Writers' Federation of New Brunswick

Bread 'n Molasses Magazine at Words on Water

2009-02-11T18:01:00.002-04:00

The Words on Water arts series and Saltwater Sounds invite you to the official launch of Bread 'n Molasses magazine Volume 3, Issue 3, featuring ECMA nominees The Terry Whalen Band.

Join us for an evening of the blues with Miramichi's own Terry Whalen Band as featured on the cover of Bread 'n Molasses magazine. With special guests The Heritage Players theatre group, who will give a special sneak peek performance from their upcoming production, Grammy Grace: A Midwife's Tale.

Following the main event, the mic will open up to anyone who wishes to perform through music and words on the theme of "the blues." Share your blues through music, poetry, short stories, etc. in five minutes or less, and you might even find yourself featured in an online video or published in an upcoming edition of Bread 'n Molasses magazine.

Everyone welcome! Come enjoy a good old fashioned night of Miramichi entertainment with Bread 'n Molasses magazine at Saltwater Sounds for Words on Water.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
6:30pm - 9:00pm
Saltwater Sounds
1738 Water Street
Miramichi, NB

For more information contact Kellie at (506) 773-7668 or email editor@breadnmolasses.com

Please feel free to forward this invitation to all of your contacts who might be interested in attending.

Frye Festival Celebrates 10th Anniversary in Style

2009-02-11T10:34:00.003-04:00

The Frye Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary! The Festival will begin its celebrations today by unveiling the line-up for the 2009 edition, which will be held from April 17 to 26 in Moncton, NB. Canada’s only, bilingual, international literary festival will bring together world renowned authors with audiences of all ages in a bilingual celebration of words.

Founded in honour of the famous literary critic Northrop Frye, the Frye Festival attracted over 16,000 attendees in 2008 and over 80,000 since its inception. This event receives its financing from all levels of government, generous corporate sponsors and individuals. The Frye Festival is managed by two employees who are supported by over a hundred volunteers.

“Ten days of festivities, ten days of wonderful discoveries, ten days to celebrate words and literature. What better way to celebrate the tenth year,” said Stéfanie Wheaton, Executive Director of the Festival. “We want to thank all those who have supported us from the very beginning and those who join us each year. Thanks to the public and our generous sponsors, the Frye can create these unforgettable moments between authors and readers.”

There is truly something for everyone at this year’s Festival. Heading the tenth anniversary celebration is Jane Urquhart, author of five award-winning books: The Whirlpool, Changing Heaven, Away, The Underpainter, The Stone Carvers, and A Map of Glass. Urquhart will be joined on stage by Wayne Johnston and Miriam Toews for an evening featuring the best of Canadian literature, hosted by the Globe and Mail’s Martin Levin. Wayne Johnston is best known for The Custodian of Paradise, his fictional account of former Newfoundland Premier Joey Smallwood and Miriam Toews is the celebrated author of A Complicated Kindness (winner of the Governor General’s Award) and The Flying Troutmans.

On the francophone side, the famous French novelist Alexandre Jardin, well known for his successful Roman des Jardins and who just released Chaque femme est un roman in 2008 will be attending. Also attending is journalist, writer, columnist, and television director, Jean Barbe, creator of the weekly publication Voir and of the Montreal cultural newspaper Ici. His most recent novel, Le travail de l’huître, was published in October 2008.

The Frye Festival is Canada’s only officially bilingual literary festival. Every year thousands of New Brunswickers meet face-to-face with some of the brightest literary minds of our times. The Frye Festival has hosted winners of all the major international literary prizes bringing globally renowned literary talent to New Brunswick communities. Tickets for the 2009 edition of the Frye Festival can be purchased from the Greater Moncton ticketing network. For more information on the Frye Festival and its program, go to www.frye.ca.

Must-see events

The Frye Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary in style with John Ralston Saul and Antonine Maillet, in an evening extravaganza on Friday, April 17. The Festival is planning another special evening with Alexandre Jardin, an excellent and intriguing French author. In addition, the public will be able to discover some of the best young writers in the province, hosted by Governor General’s Award winning poet Serge Patrice Thibodeau and Gerard Beirne, UNB’s Writer in Residence.

This year, the Antonine Maillet–Northrop Frye Lecture will be given by Monique LaRue, a novelist and literature professor at Collège Édouard-Montpetit. The title of the talk is “Between Two Books: the Writer’s Time.” She has published numerous novels, articles, and essays, such as La Démarche du crabe, for which she received the Grand Prix du Journal de Montréal in 1996, and La Gloire de Cassiodore, for which she received the Governor General’s Award in 2002. The lecture will take place at noon on Saturday, April 25, at Moncton City Hall.

The film-writing workshop, a very popular annual event, will be hosted this year by the New Brunswick scriptwriter Tony Sekulich. Let’s not forget, the traditional Soirée Frye, the many workshops, the Night Howls hosted by Paul Bossé at the Caveau, and the Frye Jam back by popular demand with Les Païens and their guests. The official opening of the Frye Festival will take place at 11 a.m. on Friday April 17, at Moncton City Hall.

The importance of promoting literature among young people

The School Youth Program is a vital component of the Frye Festival that seeks to encourage students to discover the magic of reading and the written word. From April 17 to 26, the Festival will offer youth from schools all over New Brunswick the opportunity to interact with authors in their classrooms. Last year, more than 10,000 pupils met authors face to face, totalling 180 school visits. Over $6,000 was donated in new books to participating schools and the Festival gave $4,200 in prizes to writing contest winners and their schools. The traditional KidsFest – with its games, contests, author readings, and writing workshops – will take place on Saturday, April 25, at the Moncton Public Library.

Among the list of children’s authors, the Festival will feature Sheree Fitch, one of Moncton’s most loved authors. Sheree will do it all – from school visits, to workshops, and even an appearance at KidsFest! Other authors on the children’s roster are Lesley Livingston, a trained thespian whose spoken word performer, broadcast journalist and musician Nova Scotia and Alain M. Bergeron, author of more than 100 children’s books.

BILINGUAL POETRY READING AND BOOK LAUNCH -NELA RIO

2009-02-10T13:08:00.000-04:00

The public is invited to the launch of the latest collection of poetry by Argentine-Canadian poet and artist Nela Rio, a long-time resident of Fredericton.

The latest book is called Aquella luz, la que estremece / The Light that Makes Us Tremble and has been translated by Hugh Hazelton (winner of a Governor General’s Medal for translation in 2006) and copublished by the following publishing houses: Broken Jaw Press Inc. (Fredericton) and Enana Blanca (Montréal). The original Spanish collection was a finalist for a prestigious poetry prize in Spain in
1991 and subsequently published in Spain. Nela Rio has published multiple collections of poetry and is an established internationally recognized poet, artist and literary critic who taught at St. Thomas University for many years. The poems in this collection can be characterized as explicitly erotic in their language and message.

Literary critics have already lauded the collection, comparing Nela Rio’s work to that of other Nobel winning Latin-American poets such as Pablo Neruda. This bilingual collection has already been launched in Montreal last November as well as in Toronto and in the United States.

Several of Nela Rio’s books have been published in bilingual and trilingual editions by Fredericton’s Broken Jaw Press, including Sustaining the Gaze: When Images Tremble / Sosteniendo la mirada: cuando las imágenes tiemblan / Soutenant le regard: quand les images tremblent (2004, with Brian Atkinson) and En las noches que desvisten otras noches / During Nights that Undress Other Nights (2003), among others.

The reading will be bilingual, Spanish and English.
Date: Wednesday February 18th
Time: 7 pm
Place: Tilley Hall, Room 104, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton Campus (9 MacAulay Lane)

This reading is free, open to all, and co-sponsored by the Department of Culture and Language Studies (UNB Fredericton), NB Latino Association and Broken Jaw Press. Books will be on sale (cash or cheque only) at the reading.

More information on Nela Rio’s new book:
http://www.brokenjaw.com/catalog/pg118.htm
For more information contact: Dr. Sophie M. Lavoie, (506) 458-7469 or lavoie@unb.ca.

Author Appearances - Captured Hearts: New Brunswick's War Brides

2008-10-23T01:16:00.003-03:00

Click to Enlarge

Two NBers Nominated for GGs

2008-10-22T14:25:00.000-03:00

David Adams Richards

The Canada Council for the Arts announced the finalists for the 2008 Governor General’s Literary Awards yesterday and two New Brunswickers are among the nominees.

Miramichi’s David Adams Richards is nominated in the fiction category for The Lost Highway. The Canada Council for the Arts statement said, “The Lost Highway is an intimate and compelling psychological portrait of a lost soul. David Adams Richards writes with an overarching humanity that points to our foibles with sympathy and humour. His open, honest and supple prose creates a world we at once recognize and see anew.”

Richards is one of only three writers to have won both the fiction and non-fiction awards for Nights Below Station Street in 1988 and Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi in 1998, respectively.

Jo-Anne Elder of Fredericton received her second nomination for her English translation of Béatitudes, a book of poetry written by Herménégilde Chiasson, Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick. Elder received her first nomination in 2003 for her translation of the novel Tales from Dog Island by Françoise Enguehard.

Photo by Herménégilde Chiasson
The Canada Council for the Arts statement said, “In translating Herménégilde Chiasson’s Béatitudes, Jo-Anne Elder has met the challenges of both the emotionally-charged content of the original, and its specific literary form, the litany. She has movingly rendered the complexity expressed in this contemporary ‘sermon on the mount,’ while providing an English text rich with sensuality, rhythm and a sense of communion.”

The finalists include authors from ages 28 to 77, several previous finalists and three first-time finalists who are journalists. The awards are in the categories of fiction, non fiction, poetry, drama, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation.

A total of 1,469 books were nominated for this year’s awards. Thirty-two of the 73 finalists are nominated for the first time. At least nine of the finalists are under the age of 35. The themes of mortality, war and place figure prominently in several of the books.

Canada Council for the Arts funds, administers and promotes the Governor General’s Literary Awards. Each winner will receive $25,000 and a specially-bound copy of the winning book. The publisher of each winning book will receive $3,000 to support promotional activities.

Non-winning finalists will each receive $1,000 in recognition of their selection as finalists, bringing the total value of the Awards to approximately $450,000.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. EST at the McCord Museum of Canadian History in Montreal.

Banff Centre 2009 Writing Studio

2008-10-22T01:07:00.001-03:00

The Banff Centre is now accepting applications for:
2009 Writing Studio
April 27 – May 30, 2009

Application deadline: October 31, 2008

Literary Arts director: Steven Ross Smith
Program director: Greg Hollingshead
Faculty:
Fiction and other narrative prose: Edna Alford, Marilyn Bowering, Steven Galloway, Jack Hodgins, Isabel Huggan
Poetry: Dionne Brand, Don McKay, Karen Solie

The Writing Studio is a five-week program offering poets and writers of fiction and other narrative prose the time, space, and support they need to pursue a writing project.

Financial assistance is available.

For more information and to apply:
The Banff Centre, Office of the Registrar
107 Tunnel Mountain Drive, Box 1020
Banff, Alberta T1L 1H5, CANADA
1-800-565-9989 or 1-403-762-6180
arts_info@banffcentre.ca
www.banffcentre.ca

Kathy Reichs Reading in Moncton

2008-10-21T01:46:00.001-03:00

Best-selling author, forensic anthropologist and inspiration for the hit Fox TV show Bones, Kathy Reichs is coming to Moncton! Get your copy of Bones to Ashes, set right here in New Brunswick, and get ready for the Frye Festival's 2nd Community Read event on Sunday, October 26th at 2pm in the Moncton High School Auditorium.

Reichs is one of only 56 professionals certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. She testified at the UN Tribunal on genocide in Rwanda, identified people from mass graves in Guatemala and did forensic work at Ground Zero in New York City. She has written 10 best-selling novels inspired by her work. Reichs' most recent novel Bones to Ashes, which will be published in French this fall, takes place in New Brunswick. Reichs is fluently bilingual and splits her time between Charlotte, North Carolina and Montreal.

Don't miss this unique event, which will feature Greater Moncton "book-clubbers" on stage with the best-selling author! Tickets are on sale at www.tickets.moncton.ca or by calling (506) 857- 4100. Limited tickets will be also be available at the door. Adults $20 / Students $12.

Frye Festival Youth Writing Contest

2008-10-20T01:11:00.001-03:00

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, the Great- West Life / London Life Writing Contest is open to high school students province-wide! Check out the new themes and write to win $100, $300 or $500! This year, there will be two distinct categories for creative writing and essays, so express yourself in your own style. The deadline for entries is December 12th.

The Great-West Life – London Life Writing Contest provides student authors the opportunity to demonstrate their writing skills.

Prizes are $500 first place, $300 second place, and $100 third place. Participating schools will also receive one ballot per submission (max. 15) to be placed in a draw for a prize of $500 toward the purchase of books.

Download PDF for full details.

National Novel Writing Month Turns 10

2008-10-19T01:27:00.002-03:00

There are some who say writing a novel takes awesome talent, strong language skills, academic training, and years of dedication. Not true. All it really takes is a deadline – a very, very tight deadline – and a whole lot of coffee.

Welcome to National Novel Writing Month: a nonprofit literary crusade that encourages aspiring novelists all over the world to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. At midnight on Nov. 1, more than 100,000 writers from over 80 countries – poised over laptops and pads of paper, fingers itching and minds racing with plots and characters – will begin a furious adventure in fiction. By 11:59 PM on Nov.
30, tens of thousands of them will be novelists.

2008 is the ten-year anniversary of NaNoWriMo, founded in 1999 by freelance writer Chris Baty. In its first year, NaNoWriMo had just 21 participants. In 2007, over 100,000 people took part in the free challenge, making it the largest writing contest in the world. And while the event stresses fun and creative exploration over publication, 24 NaNoWriMo novelists have had their NaNo-novels published, including
Sarah Gruen, whose New York Times #1 Best Seller, Water for Elephants began as a NaNoWriMo
novel.

Around 18% of NaNoWriMo participants "win" every year by writing 50,000 words and validating their novels on the organization's website before midnight on Nov 30. Winners receive no prizes, and no one at NaNoWriMo ever reads the manuscripts submitted.

So if not for fame or fortune, why do people do it?

"The 50,000-word challenge has a wonderful way of opening up your imagination and unleashing creative potential like nothing else," says NaNoWriMo Director (and nine-time NaNoWriMo winner) Chris Baty. "When you write for quantity instead of quality, you end up getting both. Also, it's a great excuse for not doing any dishes for a month."

There will be a "Meet and Greet" Event held 2:00 pm Sunday, October 26 at Chapters (Regent Mall), 1381 Regent Street, Fredericton, NB, E3C 1A2. Come and find out what the buzz is all about.

If you would like more information about National Novel Writing Month, or would like to talk to participants from NaNoWriMo chapters in your area, please visit our website at www.NaNoWriMo.org, or contact Fredericton Municipal Liaison Susan Douglas (506-451-2955) OR press@nanowrimo.org.

Writers' Federation of New Brunswick Fall Literary Fair

2008-10-18T01:51:00.003-03:00

Saturday, October 25, 2008
Join us for an autumn afternoon of readings and a workshop. The afternoon activities will be held at Doodles Cafe, Charlotte Street Arts Centre, 732 Charlotte St, Fredericton.

12 - 1 PM: Beth Powning, award-winning author of The Hatbox Letters and Shadow Child will read from a selection of her work.

1:30 - 2:30 PM: Jacques Poitras, CBC journalist and author of Beaverbrook: A Shattered Legacy and The Right Fight: Bernard Lord and the Conservative Dilemma will lead a workshop on non-fiction writing.

3 - 4 PM: Mark Anthony Jarman, acclaimed writer of short fiction collections such as 19 Knives will read from his recent publication My White Planet, followed by a Q&A on short-story writing.

7 - 9 PM. In the evening, join us for a free member book launch and readings at Alden Nowlan House, 676 Windsor St, Fredericton.

Early Bird Registration by October 20: $15 for members / $20 for non-members. After October 20: $20 for members / $25 for non-members.

To register and for more info contact Michelle Lovegrove Thomson: wfnb@nb.aibn.com / 506-459-7228 /

Call for Poetry! Deadline Soon!

2008-10-17T10:49:00.001-03:00

Sorry for the late notice!

I'm soliciting poems for WEI Mag's science-heavy issue on maternal health and environmental concerns. The magazine presents writing and research from around the world http://www.yorku.ca/weimag/ABOUT/index.html

The deadline for reviewing poetry is close: Oct 25, 2008. Please send me a maximum of 3 poems (english-language) totaling 100 lines by email in a Word attachment. Please include your name, mailing address and email on each page.

Even though it's a tight turnaround, please forward this note to any international contacts that you might have. Very soon I will put out another call for poetry for our upcoming transgender issue.

Thanks and looking forward to great poetry.

