Call for Mentees

The 2026-27 Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers

The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick is accepting applications from individuals interested in being a mentee in the 2026/27 Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers. You do not need to be a WFNB member, but you do need to be a New Brunswick resident. There is no fee for application.

• Deadline for mentee applications - November 2 at 5 pm AST
• Results announced - November 30
• Mentorship period - December 2026 through April 2027
• Reception - A wrap-up reception for the writers and mentors will celebrate the program, likely held in conjunction with WordSpring in Moncton, June 4-6, 2027.

The WFNB Mentorship program is designed to serve the needs of emerging New Brunswick writers who are committed to the development of their writing. It’s aimed at writers who are on the cusp of professional publication and who have a substantial work-in-progress.

Mentees will receive 25 hours of consultation from their mentors on a one-to-one basis over an intensive five-month period beginning in December 2026. (Pairs may meet in-person or online, usually five hours per month.) 

Since the WFNB has not held a mentorship program since 2015, for this year, we will offer a pilot program of three mentor/mentee pairings, one for each of three categories.

Poetry 

with mentor Lynn Davies

About Lynn Davies (http://www.lynndavies.ca/)

Lynn is the author of four collections of poetry. Her new book for children, So Imagine Me, is full of riddle-poems about the natural world and is perfect for any curious 8 to 108 year old. Her first book was short-listed for a Governor General’s Award and the Gerald Lampert Award. Her poems have been featured on CBC radio and translated into French and Spanish. Lynn’s poems and stories for children have appeared in anthologies and magazines. Most recently, her picture book, The Graveyard Cat, from Nimbus Publishing, launches in October, 2026.

Lynn grew up in Riverview and Newcastle, New Brunswick, Canada. Her first paid job was working for her parents in The Book Mark, Moncton's first independent bookshop. After graduating from the University of King’s College with a B.A. (Honours: English), she began writing as a freelancer for Atlantic Insight, Eastern Woods and Waters, Arts Atlantic, and Canadian Geographic. Under the name of ReadWell Tutoring, she worked as a private reading tutor. Lynn has taught English as a Second Language at the Multicultural Centre. She's also taught creative writing at the University of New Brunswick, the Maritime Writers' Workshop, and enjoyed running a monthly Writers' Circle at Westminster Books (where she worked part-time for 9 years and where she spent most of her salary). Lynn has designed and taught classes on creative writing and book making for children at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and in the local schools. Currently she lives in Fredericton with her companion Dave Macfarlane where she writes poems, reviews, and essays. In her spare time she reads, bakes bread, and folds boxes of frogs.

Fiction 

with mentor Luke Francis Beirne 

About Luke

 (https://www.lukefrancisbeirne.com/) Luke was born in Ireland and lives on Wolastoqey land in Saint John, New Brunswick. His first novel, Foxhunt, was a finalist for the 2022 Foreword INDIES award in General Fiction and was selected as one of The Miramichi Reader’s best novels of 2022.

His second novel, Blacklion, was selected by CBC as one of the novels to read in 2023and shortlisted by the Writer’s Federation of New Brunswick for the 2023 Mrs. Dunster’s Fiction Award.

His third novel, Saints Rest, released in  2025. It was featured in Maritime [EDIT] as an ‘Editor’s Choice.’ His writing has been stylistically compared to Hammett, Greene, Forsyth, Hemingway and le Carre.”

Nonfiction

with mentor Wendy Kitts

About Wendy

At 42, Wendy Kitts went from a nine-to-five cubicle-grey existence in accounting, to living in Technicolor as a professional freelance writer—without ever having written anything before. Twenty-five years later, Wendy—who lives in Shédiac—has written more than 300 articles for publications such as Readers’ Digest, the LA Times, and the Globe & Mail and has published ten nonfiction children’s books. In 2011, her trade book—Sable Island: The Wandering Sandbar—was nominated for several readers’-choice awards and chosen as Top Five New Brunswick Books by CBC-Radio and Top 100 Gift Books by the Globe & Mail.

