non-fiction

Fredericton (NB) March 26, 2020 - The Fiddlehead and the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick have announced the shortlisted titles for the fifth annual New Brunswick Book Awards. The program celebrates books published in the 2019 calendar year and in three categories: poetry, fiction and nonfiction. The competition is open to traditionally published and self-published authors. The awards presentation ceremony, originally planned for May 23 in Fredericton, has been postponed due to COVID-19.

Chris Benjamin discusses the impact of reading Isabelle Knockwood's Out of the Depths: The Experiences of Mi’kmaw Children at the Indian Residential School at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia. Chris Benjamin's story "Arsonists" appeared in The Fiddlehead no. 279 (Spring 2019).

I was seven or eight years old when I learned the story of Akedat Yitzchak. It appears in Genesis 22, where God instructs Abraham to take his son Isaac up a mountain and make of him a burnt offering. Abraham complies, or seems to, binding Isaac to an alter and preparing to slit his throat. An angel materializes and tells Abraham, “Don’t do it! You passed the test. God knows that you believe in Him.” Then a ram appears, and Abraham releases Isaac, sacrifices the ram, and down the mountain go father and son.

Dafna Izenberg won this year’s Creative Nonfiction Prize for “The Promised Language,” published in The Fiddlehead, No. 281 (Autumn 2019). Editorial Assistant Jaeden Langlois conducted the following interview with Dafna Izenberg about her relationship to the Hebrew language.

By Nancy Bauer

One recent June evening I attended a mesmerizing concert at the home of artist Stephen May, the first “house concert” I’d ever attended. Six other guests came, so with the host and four musicians, we were a gathering of twelve. The intimate group was surrounded by seven glorious May paintings and one pitiful palm tree. The musicians were plainly dressed: no theatrical tricks or garish makeup. . . .

Nicholas Herring’s “The Lives of Milton Acorn” appears in The Fiddlehead No. 277 (Autumn 2018). The following interview was conducted via email with editorial assistant Salar Ghatta in late November 2018.

By Kerry-Lee Powell

Jill M. Talbot's essay "Checkmate" appears in The Fiddlehead No. 277 (Autumn 2018), our all creative nonfiction issue. 

Read Alicia Elliott's introduction to our Creative Nonfiction issue!

Welcome to the second in an ongoing column by Nancy Bauer, "State of the Art."

Our creative nonfiction issue editor Alicia Elliott has put together an amazing issue.

Contributors include: R.L. Aseret, Tara Campbell, Mary Chen, Šari Dale, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Tyler Dunning, Gila Green, Nicholas Herring, Mikka Jacobsen, Jeanie Keogh, Ania Mroczek, Dominik Parisien, David Rock, Erin Soros, Jill M. Talbot, Arielle Twist, Charmaine Ward, and Angela Wright.