Sonja Greckol
srgreckol@yahoo.ca
Poetry Coordinator
WEI Mag

Odd Sundays Presents M. Travis Lane

2008-10-17T01:44:00.002-03:00

M. Travis Lane live at odd sundays at molly’s, Fredericton’s longest-running, semi-monthly, poetry-reading series.

Sunday, October 19
2 PM
554 Queen St, Fredericton

M Travis Lane—one of Canada’s best poets, one of the city’s most appealing treasures—will be the featured reader at the next odd sundays at molly’s event. Whether you come to be educated or to be delighted, both outcomes are probable. We are lucky to have Lane living in our community and giving so freely of her talents. Come to experience her words, laying down Canada’s poetic canon.

Sunday’s event will include an open set—bring a poem or a short piece of fiction to read to an eager audience. Also, consider submitting your work for possible inclusion in open set, an odd sundays chapbook, edited by M. Travis Lane.

odd sundays fall schedule:
October 19 M Travis Lane
November 2 Nancy Bauer
November 16 Roger Moore
November 30 Raymond Fraser
December 7 Tony Steele
December 21 TWIG

Come to odd sundays for your local poetry fix.

Andre Alexis Reading at UNB This Evening

2008-10-16T10:40:00.001-03:00

Andre Alexis will be reading on Thursday, October 16 , 8pm at Memorial Hall.

Andre Alexis won both the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Trillium Award for Childhood.

His New novel, Asylum, narrates ten years of the Mulroney years and has as its backdrop a visionary plan to build the perfect prison. He is the creator and host of CBC Radio's program Skylarking.

New Brunswick Artists Wanted

2008-10-15T02:03:00.000-03:00

New Brunswick Artists wanted to represent New Brunswick in the cultural competitions of the VI Games of La Francophonie in Beirut, Lebanon from September 27 to October 6, 2009.

Artists who are 35 years old or younger, have Canadian citizenship, are a resident of New Brunswick and are interested in representing New Brunswick in the cultural competitions, should register now.

November 7, 2008 is the deadline to submit an application.

Official Disciplines:
Song
Storytelling
Traditionally-inspired original dance
Literature (short story)
Painting
Photography
Sculpture

Information:
Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport
Arts Development Branch
Cultural competitions of the VI Games of La Francophonie
250 King St., Fredericton, NB E3B 9M9

Telephone: (506) 453-2555 Fax: (506) 453-2416
Email: michel.l.berube@gnb.ca
www.gnb.ca/Jeux

Amsterdam Magazine Seeks the Unexpected

2008-10-14T01:57:00.001-03:00

Literary print annual Versal (Netherlands) seeks poetry, prose, and art for its seventh issue due out in May, 2009.

Appreciates innovative forms (i.e. flash fiction, prose poetry) and work that is "urgent, involved, and unexpected."

Deadline: January 15, 2009.

More details...

Seeking "quieter" writing for handmade mag

2008-10-13T01:55:00.001-03:00

Ox Family (Canada, US, India) seeks submissions for its second handmade publication (published in 2009).

Accepts fiction, short stories, stream-of-consciousness pieces, song lyrics, and poetry.

Theme: "if we were quieter."
Deadline: November 7, 2008.

More details...

University journal seeks submissions

2008-10-12T01:52:00.001-03:00

University of Calgary's undergraduate-run magazine NōD is accepting submissions of poetry, prose, and visual art for their 9th issue. Open to undergraduate, emerging and established writers.

Length: 2000 words max or 10 poems.
Payment: contributor copy.
Deadline: October 31, 2008.

Send all submissions as an attachment to nodmagazine@gmail.com.

Contest invites narratives from writers under 30

2008-10-11T01:49:00.002-03:00

Narrative Magazine (US) is accepting entries for their 30 Below Story Contest.

First prize: US$1500.
Open to writers aged 18-30.
Length: 10000 words max.

Interested in narrative in the many forms it takes: the word and the image, the traditional and the innovative, the true and the imaginary.

No entry fee.

Deadline: October 27, 2008.

More details...

Character, Story, Plot and Adaptation Workshops

2008-10-10T01:11:00.003-03:00

MASTERPLAYWORKS©® announces the autumn, 2008 online, live, interactive, Character, Story, Plot, and Adaptation Writer’s Workshops.

Conducted by Governor General Award winning author and Member of the Order of Canada,
Kent Stetson, C. M.

"I don’t know what you’re thinking, or what it’s like inside you and you don’t know what it’s like inside me. In fiction, I think we can leap over that wall . . . I feel human and un-alone, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, that I’m in a deep, significant conversation with another consciousness . . . in a way I don’t with any other art." -- David Foster Wallace
* Globe and Mail, September 20, 2008, quoted by Rick Groen

STAGE AND SCREEN DRAMA:

The Character Generated Story: An introduction.

Beginning Saturday, October 18, 2008, once weekly through Saturday, December 14.

10:00 am-12:00 pm, est (Canada).

How to write well? Begin by learning your craft. Whether you’re a seasoned writer exploring a new genre, or a dramatist just starting out, The Character Generated Story workshop takes you quickly, with depth and precision, to the heart of your characters and the story you need them to tell. We spend eighteen hours (nine sessions, each two hours in length) investigating the craft of character development and story construction. Each session begins with a half hour of instruction on the basics— the craft— of dramatic writing. Ninety minutes of writing and listening exercises follow. You’ll emerge with a carefully worked, thoroughly assessed 750 word story, a one page synopsis suitable for marketing/fund raising, and a three page ‘producer’s’ outline.

Three participants minimum, six participants maximum.

THE PLOT:

How and Why things happen in Drama and Narrative Fiction.

Beginning Saturday, October 18, 2008, once weekly through Saturday, December 14.

2:00 pm-4:00 pm, est (Canada).

The Plot workshop is designed for writers who have mastered basic story and character craft elements of dramatic and narrative fiction. In drama and prose fiction, plot drives the story. What your characters do causes conflict. Conflict forces action. Action has implications. As A. Pope puts it, "Alps on Alps arise." We look at forward movement, lateral spread, and rising action. We mine your plot for the Holy Grail of all narrative fiction, the over-arcing metaphor. And we seek the theme . . . what’s the big idea? How does it effect details of the plot? The greater your understanding of the theme of your work, and the dynamic of metaphor, the more powerful your writing. We’ll explore your 750 word story with an eye to understanding the dynamic forces already at work. We’ll explore pace and rhythm. We’ll consider the narrative arc. We’ll begin plotting scenes and/or chapters. We’ll make a map and point you to your final destination.

Three participants minimum, six participants maximum.

ADAPTATION:

Drama to Prose, Prose to Drama;

You Can Get There From Here.

Beginning Sunday, 2 pm, October 19, 2008, once weekly through Sunday, December 15.

This new, first-time offering explores literary transformation. On my publisher’s invitation, I transformed a two act stage play to a 385 page novel. What a great gig it was! I’m still processing my insights. I discovered story migrates relatively easily: the who, what, where and when of the source material held. The characters resemble their original selves, but function differently in the new world. The plot undergoes the greatest transformation. The how and why of fictive narrative, prose or drama, must be re-considered, re-imagined and re-invented. You must know your point of departure intimately, ransack it, take what’s useful and discard the rest. We’ll go from long or short form narrative fiction to drama (stage or screen), and/or drama to long or short form fiction. Whether the material adapted is your own, or a piece you’ve secured the right to adapt, if it intrigues you and chews at your internal scenery, demanding to be re-invented, the Adaptation course will help you decide which elements to pack for the journey, and which to leave behind.

Designed for four to six participants.

Join from anywhere in the world:

All you need is a high-speed internet connection.

Award winning novelist and playwright Kent Stetson, C. M., is pleased to announce the third in a series of workshops for writers of drama and prose fiction.

The three courses begin October, 2008.

Requests from participants in introductory workshops for an extended course of advanced study have been gratifying. Hence these thorough online investigations of the mechanics of dramatic fiction, be the final form the page, large or small screen, or the stage.

The inaugural online courses have a great success (see Endorsements, below) the participants keen and engaged, the exchanges vital and expansive. For those of you who could not participate because of timing or late application, and those of you who have expressed interest since, we’re doing it again!

Places for participants at all levels of their personal or professional practice are available.

LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STORY AND PLOT.

E. M. Forster, in his collected essays on drama and prose fiction, Aspects of the Novel, states:

The king died, the queen died is the story; the king died, the queen died of grief is the plot.

Kent Stetson believes, like Forster, that the essentials of character, story and plot are common to both prose fiction and drama. In both drama and prose fiction, action speaks louder than words. The arrangement of events— what the characters do, not only what they say— shapes the story. Action drives the forward motion of the load-bearing plot.

Like Wallace in the quote above, Forster tells us the essence of all art boils down to two simple words: Only Connect.

"No tears in the writer," Whit and Halley Burnet tell us in The Fiction Writers Hands Book, "No tears in the reader. No joy in the writer, no joy in the reader."

Writing can be perilous, some say must be perilous. It must not, however, to be undertaken lightly. Nor can it be allowed to become debilitating. Audacity and courage must be balanced with craft and a stable, sustainable practice.

EVERY PROJECT ADVANCED. EVERY QUESTION ANSWERED. EVERY VOICE HEARD.

The online vocal and written exchanges are communal and intense . . . no more than six participants per group, each group meeting for two hours weekly, for nine weeks. Polished work and follow-up comments are exchanged between participants by email, and live, online.

In-depth exploration of character through perspective exercises help expand the individual writer’s understanding of her or his emerging story and plot. The exercises are based on live, group interaction. Assessment is careful, considered, respectful and rigorous: we determine what the writer actually wrote as opposed to what we think we heard.

The sessions are real time, computer to computer via. VOIP (voice over internet protocol.) I use Skype, which is free, easy to download — and simple to use. The sound quality is extraordinary. It really feels like we are all in the same room together. And you don’t have to leave the house! (Note: We can work between computer and land line, if you prefer.)

PLOT IN DRAMA AND PROSE FICTION

The design of the live, on-line workshop series arises from popular, successful courses offered by Mr. Stetson at L’Atelier La Roque Alric in Provence, the National Theatre School of Canada, McGill and Concordia Universities, the Quebec Writers Federation, the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society, writer’s organizations across Canada, private workshops, and one-on-one dramaturgical sessions countywide.

Developed in tandem with his personal practice and his publication/production history with both prose fiction and drama, Stetson's craft-oriented courses help writers strengthen the dynamics and architecture of their work.

The great strengths of the all the courses are the timed, hand written character perspective exercises, which are assessed live on-line by the group in positive, supportive, challenging exploration. Theory and practice, craft and imagination play off each other in lively, informed discussion moderated with insight and good humour by Kent.

ENDORSEMENTS

Montreal translator and first-time dramatist Lesley McCubbin. . .

It's obvious that Kent has VAST amounts of knowledge and insight to draw upon. Plus, his skill at being able to constantly pinpoint the vital elements in the work, draw out the things that made it work (or not), reference it to deeper ideas, open it up to a bigger picture -- this amazed me. And he was able to critique the work without ever undermining anyone. An enormously demanding job, extremely well executed. . . It seems to me that whether you are a seasoned writer or trembling greenhorn (like me), you'll come away from this course with fresh insights into the process of penning a narrative -- and renewed enthusiasm for the process of writing! Kent takes his vast knowledge, experience, and listening skills and uses them to illuminate the question of, not just craft, but also the broader currents that underpin any narrative. Enormously stimulating and rewarding.

Senior actor, columnist, broadcast journalist and essayist Bill Carr says . . .

Taking the course was a leap of faith, not in Kent, but in myself. It jump started my creative spirit and then offered me specific elements of craft with which to create and give expression to that spirit. The work with the group, the solitary work, and the mentoring by Kent combined to make this an invaluable creative and deeply artistic adventure.

Novelist Irene Larkin writes . . .

I had an idea for a novel but I couldn't find the storyline. The live, on-line "Character Generated Plot" workshop opened up the story, the plot and the characters for me in an all encompassing way. Kent has a wonderful 'hands off' attitude toward your writing (there is only one person writing your material and that person is you), while his affirmation and encouragement bring out the very best you have to give. . . I am now editing my earlier novel and the excess and superfluous is just falling off under my pen.

APPLICATION AND ELIGIBILITY

The online workshop is offered to writers of drama and prose fiction who are embarking on new works, or are currently engaged with the development of works in progress.

For complete course description, application procedure & costs, email: kent.stetson@sympatico.ca

Visit www.MasterPlayWorks.com for additional information on Stetson’s background, his CV, teaching methods and more endorsements.

*A special rate applies for members of professional writer’s organizations, and writers I’ve worked with already.

For persons who might prefer to work one-on-one on-line or in person with Mr. Stetson, arrangements can be made.

Application deadline, October 14, 2008.

Moncton writers host travel writing workshop

2008-10-09T01:59:00.000-03:00

If you’ve ever thought about being a travel writer, you are in luck. The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), Southeastern Chapter, is hosting a workshop in Moncton, November 1 from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Moncton Public Library, presented by freelance writer Sandra Phinney.

“There are many opportunities to write travel articles for magazines, web sites and content for travel guides or specialty publications,” Phinney said.

Deborah Carr, local PWAC Chapter President, said her organization is pleased that one of Atlantic

Canada’s finest travel writers will share her expertise and experience with local wordsmiths. "I've known Sandra Phinney for many years and she has a remarkable talent for sifting the story from the chaff. Besides the fact that she is a master of prose, she is also an expert in the travel writing industry, so I know that she will deliver a workshop of tremendous value to both seasoned and beginning writers."

Phinney loves the challenge and diversity of freelancing—especially in the realm of travel writing. She’s backpacked in Africa, hiked to outports in Newfoundland, and danced with the Bedouins in Wadi Rum, Jordan. She’s penned more articles than she can count and was a finalist in the “Northern Lights Awards” for an article that appeared in AAA Living.

The prolific writer is a regular contributor to Saltscapes Travel and Coastal Discovery. She also provides content to Fodor’s and D.K. Eyewitness guides. Several of her photos will appear in the 2009 Atlantic Canada Michelin Travel Guide.

“If you want to roll up your sleeves and learn the ins and outs of the travel writing business, this workshop promises to cover a lot of ground. Participants will leave with a bagful of information and tools that will put them on the travel writing track,” Phinney promised.

For more information or to register, contact Brett Anningson at (506) 388-1564 or email brettanningson@rogers.com.

TWIG Monthly Writing Circle (Fredericton)

2008-10-08T01:49:00.000-03:00

TWIG (TUFF WRITING INTERESTING GROUP) is a friendly writing circle created to encourage the art of writing. We will meet on the third Thursday of every month, and both new and mature writers are welcome. Participation in this writing circle includes submitting our own texts, and evaluating other participants’ work.

Kitchen facilities will be available for those who wish to make tea or coffee for themselves.

Every once in a while, TWIG will invite established writers to read us their work, and to share with us their thoughts on the process of writing.

Every year, the poetry-reading series, odd sundays at molly’s, will invite TWIG members, as a group, to read their work to the public.

TWIG is open to all who are interested in writing, in whatever form they practice their art. Bring pencils, paper, ears attuned to listening, and your love of writing.

Info: acalvern@nbnet.nb.ca

Third Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fredericton Public Library, 874 York Street.

Short Story Radio Competition

2008-10-07T01:05:00.000-03:00

Now is your chance to have your short story professionally recorded and broadcast to a worldwide audience on Short Story Radio.

The winner of our Short Story Radio competition will have their story recorded by a British Equity member actor and produced by the creative team behind Short Story Radio. The winning story will be broadcast on shortstoryradio.com and can also be played on your own website (don't worry if you don't have a website - the winning writer also gets their own website worth £250).

Three runners up will have their story published in our online Short Story Magazine and receive a free web page profile on the Short Story Radio website.

Any writer may submit a story to our competition. Although stories must be written in English, we welcome submissions from writers anywhere in the world.

For more details, visit: http://www.shortstoryradio.com/competitions.htm

Deadline: October 31.

WFNB Executive Director Position

2008-10-06T01:03:00.001-03:00

The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick invites applications for the position of part-time Executive Director. The candidate should have a BA or equivalent, and possess grant-writing experience, excellent writing skills, organizational ability, book-keeping and administrative experience, and be proficient with computers/e-mail. Knowledge of writing in New Brunswick and arts funding agencies would be an asset.

The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick is a non-profit organization that represents writers in all disciplines and at all levels of development. The WFNB currently has 150 members. Its objectives are:

1. To promote the works of New Brunswick writers and encourage greater recognition of our writers.
2. To assist writers at all stages of their development.
3. To promote literacy and provide additional educational services to schools and libraries.
4. To promote a sense of community among New Brunswick writers.

Please visit our website for additional info on the Federation: www.wfnb.ca

Emailed or postmarked applications must be received by October 24, 2008. Candidates should send a copy of CV and two letters of recommendation to:

Search Committee / WFNB
PO Box 37, Station A
Fredericton, NB
E3B 4Y2

OR wfnb@nb.aibn.com
If emailing, please save attached documents as MS Word Documents, or Rich Text Files.

WFNB Fall Literary Fair (Fredericton)

2008-10-05T01:35:00.000-03:00

The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick Presents our annual FALL LITERARY FAIR! Saturday October 25th, 2008.

