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Booktoberfest is hosted by @writersfedofns.bsky.social and takes place on Saturday, October 3 from 11-4 at the Halifax Central Library. In addition to a book market, there are also readings and workshops. Hope to see you there!

Text on a blue background that reads Booktoberfest2026 and includes a list of the more than 60 authors who will be present at the event.

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What the Oceans Remember is my journey into my maternal family histories, and a reflection on the responsibilities of inheriting and living with and through those histories. @wlupress.bsky.social

A stack of books featuring a watercolour of a plantation house with plam trees and a river on the side. There is a Dutch flag. Across the painting there are latitude and longitude markings. The text reads What the Oceans Remember: Searching for Belonging and Home. Sonja Boon.

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Dear Mr. Smallwood introduces readers to ca. 250 of the 1000s of letters written to Joey by everyday Newfoundlanders & Labradorians in the years immediately surrounding confederation with Canada & includes essays, poems, visual art & reflections by over thirty contributors! @memorialup.bsky.social

A photo of a book with a red cover. There are black glasses along the left side of the cover. The text reads: Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the words of those who lived it. Sonja Boon and Vicki S. Hallett.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Booktoberfest, hosted by @writersfedofns.bsky.social, is coming up on October 3, and I'll be there with 2 books that are close to my heart: Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the words of those who lived it and What the Oceans Remember: Searching for Belonging and Home.

A blue poster featuring a dandelion in cyanotype style. The text reads Booktoberfest 2026. Halifax Central Library. Saturday, October 3 11 am - 3 pm. 70+ Nova Scotian authors & publishers. Free writing workshops & readings.

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the equation goes like this: husband makes yogurt = two cups of whey = I make bread = we put off finishing the random bits of bread we still have kicking around in the freezer = isn't it great we bought butter on the weekend?

two loaves of freshly baked white bread on a cooling rack.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Zoom launch for @ariel-gordon.bsky.social's new chapbook, A Mudlarker's Diary! This Wednesday at 6 pm Central Daylight Time (that's 8 pm for us Atlantic types) It's a fabulous collection - hope you can join us!

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

coming up in a few weeks: delighted to joining my friend Ariel Gordon to zoom launch her fabulous mudlarking chapbook (with @pinholepoetry.bsky.social)!

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Vicki Hallett and I are in the current issue of Newfoundland Quarterly with an essay on letters as material objects We think beyond text to context: handwriting, formatting, spelling, paper, marginalia and more. @nlhistorical.bsky.social @memorialup.bsky.social

a two-page magazine spread. On the left hand side, the title reads "Paper Trails: Reading the letters to Smallwood as material objects" by Vicki S. Hallett and Sonja Boon. The two page spread includes a collage that features a range of excerpts from handwritten and typewritten letters and telegrams.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

thinking with letters: stitchingstories.substack.com/p/politics-h...

a stack of handwritten eighteenth-century letters. Text superimposed over them reads: politics, histories, and the personal: thinking with letters

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Opening this Friday at Acadia Art Gallery: Textiles as Resistance.

a poster featuring colourful details from twelve different textile works. The text reads: Textiles as Resistance: Contemporary Textiles from the Atlantic Region. June 26 to November 4, 2026. Opening Reception June 26 at 7 pm. Artists: Sonja Boon, Alexandrya Eaton, Murray Gibson, Hannah Genosko & Sarah Mosher, Michelle MacKinnon, Shawn O'Hagan, Allyson Rousseau, Daniel Rumboldt, Jennifer Lee Wiebe. Acadia University Art Gallery, Wolfville, NS. Summer Hours: Wednesday-Sunday 12-4.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Join us tomorrow night for this free readings event at Cafe Lara (Kempt Road location). I'll be reading an excerpt from an essay that started life as a 1200-word run-on sentence.... SATURDAY NIGHT SOCIAL Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 7-9 pm Cafe Lara (3121 Kempt Road) Admission Free!

a poster that features a design of tall tulips along the bottom and three photographs of writers Sonja Boon, Kim Echlin, and Amanda Peters. The text of the poster reads: Saturday Night Social Readings by Sonja Boon, Kim Echlin, and Amanda Peters. Spring ForeWord. Where Writers and Readers Meet. April 25.

Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

finishing off my slides for this weekend's Creative Writing and Storytelling Conference at University of King's College. Archives. Erasures. Empire. Politics. Resistance. Stitchery = these are a few of my favourite things.

an image with a series of nested net bowls in oceanic blues and greens with a text superimposed on them. The text reads: "Stitching Stories; or, Imagining the Biography of Those who did not write."

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Dutch paleography folks: what do you read here? I see "bouweresse". Any other option present itself to you?

detail from a Dutch civic record entry that reads: "van beroep" followed by what looks like Bouweresse

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

4th rally in 3 weeks. Because arts, culture, heritage, and so many other things matter. Because I still haven't received a reply to my letters. Because this is the first time in NS history that the House has been closed to the public for more than a day (and it was closed bc of singing. go figure)

a set of letters attached to a fence. The letters read: TIM OUSTHIM.

a protest sign that says "Do you hear the people sing"

protest sign that reads: "This is not democracy, this is fascism"

A protest sign that reads; "Earth without Art is just Eh!"

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Tonight at 7 pm at The Rooms! Dear Mr. Smallwood – Contributors Panel and interactive discussion with co-editor Vicki Hallett and contributors Jennifer Morgan and Andrea Procter. Tickets: $12 + HST (Free for Rooms Members) Reserve: heyor.ca/To5TlM @memorialup.bsky.social

a red poster with black glasses frames running along the left hand side. Text on the right hand side reads: Sonja Boon. Vicki S. Hallett. Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the words of those who lived it.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

FRIDAY. NOON. PROVINCE HOUSE. ALL HANDS ON DECK: WE WON'T STOP SINGING! We've been thousands strong before. Can we grow even more, and surround the whole building with song?

A black poster with white and yellow text. The text reads: All hands on deck. We won't stop singing. Friday, March 27 - Noon. Province House. 1726 Hollis St, Kjipuktuk/Halifax. Raising our voices together. We are all treaty people. There is a graphic of the province of Nova scotia in the middle.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Your final chance to make some noise before MLAs and Premier vote on this budget. The Premier and Ministers have *still* not even bothered to acknowledge receipt of my letter, let alone actually reply to it, and reports are that they're refusing to speak with constituents before the vote. Appalling.

poster that reads: ALL HANDS ON DECK. LAST CHANCE BEFORE THE BUDGET VOTE FRIDAY MARCH 27 NOON PROVINCE HOUSE 1726 HOLLIS STREET, KJIPUKTUK/HALIFAX HOUSTON'S GOVERNMENT MUST LISTEN. WE ARE ALL TREATY PEOPLE. There is an outline of the province of Nova Scotia in teh niddle of the poster.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Facts, from the NS Arts Coalition. Because you're definitely not getting them from Tim Houston and his merry band of ministers who aren't able to respond to simple questions.

A graphic in bright colours with text in the centre that reads: FACT: Nova Scotia's per-capita investment in Arts and Culture is the third lowest in the country. In fact, it's less than half the average Provincial and TErritorial investment. It also represents less than 1% of the total provincial budget.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

coming up on March 27: 12 Problems with AI, a hybrid event hosted by the Nexus Centre at Memorial University

poster featuring four portraits of different scholars and activists. The text reads Feminists Tackle AI SEries: 12 Problems with AI. The Nexus Centre SN4022 23:0-4 pm Friday March 27 Hybrid Event. Dr. Mel Hogan, Dr. Carol Lynne D'Arcagnelis, Dr. Julia Polyck-O'Neill, Rhea Rollmann. This talk surveys the main critiques of artificial intelligence (AI) by looking beyond marketing hype to the material, political and social harms caused by the industry (Big Tech). From the vast energy demands and environmental toll of large-scale computation to AIT's entanglement with military research, surveillance, and extractive labour in the global south, AI needs to be understood as a deeply political project rather than as a technological advancement. Together, we will consider how these critiques unsettle dominant narratives of I as inevitable and situate it within broader histories of politic power and planetary-scale developments.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Another day. Another rally. Our premier says he doesn't listen to 'yelling & screaming.' But he & his ministers haven't even had the courtesy to acknowledge my email let alone respond to it, they've limited access to Province House, & can't answer media questions. What else are we supposed to do?

A group of people gathered in front of a building with tall columns. A large sign reads "Equal rights, liberty, democracy takes work!" There are also some papier mache rats.

