fredericton screening will include a Q&A with the filmmakers—writer (and Fed member) Gordon Mihan and writer/director Arianna Martinez—both proud New Brunswickers. 

***

Editor and publisher Lee Thompson is offering an online Ten-Step Writing Mentorship.

This self-paced mentorship is designed for beginning and intermediate fiction and nonfiction writers. The ‘ten steps’ can be completed over a month, a year, or taken individually (if certain steps don’t appeal). Each step builds your ability to self-edit core elements of effective creative writing.

Through writing sample analysis and then hands-on editing, you’ll strengthen both technique and voice! Register before June 15 and save 10%. For full course details, write Lee - editor@galleonbooks.ca 

***

Jake Swan of Quispamsis is thrilled to announce the publication of Oliver Bell and the Infinite Multiverse, a science fiction satire set during the COVID pandemic. A limited edition with French flaps is available through Galleon Books (galleonbooks.ca), and a 'common edition' available through the usual online bookselling sources. 

EVENTS

WRITERS’ OPEN MIC
Sunday, May 25tth
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, general questions, and image or video files can be directed to laurawatsonartwork@gmail.com.

COMPETITIONS

The Fiddlehead's 2025 Creative Nonfiction Contest is now open for submissions! Send us your best unpublished essay by Monday, June 2^nd for a chance to win $2000 and publication in Issue 305. This year's contest is being judged by award-winning essayist Nicole Breit! You can find all our guidelines for submission here. 

***

The First Annual Julia Stewart Memorial Short Story Contest

A writing competition for emerging writers honouring the life and legacy of Julia Stewart

Prizes:

1st place $2500

2nd place $1000

3rd place $500

Judges:

Nancy Bauer,  AnnMarie MacKinnon, Richard Davies, and Jon Holt

Eligibility: Unpublished authors aged 16 and older who reside in NB or NS

Format: Double-spaced PDF or Word document <1500 words, one story per entry

Submit previously unpublished stories (English fiction) as an attachment to jsmcontest@gmail.com

Author’s name should appear on separate cover page. It should not appear anywhere else on the document, to allow for anonymous judging.

Deadline: Submissions accepted until July 5, 2025 and prizes awarded October 1, 2025

Entry fee: $20 payable by e-transfer to jsmcontest@gmail.com - please include author's name as a note. 2025 entry fees will be donated to MS Canada and will be matched by the sponsor up to $1000.

2025 Sponsor: Cedar Valley Investments Ltd.

Full guidelines at www.jsmcontest.ca

About Julia Stewart:

Julia Stewart was a beloved librarian, an excellent community leader, and an advocate for fellow humans. Julia lived with MS, but this didn’t inhibit her positivity and love for life and adventure. She made a difference wherever she went and inspired everyone she met. She was always working to make the world a better place.

Julia believed in the power of stories. Her love of reading was contagious. She championed local writers, she encouraged hidden talent, and she had a particular fondness for debut novels. As a tribute to Julia’s love for stories, and in honour of her generous and inclusive nature, this contest has been created to foster stories that reflect her spirit.

***

Solar Flare 2025 contest
A flare of creativity could net you $100 and publication. Check out Sunspot Lit’s Solar Flare contest opening May 1, closing May 31. Authors and artists eligible in all genres/forms. Guidelines and entry form here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit/318762/solar-flare-2025-100-for-fiction-cnf-poem-art-graphic-novel.

West Coast Residency opportunity for a Canadian writer of fiction, Summer 2026

The McLoughlin Gardens are the site of a Creative Residency on Vancouver Island. In addition to a studio residency program for local writers and visual artists, we also host one or more Canadian authors as writers-in-residence for a four-week period during the summer months.  Writers receive an honorarium of $3000 and full use of the cottage and adjacent studio. Travel costs are the writer's responsibility.

The residency takes place at McLoughlin Gardens, a regional park in the Comox Valley. The seaside cottage is fully equipped and surrounded by gardens and a seashore, where an abundance of wildlife can be seen daily.

Past writers-in-residence include poets Anne Simpson, Don McKay, Maleea Acker, and Arleen Paré. Playwright Marcus Youssef, novelist Jennifer Manuel, and non-fiction writer Darrel McLeod have also been in residence. In 2023, children’s author Sara Cassidy was at the Gardens as well as former Victoria poet laureate Yvonne Blomer.