Join us for an autumn afternoon of readings and a workshop. In the evening, we will be hosting a free member booklaunch and readings at the Alden Nowlan House (676 Windsor St) from 7-9pm.

Beth Powning, award-winning author of “The Hatbox Letters” and “Shadow Child” will read from a selection of her work. (12 - 1pm)

Jacques Poitras, CBC journalist and author of “Beaverbrook: A Shattered Legacy” and “The Right Fight: Bernard Lord and the Conservative Dilemma” will lead a workshop on non-fiction writing. (1:30 - 2:15pm)

Mark Anthony Jarman, acclaimed writer of short fiction collections such as “19 Knives” will read from his recent publication “My White Planet”, followed by a Q&A on short-story writing. (2:30 - 3:30pm)

Saturday October 25th, 12 - 4pm
Doodles Cafe, Charlotte Street Arts Centre
732 Charlotte St, Fredericton.

Early Bird Registration by October 20th: $15 for members/ $20 for non-members After October 20th: $20 for members/$25 for non-members

To register and for more info contact Michelle Lovegrove Thomson:
wfnb@nb.aibn.com
506-459-7228
www.wfnb.ca

FREDERICTON POET TO COMMIT ‘RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY’

2008-10-04T14:22:00.001-03:00

Random Acts of Poetry, a celebration of poetry and literacy, begins its fifth year during the week of October 1st to 5th, 2008. Random Acts of Poetry is a project of the Victoria READ Society, a non-profit literacy organization, established in 1976. Random Acts of Poetry is funded by The Canada Council for the Arts.

During the week, 25 acclaimed poets across Canada, from Victoria to Newfoundland, will commit Random Acts of Poetry in their cities and adjacent small towns. On buses and subways, in donut shops and cafes, police stations, grocery stores, shelters, curling rinks, on city streets and country lanes, poets will read poems to strangers and give them their books. Poets will also read their poems in ESL and Adult Literacy classes and, as well, will present poetry in middle school classes, and give the students a book of poetry written by middle school students, We Can Say This, published with support from of the TD Bank Financial Group.

Fredericton poet Joe Blades will read for his second year with Random Acts. Blades has published four books of poetry, hosts the weekly Ashes, Paper & Beans on CHSR 97.9 FM, is Vice President of the League of Canadian Poets, and is a member of the BlackTop MotorCycle Gang writers group.

Patrick Lane, one of Canada’s premier poets, says of Random Acts of Poetry, “There are no accidents. Nothing is random. A poem sits in a poet’s pocket and jumps out when you least expect it. It can nestle in a mechanic’s ear, a politician’s hand, a waitress’s bright eye, somewhere, anywhere. You look up from work and there’s a poem. It reads itself to you. It asks you to take a break. It says: Right here. Right now.”

“Poetry,” says Wendy Morton, founder of Random Acts of Poetry, “is the shortest distance between two hearts. I have read poems to hundreds of people, many of whom hadn’t heard a poem in thirty years, and watched their eyes fill up with tears. Some burst into laughter or laid a hand on my shoulder, hugged me, took my hand. Poetry can connect us with each other as humans as no other art form I know. Poetry is a gift that we can create from whatever life has in store for us.”

Across Canada poets will commit random acts in: Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Pickering, Trenton, Ottawa, Port McNicoll, Windsor, Montreal, Laval, Fredericton, Edmundston, Charlottetown, Halifax, and St. John’s.

WFNB: Our Position on the Arts Cuts

2008-10-04T01:01:00.001-03:00

The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick will advocate on behalf of the individual members and writers in the province, who may depend on Federal travel grants to promote their work, give readings, and attend creative residencies across Canada and in other parts of the world.

In addition, we denounce the $1 million cut to the Book Publishing Industry Development Program, as well as the $500,000 cut to the Canada Magazine Fund. These are essential funding bodies that support small publishers who want to reach larger audiences. The elimination of these and other arts, culture and heritage programs undermines previous claims the Harper government has made that it will promote and support made-in-Canada initiatives both at home and abroad.

The operations of the Federation as an organization will not be directly affected by the Harper government’s cuts as we are not recipients of federal funding from any of the eliminated or reduced programs. However, we currently depend on the Canada Council for the Arts to provide honoraria for our writer workshops and readings, and also to contribute to the travel costs of visiting authors. Should the Harper government continue to make cuts in this sector, we will ultimately suffer in our ability to put on readings and workshops.

On an ideological level, our organization is affected by the recent funding cuts in that we are wary of any government that so openly and cavalierly expresses a disdain for arts and culture. We are part of a community of literary and artistic organizations, and the dismantling of any part of the larger arts, culture and heritage sector affects all art and literature producers and appreciators.

These are the questions we are interested in asking the political candidates:

1. Does your party acknowledge that the federal government has a responsibility to invest in art and culture in Canada as it does in other sectors of national activity?

2. Does your party agree that artists, intellectuals, and cultural institutions contribute as much to the international image of Canada as athletes and business people do?

3. If so, what programs and policies will your party put in place to ensure that artists, creators, and intellectuals participate in Canadian foreign policy strategy?

4. Does your party intend to replace the programs dedicated to the internationalization of Canadian culture (PromArt and TradeRoutes)? Please provide specific details.

RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers

2008-10-03T01:03:00.000-03:00

A prize of $5000 will be awarded to the best work of poetry by a Canadian writer under the age of 35. Submission guidelines can be found at: http://www.writerstrust.com/programs_apa_bronwenwallace.html.

Deadline: October 31.

Pat Lowther and Gerald Lampert Memorial Awards

2008-10-02T01:02:00.000-03:00

The League of Canadian Poets is now accepting submissions for their annual book awards for titles published in 2008.

Submission deadline: November 1.

For more information on these awards, and to download a submission form, please go to: http://www.poets.ca/linktext/awards.htm

Saskatoon Library Seeks Writer-in-Residence Applications

2008-10-01T01:00:00.000-03:00

Applications are invited from creative writers for the term position of Saskatoon Public Library/Canada Council for the Arts Writer in Residence from September 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010.

Remuneration: up to $30,000 for a nine-month term. Criteria are based on Canada Council guidelines; position subject to Canada Council funding.

Applications must be received by November 3, 2008. For more details visit http://www.saskatoonlibrary.ca/pdf/WIR-posting_2009- 10.pdf

Regina Public Library Seeks Writer-in-Residence

2008-09-30T01:57:00.000-03:00

The successful candidate will work with the public through individual consultations, community/school visits and group workshops or seminars. The Writer-in-Residence will devote 80% of his/her time to personal writing projects. The author must live in Regina or surrounding area during the term of the residency. Experience working with the public, a history of literary publications, and a background in the literary field should be clearly demonstrated in the covering letter or résumé. Please include a résumé, 10 page writing sample, and three letters of reference from members of the writing community. References should include a daytime and evening phone number in their letters. Previous experience as a writer-in-residence or teacher would be an asset. All genres of writing will be considered.

Salary: $26,000/annum (based on availability of grant funds.)

Eligibility Criteria: Based on the Canada Council for the Arts guidelines.

Application deadline: October 31.

Apply to: Writer-in-Residence Search Committee, c/o Public Relations, Regina Public Library, P.O. Box 2311 (2311-12th Avenue), Regina, SK, S4P 3Z5.

New Play Development Program

2008-09-29T01:54:00.001-03:00

Gateway Theatre, Richmond's professional theatre company, invites submissions from established and emerging Canadian playwrights for SceneFirst. For more information, please visit: https://www.gatewaytheatre.com/downloads/0809nrSceneFirstSubmissions.pdf

Deadline: October 15.

Random Acts of Poetry (Halifax)

2008-09-28T01:52:00.001-03:00

Random Acts of Poetry: October 1-5.

Lesley Choyce will read poems and hand out copies of his books on the streets in downtown Halifax. He’ll also be at Lawrencetown Beach on October 5, reading poems to beachcombers and later will host the first ever Canadian poetry reading at sea from a surfboard to other surfers. http://national-random-acts-of-poetry.blogspot.com/

The Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry

2008-09-27T01:41:00.000-03:00

The prize is awarded annually to the best poetry manuscript by an emerging Canadian writer (a writer who has published two books or less). Each year the winning manuscript will be selected by an established poet in co-operation with Snare Books. This year’s judge is Rachel Zolf. The winner receives a trade paperback contract with Snare Books which will include the publication of the manuscript and a $500 honorarium.

The next deadline is January 31, 2009.

Each entry must be accompanied with a business size SASE and an entry fee for $30.00 Canadian. Please make all cheques and money orders payable to “Livres Snare”. No cash please. Full award guidelines are available at snarebooks.wordpress.com.

Submissions can be sent to:

Snare Books
The Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry
c/o Matrix
1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., LB 658
Montreal QC
H3G 1M8

Snare Books reserves the right to withhold the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry. For more information about Snare Books and The Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry please go to snarebooks.wordpress.com.

For more information email
jon [dot] fiorentino [at] gmail.com

Murder Mystery Writing Weekend Workshop

2008-09-26T01:48:00.000-03:00

Murder Mystery Writing Weekend Workshop October 24-26.
The Morton House Inn, Milton near Liverpool, NS

The workshop will address types of murder mysteries, plots, suspects, crime scenes, setting and period, methods of detection, clues, motive, interrogation and confession, story craft and more. For more information, call Sue Borgersen: (902) 677 2899 or email: sueborgersen@hotmail.com

Halifax Word on the Street

2008-09-25T01:46:00.000-03:00

September 28, 11 am - 5 pm: Halifax Word on the Street Book and Magazine Festival.

Readings, books, prizes and more. Cunard Event Centre, Halifax Waterfront (Marginal Road). Admission is free. For more information, visit http://wwwthewordonthestreet.ca/halifax/home.asp

Word in the Village (Nova Scotia)

2008-09-24T01:44:00.001-03:00

September 27, 4:30-6:30 pm: Word in the Village.

A traditional Nova Scotia Saturday supper will be followed by actor, author and activist Andria Hill-Lehr who will reflect on Elizabeth Bishop, the importance of art to life and her involvement in many creative endeavours as part of the day-long literature and literacy festival in honour of Elizabeth Bishop.

Tickets: $10, available from Nancy Corrigan: nancy.corrigan@gmail.com or Sandra Barry: slbarry@ns.sympatico.ca.

The Insider's Guide to Getting Published (Sackville)

2008-09-23T01:58:00.001-03:00

"The Insider's Guide to Getting Published."
Public Lecture by Cynthia Good, former president of Penguin Group (Canada)

Cynthia Good
Owens Gallery
October 16, 2008. 4:00 pm

"The Insider's Guide to Getting Published." Cynthia Good, Director of the Creative Book Publishing Program at Humber College, and former president of Penguin Group (Canada), will share her extensive experience and knowledge of the publishing industry and how best to navigate it.

Contact: Christl Verduyn, 506 364 2548, cverduyn@mta.ca

New Writer in Residence UNB Fredericton

2008-09-22T02:21:00.000-03:00

Fiction writer and poet, Gerard Beirne, has taken up his position as Writer-in-Residence at the University of New Brunswick for 2008-2009. Beirne, originally from Ireland, has lived in Canada for eleven years. His novel, The Eskimo in the Net (Marion Boyars, London), was short-listed for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award 2004. His collection of poems, Digging My Own Grave (Dedalus Press, Dublin) was second in the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. His short story, "Sightings of Bono," was adapted for film featuring Bono (U2). He can be contacted by e-mail at gbeirne@unb.ca.

Writer in Residence Wanted for Facilitated Retreat

2008-09-21T01:51:00.000-03:00

St. Peter's Abbey, Muenster, SK: November 6-9.
Payment: $1300 (private room & meals provided, transportation is not)

The Saskatchewan Writers/Artists Colony is organizing a facilitated retreat. The writer in residence will give a talk on an aspect of writing as reflected by the needs of the participants. They will also meet one on one with each of a maximum of 15 participants for one hour to give them specific feedback on their writing and/or answers to their writing-related questions. They will be expected to be available for informal discussion with participants during meals and at other times for a minimum of seven hours over the course of the retreat. The object of the facilitated retreat is to encourage and motivate participants. On site coordination of the retreat is also expected.

To apply, please submit cv, the names and phone numbers of two people familiar with your teaching/mentoring ability, and one or two paragraphs describing your approach to teaching/mentoring writers. Please contact Tracy Hamon, Colony Coordinator, at (306) 585-3252 or by email at skcolony@sasktel.net with any questions about the contract position. Your application must be received at the SWG office in Regina made to the attention of the Saskatchewan Writers/Artists Colony by 4:30 pm Friday, September 26th.

Two-week literary journey in East Africa

2008-09-20T01:45:00.001-03:00

Summer Literary Seminars Kenya is now accepting applications for the 2008 program, December 13-28 in Nairobi and Lamu. SLS produces a blended program of workshops, lectures and unique cultural experiences, and has hosted faculty such as Dave Eggers, George Saunders, Padgett Powell, Denis Johnson, Jayne Anne Phillips, and Binyavanga Wainaina Academic credit is available through Concordia University. More details...

Robert Hawkes at odd sunday's (Fredericton)

2008-09-19T02:13:00.001-03:00

odd sundays at molly’s, Fredericton’s longest-running, semi-monthly, poetry-reading series, has more poetry for you.

Sunday, September 21st
2 PM
554 Queen St, Fredericton

Robert Hawkes — poet, archivist, historian, author — will be reading from his new book, William Laud, Archbishop: Memoranda from Court to Tower (2008, Poppy Press). Hawkes, has lived or studied in Durham, NC, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Eskasoni, and Sydney, Nova Scotia. A professor emeritus at UNB, he has co-edited "The Fiddlehead," "The Cormorant," and "The Canadian Modern Language Journal / La Revue Canadienne des langues vivantes." He has authored numerous poetry collections including Paradigms (Fiddlehead/Goose Lane), This Grievous Injury (Broken Jaw), Cranmer and
Pole-Archbishops (Broken Jaw, 2000) and Poems for the Christmas Season (Broken Jaw, 2004).

Open Set: Bring a poem or short piece of fiction to read to an eager audience.

Call for Submissions: Consider submitting your work for possible inclusion in open set, an odd sundays chapbook. Speak with Allison Calvern, or email her with your submission: acalvern@nbnet.nb.ca

WFNB Fall Fair

2008-09-18T01:33:00.002-03:00

WFNB Fall Fair
Saturday October 25, 2008
Charlotte Street Arts Centre
Fredericton, NB

Afternoon Events:

Beth Powning (reading from her soon to be published new novel)

Jacques Poitras Workshop on non-fiction writing

Mark Jarman (reading from his latest book of short stories followed by Q&A)

Evening Event:

Readings by members at Alden Nowlan House

Anthology Call

2008-09-17T02:02:00.000-03:00

Lavandería: A Mixed Load of Women, Wash and Word, seeks submissions. Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and other dirty deeds signifying sorting, washing, ironing, folding laundry, and life. See www.cityworkspress.org for submission guidelines.

Deadline: December 15.

Maximum: 5,000 words or 5 poems. Include bio. Email Word DOC submission only to lavanderiazspot@gmail.com.

Editor and Online Program Manager Opportunity

2008-09-16T02:56:00.000-03:00

The Poetry Foundation is seeking an experienced senior manager who will serve as the editor of poetryfoundation.org and as the program manager for the Foundation’s online initiative.

Poetryfoundation.org is one of the leading websites for poetry in America. Its goal is to provide a major poetry resource on the Internet—a site unique on the Web for its breadth, depth, and quality of poetry and poetry-related offerings. It is the Poetry Foundation’s only venue for electronic publishing and dissemination and continues to evolve, adding new features such as audio and video offerings. It also serves as the online home for all of the programs of the Poetry Foundation.

For a full description of the position visit www.poetryfoundation.org.

Interested applicants should email a cover letter, along with a C.V. or résumé, to employment@poetryfoundation.org (please send all attachments as a Word or PDF document; subject line: Editor/Online Program Manager). The deadline for applications is September 25, 2008. The Poetry Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and values the various perspectives and talents of a diverse staff.

Drink in the Arts: A Tea Party Fundraiser for the Fredericton Arts Alliance

2008-09-15T02:48:00.000-03:00

Join the Fredericton Arts Alliance for a Tea Party on September 20, 2008 from 2-4 PM at the Charlotte Street Arts Center Auditorium. Live performances and visual art will entertain guests as they are served afternoon tea.

Tickets: At the door $15 per adult / $10 for seniors & students / $6 for children 12 and under.

In advance tickets are $12 for adults / $8 dollars for seniors & students / $5 for children.

Proceeds from this event will help support programming by the Fredericton Arts Alliance such as the Artist-in-Residence Summer Series, Art Trek, and the Arts News.

Consider buying a ticket to support the FAA even if you can’t attend the event.

For more information contact the Fredericton Arts Alliance at 443-9900 / frederictonartsalliance@yahoo.ca.