A poster reading Houston We have a problem. Keep Nova Scotia vibrant! Support Arts & Culture!

Several people gathered outside in the sun. One is holding a sign that reads "Hope is an Action"

Several people gathered outside in the sun. One is holding a tree and a sign that reads: This Arts Budget is a Clear cut'

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

TODAY. NOON. PROVINCE HOUSE. SEE YOU THERE!

poster featuring a photo of several people drumming. The text reads: Shoulder to shoulder to shoulder. New Budget Now Rally. Tuesday March 10 at noon. Province House. 1726 Hollis St. Kjipuktuk/Halifax. Culture is Critical. We are all treaty people.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

The proposed cuts are a disaster. Govt could have made different choices. Tuesday. Noon. Province House. See you there.

colourful poster that reads: Nova Scotia Communities United. New Budget Now Rally. Tuesday March 10 at noon Province House, Halifax 1726 Hollis Street. Urgent! Advocate to your ML: Tools at NSARTS.ca.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Passion, commitment, grief, rage, and love: all in one place today. There were hundreds and hundreds of us in Halifax, and hundreds and hundreds more across the province, all rallying to support arts, culture, and heritage. Arts, culture, heritage = the heart of us.

a cardboard sign that reads: We are our stories

a cardboard sign worn by a person wearing winter boots and black pants. It reads: Small Towns in Nova Scotia depend on arts, museums, and cultural institutions.

two cardboard posters. The one on the left is in black ink and it reads "Arts Workers are Storytellers, Healers, and Community builders" The one on the right, in blue, reads, "You are Cutting Everything I moved here for"

aerial view of a giant crowd of people packed into single city block in front of Province House in Halifax. Province House is on the left of the photo.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

A great day for a rally. It's too bad we need to protest, but here we are. Shoulder to shoulder. Same time. Same place. Tomorrow in support for arts and culture.

Letters tied to a high cast iron fence. They read "TIM OUSTHIM", a play on the name of the NS premier, Tim Houston.

A blue sign with yellow and gold lettering that reads: More like DEFUNDING Nova Scotia. There are people standing around the sign.

An archway outside a stone building. There is a red sign that reads "Land Back" in front of it. There are crowds of people facing the building.

people holding signs. One person is signing a poster that reads: "Should the cuts pass we the undersigned hereby pledge to boo Tim Houston and his complicit stooges loudly at every opportunity."

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Angry about the NS budget? There are rallies across the province this week. Find your rally here: www.nsarts.ca/join-a-rally...

A screen capture of posters for ten different rallies to protest the NS budget. Details for each rally can be found at the link in this post.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Today was supposed to be an intensive research/ writing day. Instead, I spent the first part of it writing a letter to my premier and MLA to protest the govt's short-sighted and poorly-informed cuts to arts, culture, and heritage. Rally next Wed, March 4 at noon at Province House. See you there.

red text inside a red border. The text reads: "Arts, culture, and heritage are the lifeblood of a place. Through them, we know who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be in the future. They are the stories of us."

A poster with a blue border. Along the bottom there are orange and red abstract images of placards. The text reads: "Did you Know? Arts and Culture addes $989 million to Nova Scotia's GDP and accounts for more than 14,000 jobs, employing more people than farming, fishing and forestry combined. Culture cuts = Bad economics. Source: Culture Satellite Account (2020). RALLY FOR ARTS & CULTURE. WED MARCH 4, NOON, PROVINCE HOUSE, (1726 HOLLIS STREET, HALIFAX)

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Coming up tomorrow and Sunday: the SEEDS Festival organized by the Draft Reading Series!

Poster features large green text in the middle that reads: SEEDS. Below it is an imge of a book, with a seedling sprouting out of the centre. The rest of the text reads: Draft Readign Series and Inkspire present: Via Zoom Saturday, Feb 21 2026 11 am to 5:30 pm. In person St. Mattehw Clubhouse 450 Broadview Toronto Sunday, Feb. 22 2026 11:00 am to 7 pm. SEEDS FESTIVAL. Whether travelling, germination, or lying dormant, seeds embody possibility. On the weekend of February 21-22, 2026, the Draft Reading Series will invite writers to meditate on the metaphorical and physical seeds that animate their lives.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Looking forward to next week's chat about letters to Joey Smallwood, and this time, in Halifax! MFA AUTHOR TALKS Tuesday, February 3 at 7 pm Halifax Central Library Open to the public and free!

