Stephen Kimber was among five Nova Scotians named to the Order of Nova Scotia, the province’s highest honour, during a ceremony at Government House on November 9, 2023.

The citation:

As the author of two novels and eleven non-fiction works, Stephen Kimber is a distinguished writer, journalist and educator.

In the academic realm, he served as Professor of Journalism for more than thirty years, during which time he was a multi-term Director of the School of Journalism at the University of King’s College. In 2013, he founded the King’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction program, and he is now its Fiction Cohort Director.

Kimber has tirelessly given back to his community, university, and profession by teaching and mentoring generations of journalists. He played a part in training reporters, educators, politicians, and businesspeople. Kimber’s accomplishments included serving as general editor of several government reports on a diverse range of topics from the economic future of Nova Scotia to the Royal Commission on the Wrongful Conviction of Donald Marshall, Jr.

His writing has appeared in almost every major English-Canadian publication, and he has helped ensure a strong Nova Scotian voice in the national press.

In addition to his prodigious output, Kimber’s service to the creative community has been outstanding. Through his involvement in numerous organizations, such as the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia, the Writers’ Union of Canada, and others, he has given much to his profession.

Over five decades, Kimber’s contributions to the life and people of the Province through literature, journalism and academia have done much to enrich the lives of Nova Scotians.