Words on Water Miramichi

2008-09-14T02:10:00.000-03:00

Heads up for the next Words on Water or WOW as we like to call it. September 16th, Tuesday night at 6:30pm at Edgewater Gallery on historic Water St. in Miramichi.

Marilyn Lerch will be the featured reader that night. After her reading, it is open mic for songs, fiction, poetry, you name it.

Last month we showcased some amazing songwriters and decided to include music each time. So whatever you love to do, whether it be singing or songwriting or other forms of prose and poetry, there is a spot for you. See you there.
Judy Bowman

Fredericton Arts Alliance Candidates’ Forum on the Arts

2008-09-13T02:30:00.001-03:00

The Fredericton Arts Alliance is a not-for-profit arts advocacy and lobbying association founded in 1999 to present a collective voice for the development of all artistic disciplines. Part of the mandate of the Fredericton Arts Alliance is to mobilize the arts community to encourage artists, arts organizations, arts workers and friends of the arts to vote, and engage in meaningful political dialogue with the candidates.

The Fredericton Arts Alliance Candidates’ Forum on the Arts 2008 is an initiative of the Fredericton Arts Alliance designed to encourage individuals interested in the Arts to vote in the upcoming Federal election and to be informed on relevant election issues.

The Fredericton Arts Alliance is inviting all four electoral candidates to participate in an arts and culture community forum to be held Sept 23rd, 2008 from 7pm-9pm. Location is to be announced.

We are also currently circulating a petition concerning the Federal cuts to the Arts to be presented to candidates at the Forum. This forum is open to the general public. All are welcome.

If you are an artist, or arts organization, or supporter of the arts and would like to ask a question appropriate for all the candidates to answer, please submit your question in writing to frederictonartsalliance@yahoo.ca by Tuesday September 16th by noon.

Unfortunately, questions received after the 16th cannot be accepted. There will be an approval process to ensure that questions fit within the scope of a Federal election, that there are not duplicates, and so forth. It is a requirement that you or your representative must be present at the Forum to ask your question directly to the candidates. Only three questions will be accepted. However, there will also be an opportunity to ask questions at the event itself.

This is a great opportunity to make your views known, and to hear what candidates have to offer.

We look forward to hearing from you!

For more information contact the Fredericton Arts Alliance at 506-443-9900 or frederictonartsalliance@yahoo.ca

WFNB 2009 Literary Competition

2008-09-12T02:14:00.000-03:00

The WFNB is pleased to announce the 2009 Literary Competition. Judges for all categories will be announced later this Fall.

You may also visit our website www.wfnb.ca for full competition rules, and to download the Lit Comp POSTER, in case you would like to print it off and post it in your community Library/School/Coffee Shop, etc.

Good Luck and Happy Writing!

Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick
Literary Competition 2009

Deadline: Postmarked by November 14, 2008

Categories:
Individual poems / Short fiction / Non-Fiction / Children’s Literature

INDIVIDUAL POEMS 100 lines maximum
SHORT FICTION 4000 words maximum
NON-FICTION 1500-2500 words
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE 20,000 words maximum Entry fee: $15 WFNB members / $20 Non-members

Prizes: 1st - $150, 2nd - $75, 3rd - $50

THE SHEREE FITCH FICTION PRIZE BY YOUTH

Open to youth, 14-18 years of age as of Jan. 1, 2009 4000 words maximum Entry Fee: $5

Prizes: 1st - $150, 2nd - $75, 3rd - $50

THE DAVID ADAMS RICHARDS PRIZE - $400

For a collection of short stories, a short novel, or a substantial portion of a longer novel (not to exceed 30,000 words). Work must be unpublished although some individual stories may have been previously published.

Manuscript Entry Fee: $30

THE ALFRED G. BAILEY PRIZE - $400

For poetry manuscripts not previously published, in whole or in part, in book/chapbook form (individual poems published or accepted for publication in periodicals may be included).
Length - at least 48 pages.

Manuscript Entry Fee: $30

JUDGES FOR ALL CATEGORIES TBA

Mail entries and fee to:
WFNB
PO Box 37, Station A
Fredericton, NB E3B 4Y2

Phone: (506) 459-7228
Email: wfnb@nb.aibn.com

For more info and full competition rules, please visit our website: www.wfnb.ca

Many thanks to our Sponsors: Sheree Fitch, The McCain Foundation, Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport, Government of New Brunswick

Past winners comments:

...The WFNB has a strong reputation among writers across Canada, particularly regarding the administration and provision of your annual Literary Competition. It is seen as a premiere competition, with a very high level of prestige, and I am privileged to be connected with the Federation through this award.

Sincerely,
Sandra Ridley
Winner of the Alfred G. Bailey Prize for her manuscript DOWNWINDERS, adjudicated by Peter Richardson.

Dear contest administrators,
My manuscript, ACADIAN STAR, placed second in your writing competition this year in the Children's Literature category. Since then, I'm happy to say, I've found a publisher and ACADIAN STAR will be published this fall by Nimbus Publishing. I thought you would like to know what a wonderful impact your competition has had on one writer's life.

Sincere thanks to Sylvia McNicoll and the WFNB for the hard work in judging and executing this competition.

All the best,
Hélène Boudreau

WFNB LITERARY COMPETITION RULES

The WFNB Annual Literary Competition was established in 1984, and awards prizes totalling $2200 each year.

Please note: the competition is open to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Professional writers judge entries for a very reasonable fee.

The results of the competition are announced in the Spring at the WFNB Annual Dinner held during the weekend of the Annual General Meeting and Literary Weekend, and all entrants are invited to attend and read from their work. Winners receive a substantial cash prize and provincial recognition.

Competition winners have gone on to publish their work in magazines and with major publishing houses. (Editors are always impressed with contest winners!)

The WFNB encourages all New Brunswick writers to take pride in their work and enter the competition.

COMPETITION RULES

1. Entries in Individual Poems category should not exceed 100 lines. Short Fiction category should not exceed 4,000 words. Children’s Literature category should not exceed 20,000 words (can be fiction, non-fiction or poetry).
2. Entries must be original and not previously published.
3. First place winners from previous two years cannot enter the category in which they won.
4. Prizes may not be awarded at the discretion of the judges.
5. Entries must be typewritten, double spaced, on one side of 8 1/2 x 11" paper, pages numbered. Text only; entries with illustrations will not be accepted.
6. Directors of the WFNB who help choose judges may not enter the contest.
7. Author’s name, entry title and category in which it is entered must be on a separate page.
8. Do not submit your only copy. No SASE required as manuscripts will not be returned. Winners will be notified in spring (March) prior to the AGM. A list of winners will be posted on the website following the AGM and announced via news release to the media.
9. Mail entries or direct enquiries to:WFNB, PO Box 37, Station A, Fredericton, E3B 4Y2.
10. An entry fee of $15 (members/ high school students) $20 (non-members) should accompany each submission in each of these three categories (Individual Poems, Short Fiction, Children’s Literature); the Richards & Bailey manuscript categories should be accompanied by a $30 fee; the Sheree Fitch entry fee is $5.

Mail entries or direct inquiries to:
WRITERS' FEDERATION OF NEW BRUNSWICK
PO Box 37, Station A,
Fredericton, E3B 4Y2.
Phone: (506) 459-7228
E-mail: wfnb@nb.aibn.com

CBC Literary Awards

2008-09-11T08:07:00.000-03:00

CBC Literary Awards; Deadline November 1st, 2008

For full info and submission forms, click here.

CATEGORIES:
All entries must fall within one of the following categories and be within the specified word count:

* Short story (2000 - 2500 words)*
* Creative nonfiction (2000 - 2500 words)*
* Poetry (1000 - 2000 words)*

* Word count excludes titles. Texts above or below the specified word count will be disqualified. An electronic version of short listed texts may be required to check the word count. See the FAQ section of our website for further details on how to count the words in your submission.

The short story category is a fiction category open to short prose works, generally narrative.

Creative nonfiction is a nonfiction category that includes humour writing, memoir, biography, essay (including personal essay), travel writing, and feature articles. Works submitted in this category should be accessible to a general reading audience (i.e., not written for a specialized or academic audience.)

Poetry entries may take the form of a long narrative poem, a sequence of connected poems or a group of unconnected poems whose total word count (excluding the titles) is between 1000 and 2000 words.

HOW TO SUBMIT
The official print or online entry form must accompany all print and electronic entries.

The name of the entrant must not appear anywhere on the text to ensure that entries are anonymous for the readers and the judges. No fax or handwritten entries will be accepted. Please do not staple your entry or send bound documents. Paper clips are fine. Print your text on one side only, on white 8 1/2 by 11 paper. All submissions are final: no changes or substitutions are allowed.

The entry fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Entries can be submitted online using the electronic entry form that you will find in our Entry Form section. Electronic entries must be sent as Word (.doc), Wordperfect (.wpd) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files.

Print entries must be sent to:
CBC LITERARY AWARDS
CBC RADIO
P.O. BOX 6000
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
H3C 3A8

Acknowledgement of receipt will be sent via email to those who provide a valid email address. If you want to receive acknowledgment by regular mail, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope with your entry.

Please note that entries will not be returned and that editorial comments will not be given on the entries.

FEES

A fee of $20.00 (tax included) for administration purposes is required for each entry. This non-refundable and non-transferable fee covers some of the administrative costs of this competition.

Entries will not be eligible until payment has been received.

Please note that the entry fee will not be refunded if your submission is ineligible.

Cheques and money orders must be sent along submissions.

Please write the title of your entry on them and make them payable to:
CBC LITERARY AWARDS C/O CBC RADIO

Please note that online payment is accepted only for entries submitted via our website.

For online submissions, instructions for online payment will be sent to entrants along with their acknowledgement of receipt.

The Ninth Annual Gaspereau Press Wayzgoose

2008-09-10T08:05:00.000-03:00

The Ninth Annual Gaspereau Press Wayzgoose
24 & 25 October 2008 (Kentville, NS)

This year's wayzgoose will feature two special guests: wood engraver and letterpress publisher Wesley Bates of Clifford, Ontario; and Jim Rimmer, an illustrator, letterpress printer and typefounder from New Westminster, BC. Also on the agenda are workshops, a shop talk, an open house, printing demonstrations, evening lectures, and author readings from some of Gaspereau's 2008 titles. The schedule of events is as follows:

Friday

7:00-11:00 pm
Evening Reading at the Kentville Rec Centre: Readings by Karen Houle, Ami McKay & Johanna Skibsrud. Music by Bob Snider. Free Admission.

Saturday

9:00 am-Noon
Book Arts Workshops: Book Binding and Paper Marbling workshops. Preregistration required. Space limited. Click here for details.

9:30-11:30 am
Fiction for Breakfast at Paddy's Pub, Kentville: Have breakfast and talk books with novelists Ven Begamudré, Andrew Steinmetz & Ami McKay, hosted by Susan Haley. Cash breakfast.

10:00 am-Noon
Shop Talk at the Gaspereau Press Printing Works: Featuring special guests Wesley Bates and Jim Rimmer. If you're not in a workshop, drop in and putter around in the print shop with Wesley, Jim and our staff. The popular offcut paper sale will also be in its early hours. Free Admission.

1:30-3:30 pm
Afternoon reading at the Kentville Rec Centre: Readings by Ven Begamudré, Andrew Steinmetz & Kent Thompson. Free Admission.

3:30-5:00 pm
Open House at the Gaspereau Press Printing Works: Enjoy conversation and refreshments, meet authors & illustrators, see printing demonstrations, hit up the offcut paper sale. Special guests Wesley Bates and Jim Rimmer will be on hand to display and discuss their work. Free Admission.

7:00-10:00 pm
Evening Book Arts Presentations at the Kentville Rec Centre: Slide and talks by Wesley Bates (on the history of wood engraving) and Jim Rimmer (on printing and typefounding). Music by Bob Snider. Free Admission.

Sunday

10:00 am-Noon
Morning Nature Walk: Explore Kentville's wild side with Soren Bondrup-Nielsen & Merritt Gibson. (Meeting spot to be announced.) Where are the events?

All events will take place in Kentville, Nova Scotia, at either The Gaspereau Press Printing Works 47 Church Avenue (Green building behind King's Arms Pub), Kentville Rec Centre 354 Main Street (Brick building attached to Town Hall), or Paddy's Pub (42 Aberdeen Street).

Atlantic Writing Competition

2008-09-09T08:09:00.002-03:00

Deadline: postmarked by Friday, December 5, 2008 (first Friday in December) For more info, click here.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION
The Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia encourages all writers in Atlantic Canada to explore their talents by sending new, untried work to any of the six categories: Adult novel, short story, poetry, writing for children, Juvenile/YA novel or magazine article/essay.

Your manuscript will be read by a team of judges. To help ensure the impartiality of the judges, each writer is asked to choose a pseudonym or pen name. Because only the pen name appears on the manuscript, no judge is ever aware of the identity of the entrant.

CATEGORIES

Adult Novel Prizes: $200, $150, $100

Entries must not exceed 100,000 words and may be in any genre - literary fiction, mystery, romance, fantasy, etc. This is the only category in which manuscripts will be returned, but you must include an adequately-sized envelope with sufficient postage - stamps only. WFNS will not accept post office-generated coupons as they are only valid on the date of issue.

Due to an increasing number of submissions, a novel manuscript which has been previously submitted will not be accepted. For the sake of the judges and writers who take the competition seriously, the judges have the same prerogative as any reader at a publishing house, which is to stop reading any manuscript whose first 20 pages are rife with spelling errors and repetitions.

Writing for Children Prizes: $150, $75, $50

Aimed at children up to age 12, entries may be fiction, non-fiction, poetry or stage plays, and may not exceed 20,000 words. Submissions may be the text of a picture book, a single poem or a collection of poems, early chapter books or junior fiction. Please do not include illustrations.

Poetry Prizes: $100, $75, $50

Up to six poems (max. 1500 words/poem) constitutes one entry. For judging purposes, please give your collection a title.

Short Story Prizes: $100, $75, $50

Entries must be less than 3000 words and may be in any genre.

Writing for Juvenile/Young Adult Audiences Prizes: $150, $75, $50

Entries may be novel manuscripts for readers aged 8 to 12 (juvenile), or 12+ (young adults). A single submission must not exceed 75,000 words.

Essay/Magazine Article - NEW FORMAT! Prizes: $100, $75, $50

Theme: Luck. Entries must be no more 2000 words, incorporating this year's theme of "luck" and geared toward ONE of three magazine/journal options: Saltscapes, The Antigonish Review, or your community arts paper (NS - The Coast, PEI - The Buzz, NB - Salon, NL - The Scope).

RULES AND REGULATIONS

Eligibility

Anyone resident in the Atlantic Provinces since June 1st, 2008 is eligible to enter. Only one entry per category is allowed. Each entry requires its own entry form and registration fee.

Writers whose work has been professionally published in book form or frequently in periodical or media production may not enter in the genre in which they have been published or produced. Entries must be the original, unpublished work of the writer, and must not have been accepted for publication or submitted elsewhere.

Judges may enter but not in the category they're judging. WFNS staff may not enter. First place winners of previous WFNS competitions may not enter in the category in which they won. Children (pre-high-school) may not enter.

To help ensure the impartiality of the judges, each writer is asked to choose a pseudonym or pen name. Because only the pen name appears on the manuscript, no judge is ever aware of the identity of the entrants.

Manuscripts

The writer's real name should NOT appear on the manuscript, but the chosen pseudonym must be indicated on the entry form and appear on each manuscript page.

Manuscripts must be typed on plain white (8 1/2 x 11 inch) paper, single-sided and double-spaced (except poetry), with at least a one inch margin on all sides. Pages must be numbered in order, in the upper right-hand corner. Copyright remains with the author. Only one entry per category is allowed.

For promotional purposes, please submit a one-paragraph description of yourself. If you have previous writing credits, please mention them.

WFNS will not return manuscripts, except adult novels accompanied by self-addressed, adequately-sized envelopes with sufficient return postage - regular stamps only.

No entry shall be accepted for judging unless all rules and regulations are met.

PRIZES

The judging process will be completed by August, 2009. The winners will be announced at a Gala Celebration of Writers and Writing in September. All entrants are invited to attend the Gala.

Every writer who enters will receive written notification prior to the press release announcing the competition results. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE OFFICE.

The judges reserve the right to withhold prizes should entries not meet publishing standards. Decisions of the judges are final.

ENTRY FEES

Adult Novel: $25 per entry; $20 per entry for WFNS members, students or seniors.
All other categories: $15 per entry; $10 per entry for WFNS members, students or seniors.

Cheque or money order only; do not send cash in the mail. Make your cheque payable to WFNS.

Make sure to include a completed entry form along with your fee. (.doc or html)

Submit to:
Atlantic Writing Competition,
Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia,
1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, NS, B3H 4P7.

Questions? Email WFNS at talk@writers.ns.ca or phone (902)423-8116.