The mission of the McLoughlin Gardens is to nurture the transformative power of art, nature, and story in creating a more just, sustainable, and equitable world. The seaside cottage and studio at the McLoughlin Gardens are ideally situated to offer a writer seclusion and proximity to nature as they advance their creative work.

Visit our website to learn more about the McLoughlin Gardens – mcloughlingardens.org.

Learn more about the residency and the application process: 

https://www.mcloughlingardens.org/call-for-applications-writer-in-residence

RETREATS

American author (and WFNB member!) Peter Von Ziegeser  and his business partner, screenwriter and professor Melissa Scholes Young, will conduct another Tennants Cove Writers' Workshop again this summer from July 20-25, which focuses on memoir, fiction or screenwriting projects. They had an amazing time last year with mostly Nova Scotia and New Brunswick writers. Peter has worked as a professional editor, and Melissa has also spent a lot of time working with other fiction and nonfiction writers. Together, they have real expertise in helping people find out where they’re heading, evaluating their work, and helping them find a direction for the rest of their manuscript. They also keep n touch with their authors and monitor their progress. Check out their website for more information: http://tennantscovewriters.com/. Tennants Cove Writers Ltd. is an entirely Canadian company that also buys all of its supplies and pays its taxes in Canada.

***

Go and Write! 2025 retreats open for registration

Join award-winning New Brunswick authors Dr. Gerard Collins and Jane Simpson on one of Go and Write!’s inspiring and immersive writing retreats. Participants include emerging and published writers of all genres—novelists, poets, dramatists, children’s authors, memoirists, and those who just want to sketch with words in their journals.

• Retreat to Kingsbrae, St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, NB (May 18 to 25; Jun. 4 to 11; or Sep. 17 to 24)
  

• Retreat to the New World: Newfoundland (Aug. 7 to 23)
  

• A Grand Writing Tour of Ireland (Oct. 4 to 26)
  

• Mountains, Lochs, and Lore: Scotland (Nov. 23 to Dec. 5)
  

• Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire: England (Dec. 9 to 17)

***

Akar Communications offers a spring cohort of Writing Through from April 17th - May 15th. Writing Through is a 5-part online creative writing workshop series that will take place for 2 hours every Thursday at 4:30 PM Pacific Time/8:30 PM Atlantic Time. The sessions will be facilitated live in English.

They are offering this creative space as a way to process and reflect on climate justice and collective liberation in a hostile world. In the past cohort, participants have shared profound poems, prayers, stories, collages and letters. There is no writing experience needed - the outcome is the space we co-create together. 

Thanks to a generous donation, Akar has been able to set up a scholarship for women and gender-diverse racialized youth aged 20-29 who’d like to participate. The scholarship covers 90% of the cost to attend (for tickets valued at C$270). Applications are accepted until the end of day Monday, April 14.

Those who are not eligible for the scholarship can still sign up via the available scaled pricing.  Sign up here by end of day Monday, April 14.

CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

Sunspot Lit Goldilocks Zone 2025 Contest

The Goldilocks Zone contest seeks the best blend of craft and appeal. $100 plus publication for the winner. Authors and artists eligible in all genres/forms. Opens April 1. Closes April 30. Guidelines and entry form here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit/318761/goldilocks-zone-2025-100-for-fiction-cnf-poem-art-graphic-novel.

RESIDENCIES

 Applications are now open for the Banff Centre upcoming programs, including Comics and Graphic Novels, Early Career Writers of Young Adult and Children's Books, Deep Winter Writers, Contemporary French Literature, Spring Writers Residency, and Mountain Writers Intensive.

For inquiries or marketing opportunities, contact us at arts_info@banffcentre.ca.

Comics and Graphic Novels 2025
Comics and Graphic Novels is a self-directed residency that considers how creatives use this unique media as a place for personal narrative, memoir, and exploration. The residency provides writers with the time and space to delve deep into their creative project away from the constraints of everyday life, take advantage of an artistic community of peers, and consult with experienced faculty. 
Program dates: October 6 – 17, 2025 | Application deadline: May 21, 2025

Early Career Writers of Young Adult and Children's Books 2025
This self-directed writing residency supports new writers of young adult and children’s books at varying levels of accomplishment—from not-yet-published writers to those with one published book—to improve their writing skills and expand their practice, taking it to the next level.  
Program dates: November 24 – December 5, 2025 | Application deadline: June 4, 2025

