FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
25 August 2008

31st Atlantic Writing Competition Winners Announced

Now entering its thirty-second year, the annual Competition was an important first step for such authors as Lesley Choyce, George Elliott Clarke and Budge Wilson, a legacy that is reinforced by the success of recent first-time published writers Jamie Leck, Ami McKay, Jackie Halsey, and Mark Blagrave (among others), all of whom once placed in the Competition.

This year, nearly two hundred writers from all four Atlantic Provinces submitted novels, poetry, short stories, and works for children to the annual Atlantic Writing Competition for unpublished manuscripts.  The contest juries spent eight months carefully reading and providing individual feedback for each entry before choosing this year’s fourteen winners.

Please note: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place manuscripts are of a quality such that, were they presented to an appropriate publisher, they could be accepted for publication without major revisions.

WFNS extends warmest congratulations to all participants in this year’s competition. Entry forms for the 32nd annual Competition are now online at www.writers.ns.ca/awc.html or upon request by calling 902-423-8116.

On the eve of Word on the Street, writers, publishers, booksellers, librarians, teachers, friends, family and fans from across the Atlantic region will assemble for the annual Gala Celebration of Writers and Writing. Everyone is welcome at Alderney Landing Theatre in Dartmouth, Saturday September 27 at 7pm.  The winners in this year’s four categories of the Atlantic Writing Competition will read from their work, and all those who have placed in the contest will be awarded their prizes.  The evening’s festivities will also feature WFNS’ annual Silly Silent Auction of Lunatic Literaria – spa treatments, original art, homemade gourmet Pecan Kahlua pies, rare and first edition books, and an abundance of other writerly goodies will be up for bids on the auction table.  Mark it on your calendars and don’t miss out on the hottest event of the literary season. 

For further information, please contact Jane Buss or Susan Mersereau, WFNS
(902) 423 8116 / talk@writers.ns.ca / www.writers.ns.ca

ABOUT THE WINNERS

The H.R. (Bill) Percy Novel Prize to Chris Benjamin of Halifax for “Living in the Dirt”

Freelance writer Chris Benjamin received financial support from the Toronto Arts Council to allow him the time to complete his manuscript. He is currently the Sustainable City columnist for The Coast in Halifax.  In 2006-7 he worked as the Development Correspondent for The Statesman, a daily national newspaper in Ghana, and has also written news stories, features and commentary for The Toronto Star, Halifax Chronicle Herald, Progress Magazine, and many others.

2nd to Tim Reeves-Horton of Port Medway, NS for "An Unassumed Road"

Tim Reeves-Horton is a native Nova Scotian who currently works with Lighthouse Publishing Ltd. in a variety of creative roles, including writer, videographer, video editor, and education coordinator.  Tim has documentary/video writing credits with National Geographic Channel, Parks Canada, Ontario Arts Council, and more, and has received recognition for his writing from Toronto International Film Festival, Banff Television Festival, Praxis Screenwriting Festival, Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival, Atlantic Canadian Playwrights’ Assocation, and Dramatist Co-op of Nova Scotia.  An Unassumed Road is Tim’s first novel manuscript.

3rd to Don Roy from Antigonish for "Dreamboat"

Don Roy started writing in his forties, after taking a creative writing class at Saint Francis Xavier University.  He is a self-professed writing workshop junkie, having attended The Community of Writers in Tatamagouche, Writing With Style and The Wired Studio at The Banff Centre and numerous WFNS workshops.  He was awarded a creation grant by Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture and Heritage in 2007. One short story has been published in an anthology and he is at work on his next novel.

Honourable mention to Bedford's Darrell Kays for "Odin's Eye"

Darrell Kays is a retired submarine officer.  He spent twenty-five years as part of the “Slaves Beneath the Waves” fraternity (Canadian Chapter) and enjoyed absolutely every minute of it.  During his sea tours, he was the combat system engineering officer and had 14 personnel in his department.  He was responsible to the captain for the weapons, sensors, communications and fire control system.  His writing experience consists primarily of technical reports, tactical presentations and personnel assessments. This is his first novel manuscript.

The Joyce Barkhouse Writing for Children and YA/Juvenile Novel Prize to Brenda Tate of Pleasant Valley, NS for "Nightingales Don't Cry"

Brenda Tate is a retired teacher who grew up in Wolfville and now lives in Yarmouth County, surrounded by gardens and wildlife.  Her winning manuscript is the end result of her 2005 WFNS mentorship with children’s writer Don Aker. Brenda’s personal experience with ileostomy patients inspired her tender story of a young teenager facing life after severe colitis. Brenda's career as a teacher made YA an ideal genre in which to work. Also a poet, Brenda used excerpts from her poetry as chapter introductions and has also published two collections of poetry: Cleansing (Rising Tide Press 2005) and Beeline (Lopside Press 2007). 

