Fernwood was founded in 1991 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, publishing its first books in the spring of 1992.

Fernwood offers an alternative Canadian perspective on issues that many major book publishers do not.

[3] Founder and co-publisher Errol Sharpe has been quoted as saying, "In an era when the restructuring of capitalism seems to be threatening to erase many of the gains that have been made by the oppressed in society, we think that our books have a part to play in bucking the trend.

"[3] In 2018, Fernwood Publishing released There’s Something in the Water by Ingrid Waldron.

In 2020, It inspired a documentary that premiered in Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and eventually in Netflix.