When Words Collide 2026

When Words Collide 2026

A Festival for Writers, Readers, and Fans

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10:30am MDT

Games Room is Open! Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen A Opening Ceremony & Keynote Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4+6Terry Brooks

12:00pm MDT

From Hoops to Books: How Losing Basketball Led Me to Writing Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Keenan Jones Launch of last year's WWC collaborative novel, Whiskers Through Time Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubShawn L. Bird Bring Your Own Lunch and Play D&D (New and Rusty Player Friendly) Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen AKim Firmston Gemma Files Lecture Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Gemma Files It's a Bird. It's a Plane -- Crafting Realistic Imaginary Creatures for Sci-Fi and Fantasy Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Shelly Campbell You're Write About It! Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BMegan Baldrey • Kevin Weir • Erin Weir An Isekai by Any Other Name Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollChris Carolan • Jodi McIsaac • Selene O'Rourke • Calvin Jim Survival Skills in Dystopian Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldValerie L. King • Sandy Fitzpatrick • Gary Renshaw • Don Miasek • Susan Forest The AI Argument Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5D.G. Valdron • Jason Pearce • Cleodel Khrishna • Alison McBain Fundamentals of Commercial Fiction - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req) Hyatt Regency Calgary - WalkerCraig DiLouie Make Shame Your Bitch - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req) Hyatt Regency Calgary - BannermanJessica Waite

1:30pm MDT

Tyche Books Presents: 2026 New Releases Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubMargaret Curelas Open Board Games Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen A A CRASH COURSE IN CONTRACTS FOR WRITERS Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7D.G. Valdron Fear Factor: How Fear Rewires Your Character’s Behavior, Logic & Responses Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Angela Ackerman Game Theory 101 for writers Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BRon S. Friedman From the Author’s chair: looking at the gatekeepers from the Author’s POV Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Ali Bryan • Bradley Somer • Danny Ramadan Full Circle - How to thrive in a writing circle Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollKelli Etheridge • Kim Harbridge • Louise Dumayne • Kristyn Pacione • Ennis Lucy Series Crossovers & Shared Worlds Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLexie Angelo • Rick Overwater • Camilla Tracy • P.D. Workman Short & Sweet, Why Word-Economy Needs to be in Every Writer's Toolkit Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Alexis Marie Chute Speak Up! Techniques for Readings and Literary Performances Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Miranda Krogstad The Ruminating Muse: Spiral Into Poetry Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Lavinia Leon

3:00pm MDT

EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing Annual Showcase Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubElla Beaumont From Overwhelmed to Organized: Your 12 Month Marketing Plan Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Angela Douglas Let's Talk About Sex: Writing Effective Sex Scenes Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Brenna Bailey-Davies Practice Makes Perseverance: Steps to Creating a Graphic Novel Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BAaron Navrady Adventures in Shorts! Finding Success with Short Fiction and Personal Essays Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollJ.C. (John) Corry • Kim Harbridge • Susan Calder • Hilary Faktor No Blueprint Required: Writing Careers Off the Map Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Yewande Daniel-Ayoade • Miranda Krogstad • Andrew Buckley • Finnian Burnett Paths to Publication: Traditional, Hybrid, and Self-Publishing in Today’s Market Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLeanne Janzen • Carly Watters • Felicia Zuniga From Idea to Picture Book Outline & Beyond Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Dianne Koebel-Pede • Paola Santos Get Ready for Live Action Slush Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Randy McCharles • Valerie L. King High stakes short fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Lexie Angelo TTRGP Games: Pathfinder and Shadowdark Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen ADarren Tenor • Calvin Jim Adaptation: Turning your Novel into a Script—and Vice-Versa - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req) Hyatt Regency Calgary - BannermanRobert J. Sawyer Sketch Writing with Kevin McDonald - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req) Hyatt Regency Calgary - WalkerKevin McDonald

4:30pm MDT

In Conversation 1 Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Andrew Buckley • Gemma Files • Bianca Marais • Craig DiLouie Book Banning and Censorship: Looking at the Bigger Picture Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Kit Dobson Bucket of Bones: Building the Skeleton of Your Murder Mystery Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Dave Sweet • Charlotte Morganti The Whole Package: Creating a Top-Quality Published Book That Jumps Off the Shelf and Attacks Your Reader (Nicely) Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Jennifer Sommersby Who's afraid to write about aging? Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollMarie Powell • Karen Elizabeth Lee • Faye Arcand • Robyn Diner • Ann Cavlovic Writing As Resistance: Using Our Words to Critique, Challenge, and Disrupt Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Madison Joyce • Priscille Bukasa • Adrienne Adams • Alex Benarzi • O.L. McAnord Writing Hopepunk: Marginalized Perspectives Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldCait Gordon • Keenan Jones • Amanda Leduc • Adriaan Brae Things That Make You Go: Go! A Workshop on Keeping Your Momentum Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Deniz Soykurumcetin

5:00pm MDT

Take your character from an RPG to a Novel Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BDarren Tenor

7:00pm MDT

Goblin Casino & Market Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubKim Firmston

9:00pm MDT

Noir at the Bar Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social Hub Midnight Gaming (D&D and V&V) Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen ARhonda Parrish • Darren Tenor