When Words Collide 2026

Meet Francine Cunningham, Artist Liaison Consultant for the Canada Council for the Arts’ Alberta Focus Initiative, and learn about grants, awards and opportunities available to Alberta-based artists. The session includes a brief presentation followed by a Q&A, and is open to artists of all disciplines and experience levels. 
 
What the Alberta Focus Initiative is: The Alberta Focus Initiative is a two-year commitment that aims to strengthen engagement and collaboration with Alberta’s vibrant arts community, as well as to deepen the Council’s understanding of the community’s unique realities. Two Alberta-based arts liaison consultants will establish an on-the-ground presence for the Canada Council in Alberta. The consultants will engage with communities across the province to increase awareness of and access to funding opportunities and provide the Canada Council with field intelligence. They will ensure that meaningful support is accessible to a diverse range of artists and arts organizations, particularly in communities that have been historically underserved.
 
www.CanadaCouncil.ca/Alberta

Writers live by Copyright, it is a fundamental principal of our existence. But it is often only vaguely understood.

What is it? Where did it come from and how did it develop? What rights do I have and how far do they extend? How and when should I negotiate these rights? What are similar rights? What is fair use? What is public domain? How do I know when I am infringing? Or when I am infringed upon? There are books and libraries of books written on the subject, and there are decades of court decisions. We can't make you an expert. But this Crash Course can teach you enough of the basics to navigate your way through the business of writing, and give you the tools to make decisions.