And up until her recent retirement, Wendy had achieved something most think impossible: for nearly two decades she supported herself solely with her writing (and writing-adjacent activities such as editing, author presentations and workshops), creating a laptop-lifestyle and fulfilling her dream of living at the beach year-round—including 12 sunny years in California.

Who can apply as a mentee?

The mentee position is for writers who have a substantial work-in-progress and who are committed to the creative and professional development of their writing and who meet the criteria outlined below:

• NB resident writers who have a substantial work-in-progress in fiction, nonfiction or poetry;
• Individuals who are prepared for a disciplined, focused period of work during which writing takes priority;
• Individuals who are not using generative AI (please read our statement on AI generated content), also known as Large Language Models (LLMs), to create and write their project;
• Individuals 19-years-of-age and older.

The WFNB is committed to greater inclusion of traditionally marginalized communities. We encourage applications to the Mentorship Program from all members of our diverse writing community.

How to apply as a mentee

To apply for a mentee position, please submit the following:

• Name, age, creative resume, email, phone, and address
• A typewritten, double-spaced, ten-page sample of your work (poetry submissions are exempt from the double-spacing requirement);
• Include length of manuscript to date (i.e., word count or number of poems);
• A declaration of which category you are applying for – fiction, nonfiction, or poetry
• A statement of what you hope to achieve during the mentorship and how you think it will assist you with your manuscript
• A summary of your recent writing history, how long you’ve been writing, and your publication credits, if any.

Send your submission as a .doc or .pdf file to info@wfnb.ca by the deadline of Monday, November 2, 2026, at 5 pm.

Selection Process

Results will be announced at the end of November. Mentors will receive submissions from the selection committee, and the mentors will ultimately select their mentees. Decisions will be made on the basis of the best-suited match between the prospective mentees and the mentors.

Notes 

• Late submissions will not be accepted.
• Ineligible and/or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

Anyone seeking further information about the WFNB Mentorship Program for Emerging Writers should email info@wfnb.ca.

Until November, writers!

Rhonda

WordWorthy

“The late Elmore Leonard used to talk about how a character would walk on and take over the book. And that doesn't happen with me too much. I mean, I find that some characters grow, and develop into a more interesting character. But I want to know from page one who the bad guy is. Because when I start writing dialogue for all these people, I want to know if I jump into the head of that character, I want to be able to know that they're lying. And I know where I want to end up. I know what the ending is going to be. I don't know what's going to happen in the big mushy middle.” Linwood Barclay, in conversation with Jonna Brewer, September 27, 2026

Welcome, New Members

Chisom Ezeh (www.thepublishingpad.com) Chisom joins us from Saint John, where she runs a partner publishing company called The Publishing Pad. She’s helped more than 200 authors worldwide bring their books to life — from self-help and business to fiction, memoir, and more. (Editor’s note: The Alliance of Independent Authors gives The Publishing Pad an excellent rating on selfpublishingadvice.org) Welcome, Chisom.

Lina Gardner is an award-winning author from Geary. Her first book in the series Grave illusions won the Romance Writers’ of America (RWA) -Kiss of Death’s Daphne DuMaurier Award for Excellence in the Paranormal—-Time Travel—-Futuristic category. She writes in the genres of fantasy, romance, science fiction/speculative, and suspense. Welcome, Lina!

Evan Jones is a writer and English teacher based out of Moncton, NB. Evan writes self help books with the goal of making the transition easier for his students to enter the 'Real World,' but has since started dabbling in short fiction and poetry.  He won the 2026 Books for Youth and Young Adults Award for his book, What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do. Welcome, Evan!

Scott Keenan writes fiction from his home in Rusagonis. Welcome, Scott!

Kathy MacWilliam  (https://writersblocks.blog/) is a former Miramichier, and now lives in St. Catherines, Ontario. Kathy finds herself drawn to stories about Maritime people and places, and independently publishes fiction, historical fiction, suspense, and short stories  on Amazon and Kobo. Welcome, Kathy!

Joan Peddle writes biography, comedy, fiction, historical fiction, memoir, nonfiction, and romance from Moncton. Welcome, Joan.

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