Deadline: Friday, December 5, 2008

Let Harper Know How you Feel About Arts Cuts

2008-09-08T03:04:00.001-03:00

Valerie Payn, President, Halifax Chamber of Commerce, invites you to join Prime Minister Stephen Harper as he speaks in Halifax.

Friday, September 12, 2008
7:15 am - 9:00 am

Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel
Nova Scotia Ballroom

$60 members / $100 non-members (plus HST)

Arts Cuts

2008-09-07T02:59:00.001-03:00

Arts cuts in Canada
Reply-To: R Labossiere admin@KLOOJ.NET

Some of you will have heard already about the slashing of arts funding by
the Conservative government in Canada. Of particular concern are the loss of
the Trade Routes program that supports travel of Canadian artists abroad and
the Canadian New Media Fund, though really we are looking at a government
that doesn't understand the arts or their importance.

The government here is about to call a snap election, the announcement
should happen Sunday.

An interdisciplinary group of artists have formed a group called the
Department of Culture to strategize and campaign around the arts funding
issues. It is in the very early stages but your support and participation
would be appreciated. There is a website with more infomation:
http://www.departmentofculture.ca

- Robert Labossiere
Toronto

Fiddlehead Contest Deadline Approaches

2008-09-06T11:46:00.000-03:00

The Fiddlehead, Atlantic Canada's International Literary Magazine, invites entries to its 18th annual contests in short fiction and poetry. First prize: $1000 in each category. Entry fee: $30 (includes subscription). Deadline: December 1, 2008.

Rules:
General: No simultaneous submissions and no previously published (or accepted for publication) submissions. Do not include a SASE. Manuscripts will not be returned. No faxed or emailed submissions are allowed. The winning entries will be published in the Spring 2009 issue of The Fiddlehead (No. 239) and on our web site. The winning authors will be paid for publication in addition to their prizes.

Vetting is blind. Do not put your name and address on your manuscript. Instead include a cover page with the title(s) of your submission, which genre (short fiction or poetry), and your name and address, phone number, and email address.

One Fiction Entry is one story of up to 25 double-spaced pages.

One Poetry Entry is up to 3 poems with no more than 100 lines per poem

You may enter multiple times, but only your first entry in each category will be eligible for a subscription.

Full contest details, click here.

For Further Information email us at: fiddlehd@unb.ca

Send Entries to:

The Fiddlehead Contest
Campus House,
11 Garland Court
UNB PO Box 4400
Fredericton NB
E3B 5A3 Canada

New Men's Magazine Offering Internships

2008-09-05T11:49:00.000-03:00

New Canadian men's magazine Toromagazine.com seeks candidates for unpaid 2-3 month internships. Welcomes recent university grads seeking experience. For more information contact Salvatore at salvatore@blackangusmedia.com.

Odd Sundays New Season Kicks Off

2008-09-04T08:03:00.000-03:00

“odd sundays at molly’s” has a Friday/Sunday double bill, at Molly’s Coffee House on 554 Queen St for a fabulous kick-off to a fabulous season!

Friday, September 5, 8pm Kate Story, novelist with musician backup (www.katestory.com) Sunday, September 7, 2pm, Jo-Anne Elder-Gomes, poet, translator, gg nominee ( http://www.bookfinder.com/author/jo-anne-elder/)

Friday’s event showcases Featured Reader, Kate Story, a Newfoundlander from Ontario—dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, novelist—who will be reading from her first novel, Blasted. Come for magic, music and mayhem, with Kate Story, onstage with three musicians, and a whole lotta talent.

Sunday’s event showcases Featured Reader, our own Jo-Anne Elder-Gomes—literary artist, academic and nominee for the Governor General’s Award for literature—reading her poetry.

Open Set: Bring a poem or short piece of fiction to read to an eager audience. (What a blast to be able to say you read on the Blasted tour, with Kate Story.)

Call for Submissions: Consider submitting your work for possible inclusion in open set, an odd sundays chapbook. Speak with allison calvern, or eMail her with your submission: acalvern@nbnet.nb.ca

NB Magazine Seeks Submissions

2008-09-03T11:33:00.000-03:00

Bread 'n Molasses celebrates Atlantic Canadian culture. As this regional magazine enters its third year of print publication, we're actively seeking submissions from Atlantic Canadians.

Non-fiction or fiction, prose or poetry, artwork or photographs - we're open to anything.

We consider simultaneous submissions. Please indicate in your email that the work is being considered elsewhere.

We accept previously published work. Tell us where the work was published so we can give credit.

You retain the copyright to your work.
Contributors receive two copies of the issue in which they appear.
Maximum 2500 words.
Include a brief bio with contact information including your name, address, phone number, and email address.

Email your submissions to print@breadnmolasses.com. Please include your name, email address and/or telephone number.

For more information visit Bread 'n Molasses print edition online.

Atlantic mag seeks submissions

2008-09-02T11:32:00.000-03:00

The Frequent & Vigorous Quarterly (NS) literary mag seeks for submissions for their fourth issue. Length: 5000 words. Deadline: ongoing. Payment: one issue. Submit poetry, prose, creative non-fiction, questions to: nomorebadwriting@hotmail.com.

Green Festival This Weekend

2008-08-29T13:24:00.001-03:00

This Labour Day weekend do something green! ECMA award winning country band, The Divorcees take the stage with 30 other groups covering music genres ranging from folk and blues to rock and jazz at the first annual Green Festival being held near Clairville, NB, from 10am Saturday August 30th until 6pm Monday, September 1st.

Enjoy the great outdoors, catch some live music, buy natural products from local artisans and learn about practical and affordable eco-friendly energy and consumer choices, all while the kids have a blast in a supervised play area featuring bouncy castles, games, face painting, pony and hay rides. With over 100 acres of onsite camping available you can plan to enjoy a few cold ones at the beer garden, catch even more live music, sleep over and do it all over again the next day.

Advance tickets are $10 per person per day, $25 for a 3-day pass, kids under 16 $5 per day, and children under the age of 5 get in free. At the gate it's $15 per day, $35 for a 3-day pass, and $7 per day for kids under the age of 16. Buy your tickets online here. Tickets are also being sold at various locations throughout the province, for a detailed list visit www.thegreenfestival.ca.

Going green is affordable! Plan to enjoy a family fun day out AND save money! For a detailed list of bands, vendors, weekend highlights and directions to the festival site visit The Green Festival online at www.greenfestival.ca.

Coming Election Must Focus on Knowledge Economy Issues -- PWAC

2008-08-28T13:34:00.000-03:00

The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) encourages Canadian voters, media and politicians to ensure information economy issues are front and centre in any coming federal election, and into the next legislative session.

“Canada needs a sharper focus on the new economy of ideas and the rights of knowledge workers,” advises PWAC President Tanya Gulliver. “Over the past decade, successive governments have talked up the knowledge economy, but directed policy and legislation have been woefully lacking. We are in serious danger of being left in the dust of the global marketplace.”

PWAC points to the recently introduced Bill C-61, the proposed amendment to the Copyright Act of Canada, as an example of potentially stalled information-age legislation. As well, the recent $45 million in arts funding reductions indicate Canada is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to cultural economics.

“PWAC has consulted with government after government on copyright reform and cultural funding,” notes Gulliver. “Just when we get a copyright bill to consider and shape, it looks like it will die on the order paper because of an election. How long will the country wait for another such bill, and how far behind the rest of the world will we fall in the meantime?”

Canada’s cultural sector is vibrant and poised for explosive growth. Cultural industries already contribute upwards of $46 billion to the Canadian economy, and employ hundreds of thousands of Canadians. Ironically, Canada’s cultural workers remain largely underpaid, and continued funding cuts do nothing but sap the energy of a painfully underfunded sector.

“It’s time for all of Canada’s politicians to get serious about culture as business,” insists Gulliver. “Canada should be leading the way, not joining the knowledge economy third world.”

Established in 1976, PWAC is the national organization representing 660 professional freelance writers and journalists in Canada.

Brantford Writing Workshop

2008-05-15T09:37:00.002-03:00

The third annual Summer Writing Workshops in Brantford Ontario is now accepting applications. The registration form is attached. Our first two years filled quickly, so if you're interested, get your application form in soon.

Brantford Summer Writing Workshops

Dates: August 11 to 14, 2008
Times: 10:00 to 3:00

The way the days will be organized are like this:

10 til 11 -- writing exercises conducted by either Marsha or another instructor
11 to 12 -- presentation by one of our speakers
12 to 1 -- lunch, (there will be an option to have it delivered) but also blue pencil sessions with 11am speaker and 1pm speaker
1 to 2 -- presentation by one of our speakers or continuation of blue pencils
2 to 3 -- writing exercises by Marsha or another instructor

Writing workshop topics will be determined by consensus once we've reached our enrollment limit, with the exception of those already established (ie, Brenda's amazing workshops!)

Monday
10:00 to 11:00 – Marsha Skrypuch – opening lecture/writing workshop
11:00 to 12:00 – McArthur & Co president, Kim McArthur – how her company got started and what McAurthur & Co is looking for

12 to 1 – lunch and blue pencils and/or Q&A with Kim McArthur and Heather Summerhays

1 to 2 – Heather Cariou Summerhays, author of Sixty-Five Roses, a memoir, will tell how she got published. Q&A

2 to 3 – writing workshop

Tuesday
10:00 to 11:00 – Marsha Skrypuch – writing workshop
11:00 to 12:00 – Marc Cote, president and publisher of Cormorant Press, will talk about trends in publishing and advice for those breaking in to the market.

12 to 1 – lunch and blue pencils and/or Q&A with Marc Cote, also blue pencil sessions with Kofi Campbell

1 to 2 – Blue pencils and/or Q&A continue with Marc Cote

2 to 3 – writing workshop/blue pencils continue with Marc

Wednesday
10:00 to 11:00 – Marsha Skrypuch – writing workshop
11:00 to 12:00 – Margaret Hart, literary agent for Humber School for Writers

12 to 1 – lunch and blue pencils and/or Q&A with Margaret Hart

1 to 2 – Blue pencils continue with Margaret Hart. Q&A

2 to 3 – writing workshop, Brenda Kearns, Breaking into the magazine market

Thursday
10:00 to 11:00 – writing workshop, Brenda Kearns, How to write for magazines so editors keep coming back for more.

11:00 to 12:00 – Fitzhenry & Whiteside children's publisher, Gail Winskill – how to get published/what Fitzhenry & Whiteside is looking for

12 to 1 – lunch and blue pencils and/or Q&A with Gail Winskill

1 to 2 – Sean Cassidy, children's picture book author and illustrator, will tell how he got published. Q&A

2 to 3 – writing workshop

Download Application (pdf)

Congrats KV Johansen

2008-05-14T17:04:00.001-03:00

New Brunswick author K.V. Johansen's novel Nightwalker, the first book in her Warlocks of Talverdin series, received the 2008 Ann Connor Brimer Award this week at the Atlantic Book Awards. There's more about Nightwalker and its sequel at http://www.pippin.ca/kvj/Nightwalker.htm and the awards website is at http://www.writers.ns.ca/bookfest08/win.html

SeaWords Festival

2008-05-14T15:19:00.000-03:00

Join award winning authors, one of Canada's top literary agents and fellow creative writers at the first annual SeaWords creative writing workshop this summer in beautiful Prince Edward Island. SeaWords will take place the week of August 18-22 in Brackley Beach on the Island’s scenic north shore. This year’s faculty includes award winning authors Anne Simpson, Karen Connelly and Ann-Marie MacDonald as well as distinguished editor and agent Jackie Kaiser. The week will unfold with participant content based workshops and a variety of lectures exploring aspects of the publishing industry. The quiet and gentle pace of Prince Edward Island will refresh your senses and give you the creative atmosphere you desire. Visit the SeaWords Institute’s website (seawords.ca) to register, and view further details. Apply soon, space is limited and a special reduced “early bird’ price ($850) is available for those who apply before June 13. See you on the Island this summer!

Writing Workshop in Sackville

2008-05-10T10:13:00.000-03:00

Festival by the Marsh Novel Writing Workshop with Gerard Beirne
July 12, Sackville, NB.

Irish writer and the 2008-2009 UNB Writer-in-Residence, Gerard Beirne will guide you towards the completion of your book. In addition to focusing on writing techniques (character development, dialogue, scene and chapter construction), the workshop will discuss the larger, structural issues, and explore how to integrate these elements in a dramatic and compelling way. For registration information, please visit: www.festivalbythemarsh.ca

Jarman Book Launch

2008-04-30T13:06:00.001-03:00

My White Planet
By
Mark Anthony Jarman

Please join us in launching Mark Jarman’s new collection of short stories!
*Thursday, May 1st — 7 pm*
Wilser’s Room (formerly The Taproom)
366 Queen Street)
Fredericton, NB * *(506) 451-6912

"In the breadth of his subject matter and the way he teases out his narratives, Mark Jarman shows himself to be a dauntingly innovative writer. But it is what he does with language that really sets him apart. Tensions escalate and worlds collapse in the wake of the most unexpected conjunctions and ingenious imagery. The overall effect is electrifying. My White Planet is beyond groundbreaking, it is an essential reminder of the power and ascendancy of the word." – Barbara Gowdy

My White Planet is a collection of fourteen short stories by one of Canada’s most original writers of short fiction. Many of these stories have previously won or been short-listed for literary magazine awards. Jarman pushes the boundaries of language and story telling and in so doing mesmerizes readers with each and every story he tells. His unique voice and compelling use of language reinforces why Jarman is a rising star in the Canadian literary firmament.

My White Planet offers up a fictional world of wonders: Troops undertake a nightmarish march following Custer’s last stand; seven marooned men at a remote polar station save the life of a naked young woman; a dropout skateboarder falls off a highway bridge and drowns in the river; a flight attendant is able to read her passenger’s minds; a time traveler witnesses Louis Riel’s botched execution; a city bus ride ends up crossing the entire country.

Mark Anthony Jarman is the author of 19 Knives, New Orleans is Sinking, and the travel book Ireland’s Eye. He has been short-listed for the O. Henry Prize and Best American Essays, won a Gold National Magazine Award in non-fiction, has twice won the Maclean-Hunter Endowment Award, and has been included in The Journey Prize Anthology
and Best Canadian Stories. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, has taught at the University of Victoria, the Banff Center for the Arts, and now teaches at the University of New Brunswick, where he is fiction editor of The Fiddlehead.

Frye Festival Breaks Records

2008-04-28T09:44:00.001-03:00

It was another banner for the Frye Festival, with Moncton’s annual celebration of words setting a new attendance high of over 16,000. “That’s an increase of nearly 25% from last year and far exceeds our goal for 2009,” chair Dawn Arnold said.

Credit goes in large part to its stellar line-up of authors, with such literary luminaries as Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford, Russell Banks, Heather O’Neill, Ami McKay and Nancy Huston on the festival marquee.

“These absolutely remarkable authors fed our imaginations in so many ways and inspired kids in record number,” Arnold said at yesterday’s closing. This year, more than 10,000 students in New Brunswick welcomed the internationally acclaimed authors into their classrooms, with school visits totalling 180, another new record for the festival.

The five-day festival’s wide-ranging program of workshops, dialogues, readings, debates, lectures drew standing-room only crowds to venues throughout the city and several events were sell-outs, such as the The Antonine Maillet-Northrop Frye Lecture by Alberto Manguel on “Why Homer Must Be Blind”.

Saturday’s KidsFest, an action-packed, fun-filled event that promotes the joy and discovery of reading and writing to youth, drew 1,200 people to the Moncton Public Library.

Thanks to the passion of its 150 volunteers, the generosity of its patrons and the support of government leaders, with private and public partnerships now totalling 60, the festival donated more than $6,000 worth of new books to schools and gave out $4,000 in prize money to winners of its Great-West Life — London Life Writing Contest.

The success of the 2008 festival raises the bar high for the 10th edition of Canada’s only bilingual literary festival in 2009. This not-for-profit, volunteer-driven event was established in 1999 to honour the literary contributions of its namesake and world-renowned educator and author Northrop Frye, who spent his formative years in Moncton. Its 10th anniversary will be celebrated with a 10-day festival, April 17-26, 2009.

The 2008 event ended with a farewell reception, hosted by the Greater Moncton International Airport, and featuring the grand finale reading by the festival’s very own poet laureate, Poet flyé and Moncton writer Paul Bossé, accompanied by popular local band Les Païens.His epic poem, entitled #9, will be permanently displayed in the airport art gallery, next to his work from last year.

At yesterday’s closing, a plaque was unveiled to commemorate the 9th annual Frye Festival. It will be permanently displayed at the French Consulate building and features a quote from one of the 2008 festival’s world-renowned authors, Nancy Huston, which reads: “Imagination is an essential part of human reality”.

Kidsfest at Frye Saturday

2008-04-25T08:48:00.003-03:00

Fun for the whole family is in store at Frye Festival's KidsFest, Saturday, April 26at the Moncton Public Library.

The adventure-filled action-packed line-up begins at 9 am with a variety of activities focused on the magic of written and oral words.

The half-day event encourages children, ages 2-12, to write their own poetry, go fishing for words, do crafts, swap books and much more! Last year over 1,200 people attended the free event.