Deep Winter Writers 2026
This 19-day self-directed residency offers the opportunity to work away from the constraints of everyday life, delve deep into a creative project and take advantage of a community of artistic peers. Deep Winter Writers provides opportunities for consultations with exceptional mentors Holly Pester, Divya Victor, and Nasser Hussain and professional guest Joshua Rothes, as well as optional group sessions.
Program dates: January 12 – 30, 2026 | Application deadline: August 20, 2025

Contemporary French Literature
This 12-day contemporary writing residency will provide French citizens with the opportunity to explore craft and voice while introducing them to the North American publishing market. Participants will be able to workshop their original prose or poetry manuscripts with a faculty of accomplished writers and translators of French and English.
Program dates: February 9 – 20, 2026 | Application deadline: September 24, 2025

Spring Writers Residency
Banff Centre’s Spring Writers Residency provides participants with the time and space for creative exploration away from the constraints of everyday life. Writers will be able to delve deep into their creative project, meet with a community of artistic peers, and take advantage of workshops and mentorship opportunities with faculty.
Program dates: March 16 – 27, 2026 | Application deadline: October 15, 2025

Mountain Writers Intensive
Mountain Writers Intensive is a three-week residency for eight writers working on mountain narratives, environmental journalism, stories of adventure, or projects with an environmental theme. Writers can work in any genre, and will enjoy dedicated, uninterrupted writing time in a spectacular mountain setting, the communality of a small group of artistic peers and support from renowned faculty.
Program dates: October 29 – November 18, 2025 | Application deadline: May 28, 2025

***

Regina Public Library invites applications from accomplished Canadian writers for the position of Writer in Residence.

Term: This is a 40-week residency, from September 2, 2025 – June 22, 2026.

Location: This residency is to be conducted in-person in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Writer in Residence will be provided with an office in a Regina Public Library branch.

The successful candidate must spend at least 16 hours a week working with Regina Public Library to schedule and deliver individual consultations, in-person or online writing workshops and in-person or online community and school visits. The remaining time will be devoted to personal writing projects.

Our candidate of choice will have:

• Published works, and a background in the literary field in Canada
• Experience working with the public
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Encouraging attitude with a strong ability to inspire others
• Adept at handling group facilitation activities to bring members of the public together in a shared experience
• Exceptional instructional skills aimed at ensuring positive learning, and a demonstrated ability to provide constructive criticism in a compassionate manner
• Experience working effectively with technology

Remuneration:  The Writer in Residence salary is $1,000 per week, to a maximum of $40,000 for the 40-week residency, with a minimum of 16 hours a week.

• During this period, the Writer in Residence shall designate two weeks (e.g. 14 days), either together or separately, during which services shall not be provided. These two weeks shall be unpaid.
• Moving expenses to Regina, Saskatchewan, are not provided by Regina Public Library.

Apply:  Applications should include -

• Introductory cover letter
• CV or résumé
• 10-page writing sample (no more than 10 pages)
• Letter of reference from a supervisor or community leader who can attest to your writing and mentorship skills
• Contact information for two additional references that may be contacted for more information (references must include a daytime and evening phone number as well as a contact email address).

Please ensure the cover letter provides information on your suitability for the role, taking into consideration and addressing the requirements outlined above, as well as an explanation of your writing – the genres you prefer, the format of your writing, and where your works have been published. As part of your application, include examples of previous experience working with the public, leading workshops, one-on-one coaching, and/or mentoring, etc.

Note: only complete applications will be considered.

 Application Closing Date: 4:00pm on May 23, 2025

THAT'S IT FOR THIS MONTH. SEE YOU IN MAY!

Hello Members and Friends.

Thank you to those of you who took the time to answer our recent generative AI survey. I am busily compiling a report for an upcoming board meeting, and I appreciate your thoughtful comments and observations. Both the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia and the PEI Writers’ Guild seek to address this issue, and I’ve appreciated the opportunity to communicate and collaborate. More on this in the coming weeks.

Also, the NB Writing Competition closed on March 31, and now all of your polished manuscripts are being pored over by our judges. The winners will be contacted personally in mid-May, and an accompanying news release will announce the winners to the public shortly thereafter. The winners will have the opportunity to read their pieces and receive their awards on May 30 at the literary soiree during WordSpring. Once again, this event will be hosted by the fabulous and accomplished duo, Martha Vowles and Susan White.

