WFNS is a registered not-for-profit organization with charitable status that operates with funds raised from membership dues, program and service fees, as well as grant support from the Department of Communities, Culture, and Heritage, the Department of Education, Arts Nova Scotia, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

We also search for mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses and other not-for-profit organizations, which help us keep program costs low and membership and workshop fees affordable.

WFNS has appoximately 600 members at all stages in their careers, and engaged in a diverse range of writing practices.

 What We Do At WFNS

  • Organize and promote public readings, book launches, workshops, conferences, retreats and educational programs

  • Administer Writers in the Schools, a program which brings nearly 100 writers a year to schools in every Nova Scotian county

  • Maintain www.writers.ns.ca – a vast online resource containing a directory of NS writers and illustrators, event listings updated weekly, information on submission guidelines, publishing questions, and dozens of other issues of interest to writers

  • Represent the interests of writers to a variety of agencies and government departments, and lobby on behalf of the interests of these writers

  • Administer the East Coast Literary Awards: the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, the Evelyn Richardson Non-Fiction Award, and the JM Abraham Poetry Award.

  • Facilitate the annual Atlantic Writing Competition for unpublished manuscripts. 

  • Offer the Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Program for writers on the cusp ofprofessional publication.

  • Foster creative writing and the profession of writing in the Province of Nova Scotia; provide advice and assistance to writers at all stages of their careers; encourage greater public recognition of Nova Scotian writers and their achievements; and enhance the literary arts in our regional and national culture.

What We Don't Do

  • WFNS is not a publishing house, and as such, we do not take submissions. 
  • Staff does not read and comment on manuscripts. Our Nova Writes Competition provides valuable feedback, yet does so once a year. We also have a manuscript review service that connects writers to reviewers for more in-depth feedback. 
  • We are not a ghostwriting agency - while some WFNS members provide ghostwriting services, keep in mind that significant investments of time and money are involved in collaborating with a ghostwriter. 
  • We do not 'register' books and manuscripts - if you are concerned with copyright issues surrounding your work, please consult the appropriate resources in our members-only web pages.
  • We do not offer funding, bursaries or grants to individuals. We support authors via our learning and training programs. 

 

 

Our Core Values

 

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, including our membership, staff and board of directors, works to maintain a supportive and vibrant writing community in Nova Scotia. These are our core values:

 

 

We value the diversity of writers in all regions of Nova Scotia, and are inclusive of all backgrounds, abilities and languages represented in the province. We value all genres of writing, and strive to create a welcoming, accessible and supportive atmosphere for all writers.

 

We value the practice of writing and the importance of developing our skill and craft as writers.

 

We value writing as a profession and a passion. We strive to represent the interests and protect the rights of all writers.

 

We value community building among writers. We encourage writers to connect to readers, services and resources. We have an appreciation for writing and a commitment to supporting its role in the life of Nova Scotians. We value the contributions of Nova Scotia writers regionally, nationally and internationally.

 

We value the inherent skills and resources of our community, and where possible, will use the skills and resources of our membership and community at large.

 

We value professionalism, and conduct ourselves with a high level of integrity. We are resourceful and creative in how we manage our organization’s operations.