KidsFest also provides an opportunity to meet the Frye Festival authors and hear them read from their works.

For children ages 8-10, Kidsfest is also a great place to learn more about the writing craft in free workshops! Erik Dyke will host a workshop on creative comics (in English) and Diane Carmel Léger will give tips on creative writing (in French). Pre-register at workshops.ateliers@frye.ca to save your spot!

This Frye Festival favourite is made possible by the generosity of its new sponsor - the City of Moncton.

The City of Moncton is proud to be hosting such an important event geared towards kids, says Moncton Mayor Lorne Mitton. Literacy is a cornerstone of success and by getting our children excited about reading and writing we can ignite this life-long passion.

Mighty Successful Contest

2008-04-16T23:15:00.000-03:00

Bread ‘n Molasses magazine and Mighty Community Group recently announced a new contest. Dubbed one Mighty Successful Contest, the competition seeks success stories from readers and in turn offers one grand prize valued at $599.

“Tell us your success story and you could win a free subscription to MySuccessTV.com,” said Kellie Underhill, Editor of Bread ‘n Molasses magazine.

MySuccessTV.com is a 24-hour online television station dedicated to personal development. The website contains over 300 individual training programs that show participants how to be successful in all aspects of their lives.

“With programs from industry leaders such as Zig Ziglar and Stephen Covey, the true value of this prize is staggering,” Underhill said. “You’d have to pay over $2200 just for the sales programs alone. The fact that an annual membership can be purchased for only $599 is a great deal, but getting a year’s subscription to the website for free is an absolutely amazing deal!”

Underhill has taken many of the programs the website offers. “Some people might think you need to be in business or a sales professional in order to benefit from the website, but no matter who you are or what you do MySuccessTV.com can change your life,” Underhill said. “There are programs to help you be more successful as a parent and in your family relationships as well as in areas like personal finances, time management, reaching your goals and so much more.”

Entrants are being asked to write a personal essay 250-500 words in length sharing their success story. “Everyone has experienced some success in their life, whether they’ve lost weight or quit smoking, maybe they’ve met someone who has impacted their life in some positive way or maybe they switched careers or went back to school,” Underhill said. “We’re looking to hear about the positive experiences in people’s lives. Maybe the experience started out negatively like having an accident or getting laid off, but if it ended with a good lesson and positive personal growth, then we want to hear about it.”

All entries will be published online at www.BreadnMolasses.com with the top three finalists being published in an upcoming print edition of Bread ‘n Molasses magazine. One lucky grand prize winner will receive a year’s subscription to MySuccessTV.com. The contest is open to all ages and there is no entry fee.

Email essays to print@breadnmolasses.com or mail to PO Box 266 Miramichi, NB E1N 2A6. Entries must be postmarked by May 1, 2008.

For more information please contact:
The Bread 'n Molasses Team
Phone: 506-773-7668
Email: print@breadnmolasses.com
Website: www.breadnmolasses.com/contest.html

Frye Festival Shines Spotlight on Teen Talent

2008-04-16T14:52:00.000-03:00

Building on last year’s successful debut, Aliant Café Underground returns to the Frye Festival Wednesday, April 23, ready to shine its spotlight on talented teens.

Aliant Café Underground provides a unique forum for high school students throughout the region to present their original works of poetry, prose and song in a bilingual setting. This showcase of rising stars on the local literary front will be held at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre at 7 p.m.

Mentors Troy Little, a graphic novelist from Prince Edward Island and Katia Canciani, a rising talent from Nova Scotia, will be on-site to provide encouragement and tips to the young writers.

“We believe in encouraging our community’s youth to reach their full potential,” said Nicole Gallant, Aliant’s Regional Manager for Southeast New Brunswick. “The Aliant Café Underground is a great opportunity for the region’s emerging literary talent to shine in a professional setting. After hearing about the incredible performances at last year’s Café Underground, I can’t wait to see and hear what our writers have to say on April 23rd.”

Room Magazine Annual 2008 Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Non-fiction Contest

2008-04-14T10:16:00.001-03:00

It's that time of year again—sharpen your pencils or fire up your laptop and send us your fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction contest entries.

Deadline: Entries must be postmarked no later than July 15, 2008.
Entry Fee: $27 per entry (includes a complimentary one-year subscription to Room). Payment by cheque or money order made out to Room.
Non-Canadian entries: $39 Canadian dollars
Prizes: 1st prize in each category – $500, 2nd prize – $250. Winners will be published in a 2009 issue of Room. Other manuscripts may be published.

Judges:
Creative Non-Fiction: Rita Moir
Fiction: Ivan E Coyote
Poetry - Evelyn Lau

Rules & Details:
Send entries to:
Room Fiction and Poetry Contest
P.O. Box 46160, Station D
Vancouver, BC V6J 5G5
Canada

More than one entry will be accepted as long as fee is paid for each entry. No manuscripts will be returned. Only winners will be notified.

Poetry: max. 3 poems or 150 lines | Fiction: max. 4,000 words

There will be blind judging, therefore, do not put your name or address on entry submission, but enclose a cover sheet with your name, address, phone number and title(s) of entry. Entries must be typed on 8.5 X 11 white paper. Prose must be double-spaced. Each entry must be original, unpublished, not submitted or accepted elsewhere for publication and not entered simultaneously in any other contest or competition.

www.roommagazine.com

2008 WFNB Literary Competition Winners Announced

2008-04-09T16:20:00.000-03:00

April 9, 2008 (Fredericton, NB) –
The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Literary Competition. Writers from across Canada competed in seven categories for over $2000 in cash prizes. Prizes were handed out at the Literary Awards Banquet held at the Rodd Miramichi Hotel on April 5th.

Susan Gillis judged the individual poem category. Rita Auffrey of Moncton, NB, takes first place with “Nine Roads for Joan of Arc.” Second place goes to Kathleen Brown of Fredericton, NB for “The Seam from Less.” Judith Frost of Verdun, PQ, places third with “My Father was Ready.” Honorable Mention goes to Kath MacLean of Edmonton, AB, for “Their Little Necks are Broken.”

J.J. Steinfeld judged the Short Fiction category. David Speare of Charlottetown, PEI, places first with “Return of the Railroad Cat. ” Second place goes to Elizabeth Penny of Whitby, ON, with “Not in My House.” Martin Gerrard of East St. Paul, MB receives Third place for “Dreaming of a Kiss.” Honorable Mention goes to Elaine McCluskey of Dartmouth, NS, for “The Favorite Nephew.”

Ken McGoogan judged the Non-Fiction category. Susan Marie Toy of St. Vincent & Grenadines, West Indies, takes first place with her piece “Hockey Night on Bellefair Avenue.” Second place goes to Anne Levesque of Moncton, NB, for “Pusat.” Helena MacLean of Lunenburg, NS receives Third place for “Santa’s Birthday.” Honorable Mention goes to Laurence Hutchman of Edmundston, NB, for “Playing the Legends.”

The Writing for Children category was judged by Sylvia McNicoll. First place goes to Tyler Enfield of Edmonton, AB for his piece “The Secret Worlds of Tabetha Bright.” Helene Boudreau of Markham, ON, takes Second place with “Acadian Star.” Third place goes to Lindsey Morris of Amherstburg, ON for “The Hotdog Bun.” Honorable Mention goes to Sarah K. McEvoy of Verdun, PQ, for “Meet Me at the Monkey Tree.”

Carmelita McGrath judged the Sheree Fitch Prize for Poetry written by a youth. Randi Watson of Hazelton, NB, wins first place with “Rain.” Second place goes to Nicole Oakley of Elgin, NB, for “Walk In Our Shoes.” Mathiew Charles Nini of Bathurst, NB receives Third place for his poem “A Year in Sonnets.” Honorable Mention goes to Ryan McNeil of St-Paul, NB, for “Stories.”

Joel Thomas Hynes judged the David Adams Richards Prize for unpublished manuscript or short stories. The winner is Andre Narbonne of London, ON, for “The Separatists.” Honorable Mentions go to Beverly Akerman of Montreal, PQ for “The Heart of All Things”; and Elaine McCluskey of Dartmouth, NS for “The Houdini.”

Peter Richardson judged the Alfred G. Bailey Prize for unpublished poetry collection. The winner is Sandra Ridley of Ottawa, ON for her submission “Downwinders.” Honorable Mention goes to Shane Neilson of Guelph, ON, for “White Coat, Black Bag.”

The WFNB congratulates all the winners and thanks everyone who entered the competition this year. Please visit www.umce.ca/wfnb for more info on the WFNB, and guidelines for the 2009 competition.

2008 WFNB Literary Competition Winners Announced

2008-04-06T17:38:00.002-03:00

The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Literary Competition. Writers from across Canada competed in seven categories for over $2000 in cash prizes. Prizes were handed out at the Literary Awards Banquet held at the Rodd Miramichi Hotel, April 5th.

Susan Gillis judged the individual poem category. Rita Auffrey of Moncton, NB, takes first place with “Nine Roads for Joan of Arc.” Second place goes to Kathleen Brown of Fredericton, NB for “The Seam from Less.” Judith Frost of Verdun, PQ, places third with “My Father was Ready.”

J.J. Steinfeld judged the Short Fiction category. David Speare of Charlottetown, PEI, places first with “Return of the Railroad Cat.” Second place goes to Elizabeth Penny of Whitby, ON, with “Not in My House.” Martin Gerrard of East St. Paul, MB receives Third place for “Dreaming of a Kiss.”

Ken McGoogan judged the Non-Fiction category. Susan Marie Toy of St. Vincent & Grenadines, West Indies, takes first place with her piece “Hockey Night on Bellefair Avenue.” Second place goes to Anne Levesque of Moncton, NB, for “Pusat.” Helena MacLean of Lunenburg, NS receives Third place for “Santa’s Birthday.”

The Writing for Children category was judged by Sylvia McNicoll. First place goes to Tyler Enfield of Edmonton, AB for his piece “The Secret Worlds of Tabetha Bright.” Helene Boudreau of Markham, ON, takes Second place with “Acadian Star.” Third place goes to Lindsey Morris of Amherstburg, ON for “The Hotdog Bun.”

Carmelita McGrath judged the Sheree Fitch Prize for Poetry written by a youth. Randi Watson of Hazelton, NB, wins first place with “Rain.” Second place goes to Nicole Oakley of Elgin, NB, for “Walk In Our Shoes.” Mathiew Charles Nini of Bathurst, NB receives Third place for his poem “A Year in Sonnets.”

Joel Thomas Hynes judged the David Adams Richards Prize for unpublished manuscript or short stories. The winner is Andre Narbonne of London, ON, for “The Separatists.”
Honorable Mentions go to Beverly Akerman of Montreal, PQ; and Elaine McCluskey of Dartmouth, NS.

Peter Richardson judged the Alfred G. Bailey Prize for unpublished poetry collection. The winner is Sandra Ridley of Ottawa, ON for her submission “Downwinders”
Honorable Mention goes to Shane Neilson of Guelph, ON, for “White Coat, Black Bag.”

The WFNB congratulates all the winners and thanks everyone who entered the competition this year. Please visit www.umce.ca/wfnb for more info on the WFNB, and guidelines for the 2009 competition.

Frye Festival Workshops

2008-03-26T10:07:00.000-03:00

Aspiring writers can study their craft with the masters at the 2008 Frye Festival.

Workshops, led by such literary celebrities as award-winning novelist and screenwriter Russell Banks, headline Moncton’s annual celebration of words, April 23-27.

These unique learning experiences will be offered to students of various genres, from poetry and playwrighting to storyboarding and screenwriting.

The festival’s workshop series begins with a two-hour class on playwrighting, presented by Shediac playwright Don Hannah, at Théâtre l’Escaouette, April 24, at 9 a.m. Registration fee is $15. St. George writer Robert Rayner will deliver a workshop for adults writing for children at the Moncton Library that afternoon, starting at 1:30 p.m. Cost to participate is $10.

Russell Banks’ film writing workshop is among event highlights on April 25. His class begins at 9 a.m. at the Théâtre l’Escaouette and is a joint presentation of the Frye Festival, Enterprise Greater Moncton and Film New Brunswick. Cost is $35. To guarantee your participation, pre-register now by calling 506-859-4389 or emailing workshops.ateliers@frye.ca.

Jo-Anne Elder and Paris poet Jacques Rancourt will co-present a creative writing workshop in French that afternoon beginning at 2 p.m. at l’Alliance française, while Nova Scotia poet Peter Sanger will deliver a poetry workshop in English at the same time at the Moncton Public Library. Registration fee for both events is $10.

On Saturday, April 26 St. John’s poet Mary Dalton and Montreal poet and novelist Rachel Leclerc will lead poetry workshops in English and French, respectively, at the Moncton City Hall and the Dieppe Public Library, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with a $10 charge to participate.

And we can’t forget our youngest writers! Local cartoonist Eric Dyke will present a Creative Comics workshop in English and Diane Léger will present a Creative Writing workshop in French. Both workshops are for 8 to 10-year-olds and will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the Moncton Public Library. Both are free.

Workshops continue that afternoon with a presentation on chaotic creativity by members of the South East New Brunswick Chapter of Professional Writers Association of Canada at the Moncton Public Library, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Cost to take part is $10.

Miramichi’s Fatkat Animation will share the tools of the animation trade during a storyboarding and writing workshop at Mad City Comics, starting at 2 p.m. The fee to register is $15.

To register for these workshops, call the Frye Festival office at 859-4389, email workshops.ateliers@frye.ca or check out all the details at www.frye.ca.

Faculty Author Week (Fredericton)

2008-03-22T15:49:00.002-03:00

The University of New Brunswick Bookstore will host its second Faculty Author event next week. Come in and help celebrate local expertise on subjects such as poetry, political science, romance languages, translation, history and more.

Tuesday, March 25

10:30 a.m. - Josephine Savarese - STU
Noon - Hugh Thomas - UNB
1:30 p.m. - Jo-Anne Elder - STU
3 p.m. - Patricia and Terrence Young - UNB

Wednesday, March 26

10:30 a.m. - Nicholas Tracy - UNB
1:30 p.m. - Michael Clow - STU
3 p.m. - Andrew Gaudes - UNB

Friday March 28

10:30 a.m. - Roger Moore - STU
Noon - Andrew Titus - UNB
3 p.m. - Mark Roberts - UNB

Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Shelley Gagnon at 506 - 458-7909 or sgagnon@unb.ca.

Frye Festival Writing Contest

2008-03-22T15:39:00.000-03:00

2008 Frye Festival Writing Contest fosters student creativity

Young Anglophone and Francophone students from the Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint-John regions have an opportunity to showcase their creative talent – and win cash awards – during the 2008 Frye Festival Writing Contest.

The Frye Festival in Moncton, New Brunswick promotes the pleasure and discovery of reading by bringing together local, national and international authors with public audiences of all ages, creating an annual bilingual celebration of words. The Festival includes an annual student writing contest.

“This year’s writing contest promises to be better than ever,” says Stefanie Wheaton, Executive Director for the Frye Festival. “In past years, cash prizes for student writing excellence went directly to the schools. This year, both the students and their schools will be eligible for prizes.”

Students are eligible to win cash prizes of $500, $300, and $100 for their writing efforts. In addition, each entry entitles the student’s school to enter its name to win $500 it can allocate to the purchase of new books.

The Writing Contest, which for the first time will feature creative writing as well as essay topics, is open to high school students from District 1 and 2 in the Moncton region as well as Districts 11, 8 and 18. Participants must submit a 400-800-word prose selection on a variety of specific subjects. Prizes of $500, $300, and $100 will be awarded in each of the Anglophone and Francophone categories. In all, approximately $4,200 will be awarded through the contest.

Schools have until Friday, March 28 to submit their students’ work.

The 2008 Frye Festival Writing Contest is sponsored by Great-West Life and London Life, through The Key to Giving™ – the national corporate citizenship program of Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life. Through The Key to Giving, the companies contribute to non-profit, charitable and community organizations across the country to address health and wellness, education, social services, arts and culture and civic initiatives. The Key to Giving program also supports the volunteer involvement of staff and financial security advisors in their efforts to meet the needs of the communities in which they live and work. In fact, it was the Moncton-area staff and financial security advisors from Great-West Life and Freedom 55 Financial who first championed the 2008 Frye Festival Writing Contest as a great fit for The Key to Giving program. Freedom 55 Financial is the financial security planning division of London Life.

As Blair Hayden, Regional Director, Great-West Life explains, “The 2008 Frye Festival Writing Contest offers an ideal opportunity for high school students to develop their creativity and self-confidence — qualities that will serve them well in whatever careers they choose for themselves.”

Rick Watt, Regional Director, Freedom 55 Financial, agrees, adding “language and writing skills are an important element in personal growth and career success. Freedom 55 Financial and Great-West Life are proud to help offer students an opportunity to develop their creative and writing abilities.”

Prizes for the 2008 Frye Festival Writing Contest will be awarded during the ninth edition of the Frye Festival held in Moncton from April 23-27.