A poster with a blue background that features a photo of the Halifax Central Library. Superimposed on it is a red book, with the title Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the words of those who lived it. A white circle with the text: Open to the Public. Below this, text reads: MFA Author Talks Sonja Boon on Dear Mr. Smallwood. February 3, 2026, Halifax Central Library, BMO Room.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

A roundtable discussion on Politics, (Best) Practices, Pitfalls, and Pleasures at the MUNL Archives, with the editors and some contributors to Dear Mr. Smallwood 🗓 Friday, Jan 9, 2026 ⏰ 12:00–1:15 pm NST 📍 SN4022, MUN St. John‘s + Online 🔗 Zoom reg: shorturl.at/pnGh8 @memorialup.bsky.social

Poster text reads: HSS ON OUR WORLDS. Friday Jan 9th 12:00-1:15 Newfoundland Standard Time SN4022 and online. Politics, (Best) Practices, Pitfalls and Pleasures at the MUNL Archives. A roundtable discussion with the editors and contributors to Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation int he Words of Those who Lived it (Memorial UP, 2025). There are photos of five participants: Sonja Boon, Heidi Cooms, Vicki Hallett, Daze Jefferies, and Amy Sheppard, and on the right hand side of the page, an image of the book cover, which is red with white text. Along the left side of the book are two pairs of glasses.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

nothing to see here. nothing at all. www.theguardian.com/technology/n...

excerpt from an article in the Guardian. The excerpt reads: "Anthropic’s chief scientist says AI autonomy could spark a beneficial ‘intelligence explosion’ – or be the moment humans lose control

Robert Booth UK technology editor
Tue 2 Dec 2025 12.37 GMT

Humanity will have to decide by 2030 whether to take the “ultimate risk” of letting artificial intelligence systems train themselves to become more powerful, one of the world’s leading AI scientists has said.

Jared Kaplan, the chief scientist and co-owner of the $180bn (£135bn) US startup Anthropic, said a choice was looming about how much autonomy the systems should be given to evolve.

The move could trigger a beneficial “intelligence explosion” – or be the moment humans end up losing control.

In an interview about the intensely competitive race to reach artificial general intelligence (AGI) – sometimes called superintelligence – Kaplan urged international governments and society to engage in what he called “the biggest decision”.

Anthropic is part of a pack of frontier AI companies including OpenAI, Google DeepMind, xAI, Meta and Chinese rivals led by DeepSeek, racing for AI dominance. Its widely used AI assistant, Claude, has become particularly popular among business customers."

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

book launching and what a time we had! We wanted a kitchen party vibe, and I think we managed it! Such. Great. Energy. Thanks to all contributors (both writers/researchers & folks behind the scenes), all who celebrated with us, and all who wrote to Joey in the first place! @memorialup.bsky.social

a long table with copies of Dear Mr. Smallwood stacked across it. Behind the table is a glass display case.

a photo of three smiling women wearing bow ties and glasses.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Today I breathed in the Outer Battery

a narrow paved road with colourful houses crowded along the edges.

a set of rickety yellow fences and a path leading up to an equally rickety yellow building

a sign that reads The Battery, and below it another sign that reads City of St. John's with an arrow pointing to the right.

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Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

What does a (polka dot) mask have to do with Smallwood? Well, you'll need it if you want to play "Pin the Bow Tie on Joey" at our book launch on Wednesday! Come celebrate our new book: Dear Mr. Smallwood! Wed. Nov. 26 | 7 pm The Great Hall, Queen's College 210 Prince Philip Drive.

a handmade face mask created from black and white polka dot flannel.

a poster that features a red book on the right hand side. The book has black reading glasses on it and a fish hook and is called Dear Mr. Smallwood. The text on the poster reads: Join Sonja Boon, Vicki Hallett, and contributors of Dear Mr. Smallwood for the Official Launch Nov 26 7:00 pm The Great Hall, Queen's College,. Memorial University, 210 Prince Philip Drive. Readings, Discussion. Merriment. Refreshements. Everyone Welcome.