Honourable mention goes to Elizabeth Pooley and Margaret Goodmanson, Lockeport, NS, for "The Adventures of Princess Pete"

Elizabeth L. Pooley was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.  She discovered the ocean and Nova Scotia at the age of 13, a cataclysmic event.  She went east for university, and spent the following decade living in and around Boston, MA.  She came to Allendale, on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, through an incredible string of coincidences, and she never left.  Married for almost 30 years, she has two children.  Her passions are gardening, reading, cooking, knitting and needlepoint, and the Anglican Church.

Margaret (Meg) Goodmanson was born in Halifax and raised in Allendale and Halifax.  She was educated at Halifax Grammar School, Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts (Natick, MA), Skidmore college (Saratoga Springs, NY) and Dalhousie University.  She is a Reiki master and the owner/proprietor of Spirit Moves Dance, where she teaches several forms of Healing Dance.  Meg lives in Clayton Park with her husband, Matthew, a graphic artist.

Honourable Mention also goes to Carol Moreira of Glen Haven, NS for "Kids' Island"

Carol is a freelance journalist based in St. Margaret’s Bay.  Her work has appeared in the Chronicle-herald, Daily News, Halifax, Progress,Open to the World magazine, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and many other publications.  Her first Young Adult novel, Charged, was published by James Lorimer in Spring 2008.

The Poetry Prize to Veryan Haysom for "Subterranean Paths"

Currently a lawyer based in Mahone Bay, Veryan was born in South Africa and immigrated to Canada in 1968.  His work has focused on the land and self-government rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada.  He began writing poetry in the spring of 2006 under the mentorship of Carole Glasser Langille, and has been published in Ascent Aspirations Magazine (Anthology Three, 2007) and Atlas 02.

2nd to Heather Craig, from Grand Bay-Westfield, NB, for "Revenants"

Heather Craig is a poet, critic and part-time lecturer.  A proud alumnus of UNB and UNB Saint John, she lives and works in her home province of New Brunswick with her husband, who is also a poet and writer, and their two cats who have never written a thing.  She has had poems published in Room and The Antigonish Review and is currently working on her first poetry manuscript with the help of a creation grant from ArtsNB.  She also writes poetry reviews and articles for the Telegraph Journal’s Salon.

The Budge Wilson Short Story Prize to Victoria Lynn Hirtle of Mahone Bay for “The Leather Other”

In 2007 Vicki graduated from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB, with a Bachelor of Arts in English and History, and is currently working with the Mahone Bay Settlers Museum.  In 2006, she received an honourable mention in the Competition for another short story.  

2nd A. Luke MacNeil, Willow Grove, NB, for "Untitled"

A. Luke MacNeill enjoys reading, writing, and talking in the third person.  He called his story "Untitled" to refer to all of the faceless ambiguity in the story - the city, the old man, the boys, and the reasons for their actions, are all "untitled" because they are not pegged down with a definitive name; they remain mysterious, ambiguous, and somewhat more intimidating.   

3rd to Anne Levesque, Moncton, for "Balm of Gilead"

Anne Lévesque’s fiction and non-fiction have won prizes in the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick literary competitions.  Her piece “Reason Over Passion” will be published in the fall issue of Room magazine. The mother of four sons, she is married and lives in Moncton, where she is a member of the famed writers' group The Breach House Gang.

Honourable mention to Sheila Morrison, Halifax, for "An Hour for Lunch"

Sheila’s life has been a jumble of travel, various careers, and constantly anticipating the next discovery.  She has always journaled in various formats, but only since the Blue Heron Writing Workshop she attended has she attempted to write fiction. Her non-fiction articles have appeared in local mental health magazines and a postcard story was published in the journal All Rights Reserved.  Sheila’s interests lie in the minutia of human behaviour – why we act the way we do – and she is particularly curious about one thing: how do we define the spark in some people that helps them live a great life despite the presence of some devastating thing such as chronic pain or severe illness while others seem to succumb and be unable to cope? It seems that the more she writes, the more that question keeps popping up. 

Honourable mention to Diane Wile-Brumm, Bridgwater, for "Company"

Besides the work involved in her years of teaching junior high English, Diane’s previous writing has been mainly non-fiction.  During the nineties, she was editor for the AGNS volunteers’ newsletter, and her articles have appeared in NS Teachers Union magazine, Aviso, Inside Burnside, and others.  A few years ago, she began to try writing fiction and  attended workshops at WFNS with Sue Goyette and Janet McNaughton, both of whom were exciting and inspiring.  In 2006, she moved from Dartmouth to Lunenburg County, where she now spends her time painting, writing, reading and exploring life as a retired but not retiring person.

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For further information, please contact:
Jane Buss or Susan Mersereau, WFNS
902-423-8116 talk@writers.ns.ca