Visit the Frye Festival website at www.frye.ca for further contest details.

Great Blue Heron Writing Workshop

2008-03-14T11:41:00.001-03:00

The 2008 Great Blue Heron Writing Workshop (July 1-5) at St. Francis Xavier University invites mid-level writers to engage in small-group sessions in one of four categories: fiction, playwriting, poetry, or magazine writing and creative non-fiction. This workshop offers a supportive atmosphere in which participants learn from established writers.

Daniel MacIvor - Playwriting
Bob Bancroft - Magazine Writing & Creative Non-Fiction
Anne Compton - Poetry
Michael Crummey - Fiction
Madeleine Thien - Fiction
For more information, please see the following:
http://www.stfx.ca/workshops/gbheron/index.htm

Phone Brenda Riley at 902.867.4532 or email briley@stfx.ca

Arts Board Grants Deadline

2008-03-06T11:01:00.001-04:00

April 1, 2008 is the deadline for application under New Brunswick Arts Board program New Brunswick/Québec Creative Residency. This year applications will be accepted until May 1.

The New Brunswick/Québec Creative Residency agreement establishes an annual exchange program that provides professional artists and writers with opportunities for creation and professional development residencies in the participating province. Artists and writers participating in this program enjoy complete autonomy and define the objectives of their period of residence and elaborate the parameters and conditions governing its realization in collaboration with an arts or community organization in the territory where the period of residence is to take place.

April 1, 2008 is also the application deadline for the following two regular programs: Creation and Documentation.

The Creation Grant Program is designed to provide assistance to individual emerging, mid-career and senior professional New Brunswick artists for the research, development and execution of original projects in the arts. Creation Grants are intended to allow artists to devote some or most of their time to research and creative production.

The Documentation Grant Program is designed to provide assistance to professional New Brunswick artists and arts professionals for the research, development and execution of original documentation of arts activities, arts products or art history for archival purposes. Preference will be given to proposals related New Brunswick art or artists.

Effective immediately, we will be accepting applications for the new Career Development Program. This program is designed to recognize and encourage arts professionals who have demonstrated exceptional artistic talent and potential, and who are pursuing a career in the arts. The program is divided in three components: 1) assistance to present work by invitation in established arts events; 2) assistance for participation in residency opportunities of four (4) weeks and less; 3) professional development scholarships for studies. Applications should be received 4 to 6 weeks prior to the event or the activity.

For application forms and further information you may consult our Web site or contact the office at the toll free number in New Brunswick 1.866.460.2787.

Grant Writing Workshops

2008-03-05T14:02:00.002-04:00

Grant-writing workshops for professional artists in Music, Creative Writing and Visual Arts (including Fine Craft)in Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John

The Canada Council for the Arts is pleased to invite professional artists in the disciplines of music, creative writing, visual arts and fine craft to participate in free grant-writing workshops focusing on specific grant programs.

Our definition of professional artist:

Someone who has specialized training in their field (not necessarily in academic institutions); is recognized by professional colleagues working in the same artistic tradition; has a history of public presentation or is a professionally published author/translator; and is committed to devoting more time to artistic activity, if financially feasible.

The full workshop schedule is provided below. During these workshops, Program Officers Carole Boucher, Aimé Dontigny and Pao Quang Yeh will explain:

· how to complete application forms;
· how to submit your support material; and
· how your application would be assessed.

IMPORTANT

· Please inform Danielle Sarault of which workshop and in which discipline you will participate. 1-800-263-5588, ext. 4033 or at danielle.sarault@canadacouncil.ca.

· Please bring your résumé (curriculum vitae). This will help program officers determine your eligibility as an emerging, mid-career or established professional.

· We encourage you to read up on the listed grant programs in advance of the workshops so that you may ask the program officers questions that are more specific. Application guidelines and forms are posted on our website at www.canadacouncil.ca.

Our next trip to New Brunswick

The Canada Council will continue its tour of New Brunswick in the Fall of 2008, when we will offer free grant-writing workshops in the Acadian Peninsula and in the North-West Region.

WORKSHOP 1 – Moncton (in ENGLISH)
Thursday, March 27th, 2008 – from 1:30 to 4:30 pm
Capitol Theatre, Empress Room, 811 Main St.

Visual Arts
Assistance to Visual Artists: Project Grants and Long-Term Grants
Assistance to Contemporary Fine Craft Artists and Curators: Project Grants and Long-Term Grants
Travel Grants to Professionals in the Visual Arts

Music
Grants to Professional Musicians (Individuals) – Classical and Non Classical
Commissioning of Canadian Compositions
Grants for Specialized Music Sound Recording
Concert Production and Rehearsal Program
New Music Program: Project Funding
Music Touring Grants

Creative Writing
Grants for Professional Writers – Creative Writing
Spoken Word and Storytelling Program
Travel Grants for Professional Writers

WORKSHOP 2 – Moncton (in FRENCH)
Friday, March 28th, 2008 – from 1:30 to 4:30 pm
Capitol Theatre, Empress Room, 811 Main St.

Same programming as Workshop 1

WORKSHOP 3 – Fredericton (Bilingual)
Saturday, March 29th, 2008 – 1:30 to 4:30 pm
Charlotte Street Arts Centre Auditorium, 732 Charlotte St.

Same programming as Workshop 1

WORKSHOP 4 – Saint John (Bilingual)
Sunday, March 30th, 2008 – 1:30 to 4:30 pm
Saint John Arts Centre, Frazee Room, 20 Hazen Ave

Visual Arts
Assistance to Visual Artists: Project Grants and Long-Term Grants
Assistance to Contemporary Fine Craft Artists and Curators: Project Grants and Long-Term Grants
Travel Grants to Professionals in the Visual Arts

Music
Grants to Professional Musicians (Individuals) – Classical and Non Classical
Commissioning of Canadian Compositions
Grants for Specialized Music Sound Recording
Concert Production and Rehearsal Program
New Music Program: Project Funding
Music Touring Grants

Call for Submissions from Youth

2008-03-01T14:27:00.000-04:00

Re:verse, the literary e-zine for Canadian youth, is seeking poetry submissions from youth under 19 years of age for our Spring issue on identity.
Please forward far and wide!

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:

We want to know you.

April is National Poetry Month, and the theme of this literary celebration is "Poetry Without Borders."
The League of Canadian Poets asks,

"How can poetry celebrate the diversity of cultural traditions in Canada? What are the possibilities for multilingual poetry events? How can poetry combine with other forms of creative expression? What does poetry without borders mean to you?"

With this in mind, Re:verse asks - Who are you?

The Spring issue of Re:verse is all about identity. What makes up your insides? Where did you come from? What events, places, people and images have contributed to the formation of YOU?
In this issue we're looking for poems that slow down and unravel the layers of who you are. Who or what or where has influenced the person you have become?

Shed your skins on the page, then send your words to us.

ezineeditor1@gmail.com

by March 30th, 2008.
Re:verse Ezine
www.youngpoets.ca/ezine

Lochhead Book Launch (Sackville)

2008-02-25T10:29:00.001-04:00

Sackville's poet laureate, Douglas Lochhead, will be launching his latest book, Love on the Marsh, at Tidewater Books, 4 Bridge Street, Sackville on Saturday March 15th at 4pm. For more about the author, or to view a video clip of Lochhead reading from Love on the Marsh, visit http://www.sybertooth.ca/publishing/loveonthemarsh.htm
Contact: webmaster@sybertooth.ca for more information.

Frye Festival Authors Announced

2008-02-22T12:33:00.002-04:00

9th annual Frye Festival brings award-winning authors to Moncton
April 23-27, 2008

The Frye Festival will honour its proud tradition of bringing some of the best authors in the world to Moncton when the 9th edition of this annual celebration of words takes over Hub City cafes, schools, theatres and libraries, April 23-27, 2008.

Canada's only bilingual international literary festival, the Frye Festival promotes the pleasure and discovery of reading through a wide range of activities for book lovers and aspiring writers of all ages, including dialogues, workshops, readings and round tables. Named in honour of Northrop Frye, a renowned thinker who spent his formative years in Moncton, the five-day event has presented more than 300 authors, from every continent, to date.

Recently celebrated Canadian authors on the 2008 marquee include Ami McKay, whose debut novel The Birth House was a number one bestseller in Canada and Heather O'Neill, who enjoyed similar critical acclaim for her first novel Lullabies for Little Criminals. Both books are long-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

In addition to McKay and O'Neill, this year's showcase includes Russell Banks, author of the highly acclaimed The Sweet Hereafter and Affliction (both of which have been made into films); Alberto Manguel, novelist and distinguished thinker; Nancy Huston, a Calgary-born, Paris-based writer who is best known for her work Plainsong and Don Hannah, the Shediac-born award-winning playwright and novelist.

Other Festival headliners include Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Ford, author of five novels including The Sportswriter and Independence Day and Rachel Leclerc, a major literary figure in Quebec and in Europe.

Over 13,000 people took part in last year's Festival, setting a new attendance high for the non-profit, volunteer-driven event. One of the Festival's objectives is to give youth from Kindergarten through to Grade 12 venues to present their original creations and opportunities to experience the fun and power of words.

This is achieved through the highly successful and growing School-Youth Program, which includes the popular Great-West Life — London Life Writing Contest, Aliant Budding Writers, Aliant Café Underground, KidsFest and TD's Writers in the Schools events.

In 2007, Frye Festival authors visited schools all over New Brunswick to promote the discovery and enjoyment of reading and writing to thousands of French and English students. The Frye Festival also donated $6,000 in new books to the Province’s schools and presented over $4,000 in prize money to the writing contest winners.

The Festival receives funding from all levels of government and generous corporate sponsors and is managed by two employees and supported by more than 100 volunteers.

New LitMag Seeks Submissions

2008-02-21T10:26:00.000-04:00

Call for submissions to Riddle Fence: (NEW) Deadline: March 31. Riddle Fence, a St. John's-based journal of arts and culture, is looking to fill its second issue with nothing short of literary genius – though we'll settle for the merely exemplary. Payment? How mercenary of you to ask. We pay $30 a page for prose and poetry.

We are currently considering submissions of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Send us your best and keep the rest for yourselves. Please send no more than 3-4 poems or one piece of prose, maximum 5,000 words in length.

What are we looking for? What is anyone looking for: brilliance, innovation, that certain je ne sais quoi de sage-like insight that will blow away the doldrums and give our lives greater meaning.

We accept submissions by snail mail (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope): Riddle Fence, P.O. Box 7092, St. John's, NL, A1E 3Y3. Or, send your submission by e-mail (as an attachment in MS Word or Rich Text Format) to riddlefence@gmail.com.

M. Travis Lane Reading (Fredericton)

2008-02-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

M. Travis Lane reading at Westminster Books Feb 21

Thursday February 21 at 7 PM at Westminster Books, meet well-known local poet M. Travis Lane reading and discussing her latest book of poetry.

The Crisp Day Closing on My Hand: The Poetry of M. Travis Lane is a collection of thirty-five of her best poems, selected with an introduction by Jeanette Lynes. An environmentalist, feminist, and peace activist, M. Travis Lane is known for witty and meticulously crafted poems that explore the elusive nature of "home" in both historical and present contexts and reflect on the identity of the woman poet and what it means to be a writer. Lane's poems exhibit impressive range and variety--long poems, short lyrics, serial poems, poems inspired by visual art--and are richly attentive to the landscapes, both urban and wild, of her New Brunswick home. They voice a sense of urgency with respect to ecological crises and war; her poetic attention fixes unwaveringly on the smallest pebble on the coast of Fundy but is equally attuned to global patterns of destructive domination.

In her introduction As Opportunity for Grace, This Life May Serve, editor Jeanette Lynes discusses how Lane's poetry integrates an ecopoetic vision with explorations of the artist's task of mapping her world.

Lane's afterword reinforces her sense of the poet's project as a form of mystical play, a search for patterns in the "unified disunities" of all things.

About the Author
M. Travis Lane is Honorary President of the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick and a Life Member of the League of Canadian Poets. She has published eleven books of poetry (including the forthcoming The Safety Net) and received numerous awards, including the Bliss Carman Poetry Prize, the Atlantic Poetry Prize, the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, and the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in English Language Literary Arts.

Michael Winter Reading (Fredericton)

2008-02-06T09:04:00.000-04:00

The Canada Council for the Arts, The University of New Brunswick English Department, and the UNB Bookstore are proud to present acclaimed author Michael Winter.

When: Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 @ 8PM
Where: Alumni Memorial Lounge (UNB)

Michael Winter's latest novel "The Architects are Here", marks the return of Gabriel English, the rugged narrator who has coloured Winter's last three novels and secured the author's place among the most original prose stylists in Canadian Literature.

"Architects" hits the ground running as a near-death experience drives Gabriel to confront the disappearance of his girlfriend, Nell, and spurs his return to his childhood home of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, where a recent accident involving a friend's father suggests Nell has beaten Gabriel back to the Rock. The novel is a break-neck romp through lives past and present, punched-up by cameos from the squirrelly world of Canadian Letters. A Giller Prize Nominee, and the recipient of numerous literary awards, Michael Winter is one of those unique literary talents who manage to out do themselves with each new effort. This reading is not to be missed.

The UNB Bookstore will have copies of "Architects" on hand to purchase, and Michael will be available after the reading to answer questions and personalize your edition.

In recognition of our continued success, the UNB Reading Series is pleased to offer free admission to this event. Don't miss your chance to hear one of Canada's most groundbreaking writers read from a soon-to-be Classic.

Join us for a great evening of literature!

David Adams Richards (Moncton)

2008-02-05T06:38:00.000-04:00

Frye Festival presents book launch by David Adams Richards
Spend Thursday, February 14 with the Province’s best known literary export - David Adams Richards. The award-winning author will be in Moncton for the launch of his new book Playing the Inside Out, joined by special guest and acclaimed Acadian author Antonine Maillet.
The launch begins at 5 p.m. at the Université de Moncton’s Galerie d’art Louise-et-Reuben Cohen. Books will be sold on site by the Librairie acadienne.

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David Adams Richards at Moncton Library
Critcally acclaimed author David Adams Richards will read from his new novel The Lost Highway and sign books at the Moncton Public Library on Friday, February 15. The event starts at noon and books will be sold at the library by Tidewater Books. It's part of a three-day visit to the region, organized by the Frye Festival.

Reading at Mount A

2008-01-27T09:55:00.001-04:00

Public Reading — David Adams Richards

David Adams Richards
Owens Art Gallery, Sackville, NB
February 13, 2008. 7:30 pm

Mount Allison University will welcome noted New Brunswick author and poet David Adams Richards to campus for a public reading on Wednesday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Owens Art Gallery. Everyone is welcome to attend this event, sponsored by Mount Allison’s Centre for Canadian Studies, the English department and the Office of the President, and presented in collaboration with the Frye Festival, and there is no admission charge. Sackville’s Tidewater Books will have a selection of David’s books available for sale at the reading, which will be followed by a book signing and reception with the author.

Nocturne: the Night in Music and Poetry (Sackville)

2008-01-27T09:50:00.000-04:00

Nocturne: the Night in Music and Poetry

Janet Hammock and Robert Lapp
Brunton Auditorium, Marjorie Young Bell Conservatory of Music, 134 Main Street Sackville, NB
February 02, 2008. 8:00 pm

Piano nocturnes by Field, Fauré, Chopin, Poulenc, Barber, and the première performance of a nocturne by J.G. Code will be intertwined with the recitation of night poems by Frost, Barbauld, Keats, Eliot, and poems by Jernigan and Lerch written especially for this recital. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors (60+), and $25 for families, available in advance or at the door.

Contact: Margaret Ann (Peggy) Craig (506) 536-0295 mcraig@mta.ca

Winter Writers Retreat (NS)

2008-01-26T08:45:00.000-04:00

Writers' Winter Retreat: February 21 - 24.

Location: the gracefully restored Morton House Inn on the banks of the Mersey River near Liverpool.

Maximum 12 authors. Some non-resident places available.

Price: $450 includes all except evening meals.

Discounts available for shared rooms. Register by emailing: creativehols@tallships.ca or calling (902) 677 2899. Visit the website for more details: http://www.tallships.ca/creativeholidaysns/retreat08.html

Writing from Away: A Postcard Story Workshop

2008-01-24T12:07:00.000-04:00

Date: Saturday, February 2, 2008
Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Location: Gallery Connexion
Street: 453 Queen st. (behind Justice building)
City/Town: Fredericton, NB

Writing from Away: Mistakes, Mischief and Miracles

You're travelling when you're supposed to be back at work. You meet someone who nearly makes you forget about going home. You run into a long-lost cousin who hasn't been totally upfront about what he's doing. You've jigged your German language class and taken off to the tourist attractions. You've left the Italian Masterpieces tour to meet someone at a café down the road. You've missed your train again. You get lost in the eyes looking out at you from the portrait and forget an appointment... Sometimes this kind of mistake can turn your life around.

