Thursday, June 1, 7:00 p.m.
An Evening of Poetry
The Legislative Library at Province House
1726 Hollis Street, Halifax, NS
Please join us for a beautiful evening of poetry readings featuring nominees for the J. M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award and the Maxine Tynes Nova Scotia Poetry Award: Sue Goyette, Monoculture (Gaspereau Press); Luke Hathaway, The Affirmations (Biblioasis); Nanci Lee, Hsin (Brick Books); and Annick MacAskill, Shadow Blight (Gaspereau Press). Hosted by poet, editor, and publisher Andy Verboom.
Please register for your free ticket: An Evening of Poetry
ID and security screening will be required upon entrance. Accessible entrance and elevator onsite.
Presented in Partnership with the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia.
Friday, June 2, 7:00 p.m.
Writing for Change
Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute
5450 Cornwallis Street, Halifax, NS
Join Sylvia Parris, CEO of the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute, for a discussion with Nova Scotia Book Award nominees Toufah Jallow and Kim Pittaway, Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement (Penguin Random House) and Wanda Thomas Bernard, A Child of East Preston (Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute) as they explore the importance of non-fiction writing that inspires others and challenges the status quo.
Presented in partnership with the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute.
Saturday, June 3, 6:00 p.m.
New Brunswick Book Awards
Lily Lake Pavillion, Saint John, NB
The winners of the 2023 New Brunswick Book Awards will be revealed at a ceremony held in conjunction with the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick’s annual spring festival, WordSpring. This event, emceed by Julia Wright of CBC, with guest speaker Susanne Alexander of Goose Lane Editions, is free and open to the public.
Co-administered and co-sponsored by The Fiddlehead: Atlantic Canada’s International Journal and the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick.
Sunday, June 4, 2:00–3:30 p.m.
Mature Subject Matter
Lunenburg School of the Arts
6 Prince Street, Lunenburg, NS
Join the nominees of the Ann Connor Brimer Award for Atlantic Canadian Children’s Literature, Nicola Davison, Decoding Dot Grey (Nimbus Publishing), Vicki Grant, Tell Me When You Feel Something (Penguin Random House), and Jo Treggiari, Heartbreak Homes (Nimbus Publishing), as they discuss the topic of mature themes addressed in contemporary YA literature and explore the challenge of grappling with heavier themes for teens. This conversation will be hosted by the dynamic Jeff Mercer, acting Chief Librarian with South Shore Public Libraries. Join the authors at Block Shop Books afterwards for a book signing.
Presented in partnership with the Lunenburg School of the Arts.
Sunday, June 4, 7:00 p.m.
Long Story Short
Online
Join Alexander MacLeod, whose acclaimed collection of short stories Animal Person is shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction, in conversation with the nominees for the Alistair MacLeod Prize for Short Fiction (named for Alexander’s father): Meghan Rose Allen, The Summer the School Burned Down (independently published), Bridget Canning, No One Knows About Us (Breakwater Books), and Elaine McCluskey, Rafael Has Pretty Eyes (Goose Lane Editions). Learn more about the intricacies of creating short fiction with riveting character development and enjoy readings from these collections of short fiction.
To register: Long Story Short
Presented in partnership with the Cabot Trail Writers Festival.
Monday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m. ADT / 7:00 p.m. NDT
Indigenous/Settler Collaborations
Online
Join the nominees of the 2023 Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing, Carol Lynne D’Arcangelis, The Solidarity Encounter: Women, Activism, and Creating Non-Colonizing Relations (UBC Press); Mark David Turner, Inuit TakugatsaliuKatiget / On Inuit Cinema (Memorial University Press); and Elizabeth Yeoman, Exactly What I Said: Translating Words and Worlds (University of Manitoba Press) as they talk about Indigenous/settler collaborations, centring Indigenous creators, and the role of non-Indigenous allies. A conversation hosted by Shelia O’Neill, a member of Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation and Coordinator of Indigenous Research and Training at Aboriginal Employment Services Inc.
Event Link: Indigenous-Settler Collaborations
Presented in partnership with The Nexus Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences Research, Memorial University.
Monday, June 5, at 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Nova Scotia Book Awards Ceremony
Brightwood Golf & Country Club 227 School Street, Dartmouth, NS
The second annual Nova Scotia Book Awards ceremony, hosted by author Charlene Carr (Hold My Girl, HarperCollins), will present awards in five categories to Nova Scotian authors. The evening will feature readings by Nova Scotia actors from the five award-winning books as well as a reception and cash bar. Nominated books will be on hand for sale from the King’s Co-op Bookstore.
Tickets are $10: Purchase here.
Presented by the Society for the Nova Scotia Book Awards.
Tuesday, June 6, 5:30 p.m.
Writing a Best Atlantic-Published Book
Halifax Central Library, RBC Room, third floor
A conversation with this year’s nominees for the Best Atlantic-Published Book Award, featuring publishers Susanne Alexander (Goose Lane Editions) and Gavin Will (Boulder Books) and authors Helen Escott, Operation Masonic (Flanker Press) and Lori McCarthy and Marsha Tulk, Food, Culture Place: Stories, Traditions, and Recipes of Newfoundland (Boulder Books). What goes into writing and publishing an award-worthy book? A sneak peek into the author-publisher relationship. Hosted by author and editor Chris Benjamin.
Presented in partnership with Halifax Public Libraries.
Tuesday, June 6, 6:30 p.m.
A Fiction Fête
Queens County Museum, Liverpool
Celebrate our fiction authors with a showcase of readings from nominees of the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction, including K. R. Byggdin, Wonder World (Enfield & Wizenty), Alexander MacLeod, Animal Person (McClelland & Stewart), and Jo Treggiari, Heartbreak Homes (Nimbus Publishing). Authors Bobbi French, The Good Women of Safe Harbour (HarperCollins) and Lisa Moore, This Is How We Love (House of Anansi) will join in virtually!
Please register for your free ticket to secure a seat: A Fiction Fête
Presented in Partnership with the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia.
Wednesday, June 7, at 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Atlantic Book Awards Gala
Paul O’Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library
The culmination of the Atlantic Book Awards Festival is the Atlantic Book Awards Gala. Six book awards, including one of Canada’s biggest book prizes, the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award, valued at $30,000, will be presented, along with this year’s Atlantic Legacy Award, honouring those who have made an extraordinary contribution to the advancement and encouragement of the literary arts in Atlantic Canada. Featuring live music, light refreshments, cash bar, and special guest authors. The ceremony will be hosted by author and journalist Lindsay Ruck (Amazing Black Atlantic Canadians). Nominated books will be available for sale from Bookmark Halifax.
Tickets are $20: Purchase here
The awards ceremony will also be live-streamed so book lovers across the region and beyond can join in the celebration. Find the live steam at www.atlanticbookawards.ca.