Kudos to Erin, Jill, Nella, and Melanie, plus a special call-out

Hello, everyone.

This is a special call out: If you have some writing news to share, send me an email. And especially if you’ve already sent me an email and I haven’t posted your news, please send again. Sometimes I miss emails (because I get a lot of them). But one of my new year’s resolutions is to try to keep more on top of things.

So if you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost.

Or if you’re looking for Beta readers – or have anything else you want to get out to your fellow writers, let me know.

In the subject line, put: Writing news

And email me at: brain.henry123@gmail.com

Hi, Brian. 

New book alert! Gone Forever? Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear is out February 17. I took an informative (not literal!) trip around the world to write this book. Thank you @orcabook, @xulinillu and everyone who shared their work and stories with me. So many people and organizations to name:

#torontozoo #elladjbaldé #colinparker #elizabethenglishdesign #drjackiereed #natalieknowles #impossible2possible #earthrangers #galapagosconservancy #culturalfiremanagementcouncil #jessicasantacruz #ecopeacemiddleeast #climateresiliencecentre #TREDJENATUR #antarcticandsouthernoceancoalition @alisoncriscitiello

Yours,

Erin Silver

Read more about Gone Forever? Places to See (and Save) Before They Disappear or pre-order your copy from Orca Books here.

For information about submitting to Orca, see here.

Note: If you’re interested in getting published, join our “How to Get Published” workshop on Feb 8, with literary agent Olga Filina of Five Otter Literary (see here), and if you’re especially interested in Kid Lit, join our “Writing for Children and for Young Adults” workshop with literary agent Andrea Cascardi of the Transatlantic Agency (see here).

Hi, Brian. 

I hope you are well. I am writing to tell you about my good news. This year I was one of the two winners in the Picture Book category in CANSCAIP for my children's story "A Bus for Placid Street". The story will be submitted to publishers in the new year. I will let you know if it gets picked up and published. Fingers crossed.

I only knew about this competition because of taking your classes, and several writers I respect were submitting. 

Thank you for your ongoing support of emerging writers.

Best,

Jill Malleck 

(writing as MJ Malleck)

 

Hello, Brian.

I am happy to announce the launch of Nuances of Love, from Guernica Editions. This 40th anniversary anthology (AICW) includes one of my short stories, “The Quiet One,” work-shopped some years ago in your class.

Many thanks for your many years of being there to provide direction, information, support and guidance to so many aspiring writers. 

With my warmest good wishes,

Nella

Nella Cotrupi

Writer, Scholar, Translator

Note: Nuances of Love is an anthology of prose and poetry in celebration of the Association of Italian Canadian Writers' 40th anniversary. The theme of the anthology is love and friendship. It’s available from Guernica Editions here.

For information about submitting to Guernica Editions, see here.

 

Brian,

It's been a while, but I was a frequent attendee at your workshops in North Bay and Sudbury and I remain a subscriber to your newsletter and Substack.

I'd like to share the following news:

First: I’m pleased to announce that my poem "Vasilisa," originally published by Graeme Cameron in Polar Borealis 30 is in the Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction, Volume 3.

I’m deeply honoured to be among such stellar company.

Second: I was on two panels at this year's Can-Con (October 17 to 19, 2025 at the Brookstreet Hotel, Kanata, Ontario)!

The first was “The Art of Rest” and the second was “The Taste of Sadness: Writing Emotional Dysregulation.”

best regards,

Melanie Marttila

https:// melaniemarttila.substack.com/

https:// melaniemarttila.ca/

 

Note: See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

See where else your fellow writers are getting short pieces published here (and scroll down).

See new books by your fellow writers here (and scroll down).