How has art or travel led you to mischief or miracles? Care to share? At this workshop, Jo-Anne Elder will give you some tips about writing flash fiction, very very short stories, based on your photos, on postcard pictures or on the work in the Writing Home exhibition. You're welcome to bring your own family photos or postcards, and we'll have lots of other artwork to look at as well.

12:00 - 1:30 pm, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. Thanks to the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, there is no charge for this program. For ages 14 and up, no writing or travel experience necessary, but we hope you'll learn a bit about travelling lighter.

To sign up for the workshop, contact Meredith or Patrick at Gallery Connexion at 454-1433 or connex@nbnet.nb.ca

Poet Laureate Reading at Mount A

2008-01-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

Parliamentary Poet Laureate John Steffler Reads at Mount Allison
A 7 Mondays Event

Crabtree Auditorium
January 25, 2008. 7:30 pm

John Steffler is the Parliamentary Poet Laureate and author of six collections of poetry. He is also the author of the novel The Afterlife of George Cartwright, which won the Smithbooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Thomas Raddall Award and was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award.

Contact: Bess W. Kosinec, (506) 536-0008, bwksnc@mta.ca

Noche Latina 2008

2008-01-18T22:17:00.001-04:00

The Fredericton Chapter of the Breaking the Silence (BTS) Maritime-Guatemala Solidarity Network will host Noche Latina, an annual fundraiser, on Friday, February 1st. This lively annual event will be in support of a scholarship fund for indigenous students in Rabinal, Guatemala. Recipients are all students of New Hope Institute, a bilingual (Spanish and Achi) and bicultural school, operated by the New Hope Foundation, for children of families affected by the genocide during the early 1980s.

Each year Breaking the Silence commits to raising $10 000 – a five year commitment of $50 000 -- to fund the tuition for 40 students. The Fredericton chapter has been a key participant in this campaign and Noche Latina is an integral fundraising event. It is expected that this year will be as successful as ever and we hope that Frederictonians will get to share in this wonderful effort.

Come join BTS and friends in a celebration of Central American culture and food. Admission includes the chance to sample typical Guatemalan cuisine, along with an evening of Latin dance performance and the music of Cesar Morales. All proceeds from admissions and a silent auction will go towards the scholarship fund.

Noche Latina will take place at Wilmot United Church (corner of King St. and Carleton St.) on Friday, February 1st. Doors will open at 5:30 pm and food service will begin at 6:00. Tickets are available for sale at Doodles Café (inside the Charlotte St. Arts Centre), Multicultural Association of Fredericton (123 York St.), True Foods Organics (207 Charlotte St.), and at the door. Ticket prices are as follows: Adults - $10, Students - $8, Children - $5 (ages 5- 12), Family - $20.

For more information about the New Hope Foundation and the scholarship fund please email Valerie Kilfoil at vkilfoil@rogers.com
For more information about Noche Latina, please email Judy Loo at loo.judy@gmail.com
For more information about the Breaking the Silence Maritime-Guatemala Solidarity Network please visit: www.tatacentre.ca

Fredericton Arts Alliance Arts Evening with Pauline Bourque from the NB Arts Board

2008-01-15T23:26:00.000-04:00

The Fredericton Arts Alliance will be hosting an Arts Evening at 7 PM on Wednesday, January 16 in the multi-purpose room of the Charlotte Street Arts Centre, 732 Charlotte Street. Artists, arts organizations, and all those interested in the arts are welcome.

Pauline Bourque, Executive Director of the New Brunswick Arts Board (ArtsNB), will provide a history of the organization, an update on the ArtsNB grants and will also discuss the changing profile of the Arts Board.

For more information please contact the Arts Alliance at frederictonartsalliance@yahoo.ca.

edVentures Fredericton

2008-01-15T23:24:00.000-04:00

Atlantic Canada’s Riverfront Capital is set to become one of Canada’s leading centres for vacation learning in craft and culture with the launch today of edVentures Fredericton, an innovative new program developed by Fredericton Tourism and it’s cultural sector partners.

The edVentures Fredericton program, which will run from July 7 to August 22 in 2008, will be Atlantic Canada’s largest vacation learning program.

More than 60 New Brunswick artists, like Trudy Gallagher, William Forrestall, Brigitte Clavette, Peter Thomas, Deanna Musgrave and Doris Norman, will teach five-day weekday, along with one-day and two-day workshops.

The new program, developed in large part by Fredericton special projects consultant Nancy Lockerbie, features some of New Brunswick’s best-known artists, offering more than 140 workshops in craft and culture. Courses range from pottery and jewellery making to rug hooking and digital photography. For a full list of workshops, visit www.edventures.ca.

“edVentures demonstrates in living colour what a vibrant, cultural City we have. We’ve got so many talented, creative people in our community and we’re already known as a learning centre. By combining the strengths of our cultural sector and our tourism industry, we’ve created something truly exceptional,” said Mayor Brad Woodside.

“This is among the most significant cultural programs launched in New Brunswick in the last decade or two. It‘s going to be good for the arts community, good for the City and good for the economy,” says Woodside.

The Province of New Brunswick is contributing $10,000 towards the edVentures program. Entreprise Fredericton is contributing $5000.

Partners in the new program include Fredericton Tourism, the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the University of New Brunswick Kings Landing Historical Settlement, the Charlotte Street Arts Centre and the Historic Garrison District.

The College of Craft and Design will offer more than 50 edVentures workshops this summer.

“The College is already a leader in craft education with its winter academic programs. We’re excited to partner with Fredericton Tourism on edVentures. It allows us to offer a summer program with the same talent base of exceptional instructors,” says NBCCD Principal Michael Maynard.

edVentures workshops will take place at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Kings Landing, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Charlotte Street Arts Centre.

Fredericton Tourism has negotiated exclusive accommodations rates for out of town participants.

“The idea behind edVentures Fredericton is to combine an exceptional learning experience with the rich program of cultural and entertainment offerings the City has each summer and facilitate real connections to our community. We think we’ve developed something truly exceptional,” says David Seabrook, manager of Fredericton Tourism.

When EdVentures participants aren’t in workshops, they can take in summer concerts, festivals, outdoor films, heritage walking tours, haunted hikes wine-tastings, gallery tours and cultural lectures. Exercise enthusiasts can join local residents for free Tai Chi, yoga, group runs and walks, along with biking tours along the City’s 82-kilometre riverside trail network.

To register for an edVentures program, call Fredericton Tourism at 460-2233 or go online at www.edventures.ca.

UNB Reading Jan 22nd

2008-01-15T23:17:00.000-04:00

Kathy Page Tuesday, January 22nd, 2007 Alumni Memorial Lounge (UNB)

The Canada Council for the Arts, the University of New Brunswick Department of English, and the UNB Bookstore are proud to present acclaimed author Kathy Page.

When: Tuesday, January 22nd at 8PM
Where: Alumni Memorial Lounge (UNB). Free Admission.

A finalist for the Governor General's Award, Kathy's latest novel, Alphabet, delves deep into bleak world of prison-lifer Simon Austin as he grapples with the devastating aftershocks of his crimes, and struggles to reform himself brick by brick from the ground up. In learning to read, his triumphant awakening is profoundly tempered by the horrific toll his years in ignorance have taken.

A past nominee for the Orange Prize (The Story of My Face, 2002), Kathy's work plumbs the turbulent waters of human behavior with compassionate honesty and triumphant reverence. A compelling and earnest read, Alphabet is a seminal work from a writer whose talents continue to surge and surprise. Alphabet will be available for purchase after the reading, and Kathy will be on hand to answer questions and personally sign your copy. Admission is free. Come out and join us for a great evening of literature!

Bob Mersereau launches Frye Festival lecture series, January 22

2008-01-15T23:16:00.001-04:00

Radio producer, columnist and author Bob Mersereau will lead off the Frye Festival’s Pop et Frye series for 2008 with a talk on the connection between Canadian music and the Canadian identity. His presentation, scheduled for Tuesday, January 22, at Timothy’s World Coffee in Moncton, raises the question: “Can we find it (Canadian identity) in the popular song?”

Mersereau will share stories from his search for The Top 100 Canadian Albums and reflect on the common thread that weaves through Canadian songwriting.

Mersereau is Arts Producer for CBC Television in New Brunswick and weekly music columnist on CBC Radio's Shift program, focusing on Maritime music. He also pens a weekly music review column Backbeat, which appears each Wednesday in The Telegraph-Journal newspaper, covering the provincial, regional and national music scene. Mersereau recently contributed the liner notes to the Rhino/Warner Music release Atlantic Standards Volume 2, a top five album in Atlantic Canadian markets, and the recent Atlantic Standards Christmas.

His book, The Top 100 Canadian Albums, was published nationally by Goose Lane Editions last October to critical acclaim.

Mersereau will discuss the process involved in researching and writing the book, including the discovery he made from his interviews with dozens of songwriters behind the best Canadian albums. He found a group of people “in love with their country, and desperate to write about it, to capture it, and reflect it back”. From Joel Plaskett's national anthem-quoting hit True Patriot Love, to Neil Young and Joni Mitchell's continued use of Canadian nature, to The Tragically Hip's morale-boosting name-dropping, the nation's best musicians “go out of their way to sing about home”, says Mersereau.

Mersereau’s Pop et Frye talk begins at 7 p.m. Pop et Frye is a lecture series, presented free of charge by the Frye Festival, and dedicated to the discovery and appreciation of popular culture.

The series will feature four lectures in total, leading up to the Frye Festival, April 23-27, 2008, in Moncton. All lectures this year will be held at Timothy’s World Coffee, 735 Main Street, Moncton.

Writing for Profit Workshop in Moncton

2008-01-13T10:57:00.000-04:00

Think you have the “write” stuff to become a writer? Then plan to attend a “writing for profit” workshop, Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the Moncton Public Library. That’s where Moncton and area professional writers will unlock a treasure chest of trade secrets.

This interactive and informative event is a presentation of MonctonWriters.ca, a group of freelance writers which meets monthly to network, discuss ideas, share potential markets and generally support each other in their individual businesses and endeavours.

Members of MonctonWriters.ca will lead a series of sessions on the possibilities and realities of the professional writing world at this month’s workshop. Session topics include: what it takes to be a writer; opportunities for writers; writing about what you know; finding appropriate markets and protecting your rights as a writer.

Session presenters include:

Kate Merlin, a specialist in science and nature writing and author of the book Trails of Greater Moncton;

Brian Cormier, humour columnist and blogger with an extensive public relations background in government and corporate sectors;

Deborah Carr, website designer, newspaper and magazine writer, who focuses on conservation, business and people profiles and travel writing;

Allison Finnamore, an award winning agriculture writer, columnist and author of two creative non-fiction books;

Wendy Kitts, a children’s literature expert, columnist, and regular contributor to the Globe & Mail, and;

Rayanne Brennan, communications consultant, former newspaper editor and press secretary to government leaders and corporations.

The presenters are also members of the Professional Writers Association of Canada, Southeast NB Chapter. PWAC is a nation-wide non-profit organization, with over 600 members, that works to improve rates and working conditions for writers in Canada's magazine and newspaper industries.

The workshop will be held in Room AB from 1-5 p.m.

Cost is $35 on or before January 19 and $40 at the door. Payment can be made by cheque, payable to "PWAC SE New Brunswick Chapter". For complete details on the workshop and the presenters, visit the group’s website at www.monctonwriters.ca.
To register for the workshop, email info@monctonwriters.ca or call Allison Finnamore at (506)860-776.

Biff Mitchell’s Writing Hurts Like Hell workshop begins Jan 28

2008-01-09T21:40:00.000-04:00

Biff Mitchell's Writing Hurts Like Hell is a 12 session workshop designed to force you into doing the thing you've avoided most – actually writing that novel you've always talked about. It works on the theory that, if you're writing, you're a writer; if you're not writing, you're nobody. Through a series of character and scene-building field trips, brutally honest discussions about the use of sex, humour, violence and four-letter language in writing, and no-excuse flash fiction exercises, you'll get the writing juices flowing and build a solid foundation to launch your novel into being.

This is not a workshop on how to write (though we'll cover some of that) … it's a workshop on how to be a writer. If you're not serious about writing, don't even think about taking this workshop. If you are serious, welcome to Writing Hurts Like Hell.

Instructor: Biff Mitchell
January 28 – April 21
Every Monday from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.
Tilley Hall, Room 124 (first meeting only … and then we head out into the world)
Cost: $155 (+HST)
To register, call UNB College of Extended Learning at 506-453-4646.

Moncton Writers to Hold Workshop

2007-12-14T09:44:00.001-04:00

Have you always wanted to write, but don’t know how to start? Maybe you’ve been writing for ages, but don’t know where to go from here?

Join the MonctonWriters.ca group of professional freelance writers for an informative half-day workshop that will show you the possibilities and realities of the professional writing world.

The event will be held Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the Moncton Public Library, Northrop Frye Room, from 1-5 p.m.

Workshop presenters will share stories of how they carved careers doing what they love best: putting words to paper. Participants will learn about the writing life, how writers write and where they can be published.

The format will be casual, with lots of time provided for questions. Topics include writing from home; finding markets and protecting your rights.

The writers who will be passing on the tools and tips of their trade are members of the Professional Writers Association of Canada, Southeast NB Chapter. PWAC is a nation-wide non-profit organization, with over 600 members, that works to improve rates and working conditions for writers in Canada's magazine and newspaper industries.

The workshop makes a unique Christmas gift for the budding writer on your list. Pre-register and the group will send you a confirmation gift card that you can put under the tree.

Cost is $35 on or before January 19 and $40 at the door. Payment can be made by cheque, payable to "PWAC SE New Brunswick Chapter". For complete details on the workshop and the presenters, visit the group’s website at www.monctonwriters.ca; email info@monctonwriters.ca; or call Allison Finnamore at 860-7761.

The workshop is in keeping with the mandate of MonctonWriters.ca, a supportive group which meets monthly to discuss ideas, network, share potential markets and generally encourage each other in their individual businesses and endeavours.
Members are high quality professionals with many years experience. Their fields of expertise range from marketing to science, agriculture, conservation, business and politics.

Postcard Story Competition

2007-12-14T09:37:00.000-04:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
9th Annual Postcard Story Competition
$500 PRIZE

The Writers’ Union of Canada is pleased to announce that submissions are being accepted until February 14, 2008, for the 2008 POSTCARD STORY COMPETITION for the best Canadian story of 250 words in the English language. Are you up for the challenge? Can you create a dramatic, short, snappy piece in only 250 words? You can use humour, poetry, dialogue… anything goes!

PRIZE

$500 and the winning entry will be published in postcard format. The winner agrees that The Writers' Union of Canada will have non-exclusive publication rights to publish the winning entry in postcard form for publicity purposes. Any publication of the author's story will include an authorship credit and a copyright notice in the name of the author.

JURY

We are proud to announce that Aritha van Herk, Hal Niedzviecki, and Mary Novik will serve as the jury.

ELIGIBILITY

This competition is open to all Canadian citizens and landed immigrants. Original and unpublished (English language) fiction or nonfiction.

HOW TO SUBMIT ENTRIES:

Entries should be typed or computer-printed, double-spaced, and numbered on 8.5 x 11 paper, not stapled.
Computer disks, CDs, e-mails, or faxes will not be accepted.
Include a separate cover letter with title of story, full name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and number of pages of entry. The author's name should not appear on the actual entry.
Make cheque or money order payable to The Writers' Union of Canada. Multiple entries can be submitted together and fees can be added and paid with one cheque or money order.
Entries must be postmarked by FEBRUARY 14, 2008 to be eligible.
Mail entries to: PCS Competition, 90 Richmond Street East, Suite 200, Toronto, ON M5C 1P1.

Results will be posted at www.writersunion.ca. Manuscripts will not be returned.

Danuta Gleed Literary Award

2007-11-16T10:06:00.000-04:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Danuta Gleed Literary Award
$10,000 AWARD FOR FIRST BOOK OF SHORT FICTION

The Writers’ Union of Canada and John Gleed are pleased to announce that submissions are being accepted until January 31, 2008, for the 2007 DANUTA GLEED LITERARY AWARD for best first Canadian collection of short fiction in the English language.

PRIZE

One $10,000 prize for the best first collection of short fiction; second and third prizes in the amount of $500 each. Winners will be announced on May 24, 2008, during the Annual General Meeting of The Writers’ Union of Canada.

JURY

We are proud to announce that Genni Gunn, Donna Morrissey and Fred Wah will serve as the jury.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible titles are first collections of short fiction written by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and published in Canada in the English language in the 2007 calendar year.

Please send five (5)of each eligible title, along with a cover page outlining author, title, and publisher to:

The Writers’ Union of Canada
90 Richmond Street East, Suite 200
Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1P1

Submission deadline: JANUARY 31, 2008

Danuta Gleed’s first collection of short stories, One of the Chosen, was posthumously published by BuschekBooks in 1997. All royalties from sales of her book will go to the Award.

The Writers' Union of Canada is our country's national organization representing professional authors of books. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada, and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well being of all writers. For more information, please visit www.writersunion.ca