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We'll be live on CBCNL's The Signal with Adam Walsh on Monday, November 24 talking all things letters to Smallwood! With contributors Jasmine Paul (@jnp709.bsky.social), Kate Lahey, and Jennifer Morgan. And? There's a free book in the offing for one lucky listener! @memorialup.bsky.social

a picture of Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the words of those who lived it, edited by Sonja Boon and Vicki Hallett. The cover is red with white text and features two and a half pairs of black glasses running along the left hand side

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Sharon Bala, Good Guys (Penguin RandomHouse 2026) Ok, this one is a cheat because it’s not out until January. But it looks fabulous, and her previous novel, The Boat People was great, so if anyone is inclined to pre-order this one for me, I would not say no.

this image features the cover of Sharon Bala's forthcoming novel: an orange/red fire-like background with Good Guys superimposed over it. The main text for this image is the same as that found in the post.

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Ainsley Hawthorn, ed. Land of Many Shores (Breakwater, 2023) Who gets to belong in Newfoundland & Labrador? That’s the key question that underpins this collection of essays authored by folks whose perspectives have often been neglected, hidden, or outright ignored. @breakwaterbooksltd.bsky.social

this image features the cover to Hawthorn's book: a styllized landscape with water, land and a big red/orange sky. The text is the same as the text for this post.

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Lori Doody, The Island (Running the Goat, 2023) A gentle children’s book about resettlement and what it means to carry home in your heart. @runningthegoat.bsky.social

this image features the cover of Lori Doody's book, which is a painting of an island surrounded by water. The text on this image is the same as the text for this post.

Veselina Tomova, The Wall and the Wind (Running the Goat, 2020) A children’s book that tackles big questions about borders, migration, and belonging with thoughtful questions and beautiful illustrations. @runningthegoat.bsky.social

image features the cover of Tomova's book. One half of the cover is grey and monochrome and reads "The Wall"; the other half is colourful, and features a person on a hill painting the sky. The text on thiis image as a whole is the same as the text for this post.

Michelle Porter, Scratching River (WLU Press, 2023) A memoir that braids the story of Porter’s brother with the story one of her Métis ancestors, and the more-than-human landscapes of rivers, burdock, and bison. @wlupress.bsky.social

this image features the cover of Porter's book, a stylized almost geographical map rendering of a river. The text is the same as the text for this post.

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Douglas Walbourne-Gough, Crow Gulch (Goose Lane, 2019) This award-winning poetry collection brings to life the marginalized, largely Indigenous (and mixed Indigenous), and later forcibly abandoned community of Crow Gulch. Intimate, visceral, and provocative.

this image feature the cover of Walbourne-Gough's collection, as well as the same text as this post.

Margot Duley, Extraordinary Passages: The Life and Times of Margaret Iris Duley, Newfoundland’s Pathbreaking Novelist (Memorial UP, 2025). Written by noted historian Margot Duley, this is a detailed look at Duley, gender, and class in the first half of the 20th cent. @memorialup.bsky.social

an image featuring the cover of Duley's book. The cover includes a photograph of Margaret Iris Duley super imposed on a wavy blue-grey background, with the title presented in white text. the rest of the text is the same as that on this post.

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@howrhearolls.bsky.social , A Queer History of Newfoundland (Engen Books, 2023) Based on archival research and extensive interviews, this book is a love letter to queer pasts, community, resistance, and belonging. Good luck finding this one, as it’s reportedly regularly sold out!

this image features the cover for Rollmann's book, which is a collage of several photographs, some of which are rendered in rainbow colours. The text on this image is the same as that in the post

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@acantle.bsky.social , The Saltbox Olive (Breakwater, 2025) Angela Antle’s debut novel opens a window into an otherwise little known aspect of World War II: the experiences of Newfoundland soldiers in Italy. @breakwaterbooksltd.bsky.social

an image of the bookcover for Antle's book, which is a collage of a face and house. the text is the text of this post.

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@leahdawn.bsky.social , Stolen Sisters (Breakwater, 2025) A play that imagines the lost stories of three Beothuk women. I was fortunate enough to see this in person, and have also heard the author read an excerpt. Powerful and thought provoking. @breakwaterbooksltd.bsky.social

the cover of Leahdawn Helena's book, which features a landscape in rich colours. Also included is the text for this post.

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