Have you registered for WordSpring?

There are a few rooms left in our Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick room block at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fredericton, if you think you’d like to stay for the weekend. Deadline to reserve is April 28.

This year, we have a wonderful slate of speakers, as well as our usual open mic on Friday afternoon (come on, don’t be shy – let’s hear your stuff!!), as well as the NB Writing Competition literary soiree and the NB Book Awards.

Special this year – A Pitch the Publisher event will take place Saturday afternoon after lunch, organized by Amanda Evans of Partridge Island Publishing and the Write Cup Bookstore & Café in Saint John. You can sign up for this event, even if you’re not attending any other WordSpring events (but we hope you do!). If you’d like to pitch your latest product to the panel of publishers, contact Amanda Evans at this email: amanda@partridgeislandpublishing.ca

The best part of WordSpring this year is that all the events are in one place, the Crowne Plaza. If you can’t come for the whole weekend, you can sign up to attend just Saturday. This includes our morning address by Mark Leslie Lefebvre, who’s driving down from Ontario to talk about all the various pathways to publishing in the current marketplace. Then enjoy lunch with the crew, participate in Pitch the Publisher, and choose between two other workshops in the afternoon. Then join us for the NB Book Awards in the evening.

But, if you don’t have that much time, or if you only are interested in one or two workshops, you can pay for them à la carte. We really hope you can participate in WordSpring this year – we’d love to see you and hear about your current writing projects.

That’s it for this month. I hope the rising sun and the return of robins is lifting your spirits these days.

WordWorthy:

“When revising, remember to remove anything that takes you away from your central theme. Remove hunks of narrative that would take the reader out of your story. Could be just a sentence, a paragraph, or more. And watch out for clichés! Instead, use a fresh metaphor from your own imagination.“ - Sandra Phinney, from Braiding our Truths, session 2, March 22, 2025.

Until next time, (Can't wait to see you at WordSpring!)

Rhonda

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

Mark Blagrave is a novelist (and returning member) based in St. Andrews, NB. His latest novel, Felt, is shortlisted for this year’s Mrs. Dunster’s Fiction Award. Welcome, Mark!

Tallis Clarke is a new member from Passekeag, NB, and writes in several genres, including creative non-fiction, editing, fiction, memoir, poetry, songwriting, travel writing. Welcome, Tallis!

Lila Donovan is an artist, writer and qigong teacher from Allison, NB, who loves telling stories with words and images. She is a retired journalist and writer-broadcaster. Her stories focused on politics, feminist issues, climate change and the arts. These days, Lila writes in the genres of journalism, photography, poetry, short stories. Welcome, Lila!

Cheryl Ford is a retired elementary school teacher, an author and artist with an active mixed media art practice. Cheryl’s creative non-fiction novels STILL and STILL in Paintings and Words on order from Amazon. She writes in the genres of creative non-fiction, fiction, historical fiction, illustration, non-fiction, poetry, spiritual, young adult, middle grade, short stories. Welcome, Cheryl!

Heather McBriarty (https://heathermcbriartyauthor.ca) is a returning member who is an author, lecturer and Medical Radiation Technologist. Her love of writing came early in life, but it was the discovery of old family correspondence that led to her first non-fiction book Somewhere in Flanders: Letters from the Front, and a passion for the First World War. Heather is also a contributing reviewer for The Miramichi Reader and has written for [Edit] digital magazine. Heather writes in the genres of blogging, children’s, historical fiction, and non-fiction. Welcome, Heather!

Joan Skinner –We don’t have any details about Joan as yet, but we hope to get to know her at an upcoming event. Welcome, Joan!

Karen Smock- is a writer from St. André, whose first novel Shredded was published under the pen name Karen Avivi. She writes in the young adult genre. Welcome, Karen!

MEMBER NEWS

Pierre Arsenault is pleased to announce his ninth book, which will launch May 20, 2025, his first full dramatic novel. Something Happened in Carlton is a sequel to a novella which was in his short story collection, Sleepless Nights.

***

Merlin Star Press, one of New Brunswick's newest publishers, is pleased to announce the launch of their third novel, PUPPET: a novel of suspense by Robert Stutt. Date: Thursday May 8, 2025 6pm to 8pm, at The Cap, 362 Queen St. Fredericton. Check Merlin Star Press social media and https://www.robertstutt.ca for more details.

EVENTS

The League of Canadian Poets invites you to celebrate National Poetry Month this April 2025 with the theme of FAMILY.

Celebrate National Poetry Month 2025 using the theme FAMILY in its many forms: found and chosen family, birth family, and family that defies categorization.

This April, turn to poetry to celebrate, cherish, mourn, critique, and explore the myriad bonds that family forms in our lives. Parents, pets, friendships, soulmates, siblings, plants, and beyond: the League invites you to examine the shape of family in your life now, to witness the intergenerational impact of ancestors, and to consider the role of family in generations to come.

For more information about National Poetry Month, please visit https://poets.ca/npm-mnp.

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In conjunction with National Poetry Month, Hot Bottled Poetry Collective is hosting a Poetry Open Mic on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at the Write Cup Bookstore Café (in Market Square), in Saint John. The event will start at 6pm and there will be a sign-up sheet available at the event. Suggested theme: Family
Share your poems and celebrate Poetry Month with us. This event is a group effort of the Hot Bottled Poetry Collective and the League Of Canadian Poets. The Facebook event can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/446726868529718

The Write Cup Bookstore Café page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569899617725
The Hot Bottled Poetry Collective Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556594069618
The League of Canadian Poets Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/canadianpoets

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WFNB members and plenty of other regional writers will be selling their books at the Greater Moncton Book Fair on April 26 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Riverview Lions Club. If you love to read, this is a great opportunity to buy from a local or regional author.

https://gmrdbookfair.blogspot.com/

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An Evening of Poetry in Sackville’s Municipal Council Chambers Tuesday, April 29th, 6:00 pm, 31 Main Street, Sackville, NB

All are invited to an evening of poetry in the Municipal Council Chambers, including readings from local poets, the launch of the second annual Poets of Tantramar chapbook, and the announcement of the winners of Tantramar’s Poetry Contest.

COMPETITIONS

NotaBle Acts seeks entries for 24th annual Province-Wide Playwriting Competition

The NotaBle Acts Theatre Company is seeking submissions for its twenty-fourth annual provincewide playwriting competition. Contest winners will have their work featured as part of the 2025 NotaBle Acts Summer Theatre Festival, to be held in Fredericton, July 23-August 2.

New Brunswick playwrights have the opportunity to submit work in three main categories, one for 7-10 minute short plays, one for 30-60 minute one-act plays, and another for 10-20 minute site-specific plays. Two additional categories of the contest are specifically for young playwrights in New Brunswick Middle and High schools.

Winning playwrights will also receive a cash prize and script mentoring from a professional playwright.

The contest rules and guidelines, as well as instructions on how to submit scripts, are available at www.nbacts.com. Questions about the contest can be directed to lfalken@unb.ca or (506) 458-7406. The contest deadline is May 1st, 2025.

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PEN Canada is pleased to announce that submissions are now open for the 2025 RBC PEN Canada New Voices Award. 

The annual award aims to encourage new writing and 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. The winning entry will receive a $3,000 CAD cash prize and mentorship with a Canadian author.  The deadline to submit is Monday May 12, 2025 at 11:59 pm EST.   Submission guidelines can be found on our website here: https://pencanada.ca/news/submissions-open-for-the-2025-rbc-pen-canada-new-voices-award/. 

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The Eighth Annual Pottersfield Prize for Creative Nonfiction

LAST CALL! For the eighth 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.

Deadline is April 30, 2025, but early submissions are encouraged.

Manuscripts can be submitted electronically as a double-spaced basic Word document to:

pottersfieldcreative@gmail.com

including a title page with name, address and email contact.

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, 2025. The winners of the Seventh Annual Pottersfield Prize for Creative Nonfiction are co-authors James MacDuff and Mirriam Mweemba in first place for The Illogical Adventure and Matthew R. Anderson in second place for Someone Else’s Saint.

Both books will be published by Pottersfield Press in 2025.

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A friendly reminder that applications for the 2025 Audible Indigenous Writers' Circle close on April 21st!

We've put together a  promotional toolkit to make it as easy as possible to create your social media, email and newsletter content (see attached or access via this link). We’ve also attached a PDF copy of a printable flyer.

Thank you so much for considering supporting the Audible Indigenous Writers Circle. 

READ MORE IN PART 2!