When Words Collide 2026

When Words Collide 2026

A Festival for Writers, Readers, and Fans

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9:00am MDT

BYOBreakfast and Play D&D Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen AKim Firmston THREENOTE: With Amanda Leduc, Danny Ramadan, and Craig Dilouie Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4+6Amanda Leduc • Danny Ramadan • Craig DiLouie A Quiet Hour of Reflection and Poetry Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BJosephine LoRe What Next? Self-editing Strategies for Moving Your Manuscript Forward Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Sandra McIntyre The Importance of Finding Your Tribe Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Deniz Soykurumcetin • Donna D. Conrad • J.C. (John) Corry • Angela Douglas • Marie Powell

10:30am MDT

Creativity & Chaos Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollAndrew Buckley • Finnian Burnett Building RPG Props Without Breaking the Bank Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen ADarren Tenor Designing Interactive Stories: An Intro to Visual Novels with Em Williamson Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BEm Williamson Embrace the cringe of the Canadian identity to find success Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Lexie Angelo Ten Ways to Market Your Book on a Budget Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Faye Arcand Inside the Villain's Mind: The Psychology Behind The Crime Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Pamela Donison • P.D. Workman • Dave Sweet • Dr. Cynthia Baxter The importance of names and language Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLareina Abbott • Jason Pearce • Camilla Tracy • Onyx Shelton Marketing Without the Ick: Show Up, Be Seen, and Share With Heart Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Rosey Hwang

12:00pm MDT

My Stupid Career, with Kevin McDonald Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Kevin McDonald The Do's and Don'ts of Cover Design Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BCrystal Kladreau When Dark Clouds Roll In Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Dave Sweet Working with a Freelance Editor: What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a Manuscript Edit) Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Jennifer Sommersby From Manuscript to Market: Ask Us Anything Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLeanne Janzen • Mira Landry • Ella Beaumont Hard Science Fiction Shouldn't Be Hard Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollSarah Johnson • Robert J. Sawyer • Don Miasek • Calvin Jim Historical research methods that work for you Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Jodi McIsaac • J.C. (John) Corry • Donna D. Conrad • Marie Powell Get that grant! How to win literary arts grants Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Lexie Angelo Workshop with Bianca Marais - TBA Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Bianca Marais 10 SIGNS You’re Ready to Write a Murder Mystery - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req) Hyatt Regency Calgary - BannermanJuanita R Violini A Very, Very, Very Fine House: The Warp and Weft of Worldbuilding - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req) Hyatt Regency Calgary - WalkerAmanda Leduc Make and Take with Kim Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen AKim Firmston

1:30pm MDT

Actors Read YOUR Dialogue! Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Erin Weir • Megan Baldrey • Claire Bolton How to Make Readers Fall in Love (or Hate) Your Characters Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Chris Corvan Leveling Up Your TTRPG Storytelling Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BHailey P. Foss • Kathy Enriquez • Jacob Breitmeier Your Process, Your Way: The Busy Wordsmith’s Sustainable Writing Practise Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Nicole Bross Beyond the Familiar: Crafting Asian Fantasy Worlds Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollCleodel Khrishna • Jasmine Sidhu • Zeva Mah • Calvin Jim Power Dynamics in Fantastical Worlds Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldRandy McCharles • Alison McBain • Kim Cheel • Blake Ravenhart • Susan Forest Through Fires and Fascism: Staying Creative When the World Seems Upended Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Sarah Johnson • Cait Gordon • Finnian Burnett • Tanya MacIntosh Feedback Without Freefall: How to Hear Critique and Know What to Do Next Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Sarah Brinley How to Write a Synopsis without Crying First Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Mira Landry

3:00pm MDT

War of the Words Readings Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen B The Resilient Writer Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Jodi McIsaac Write What You Know: Transform Lived Experience into Powerful Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Julie A. Christiansen The Third Path to Publishing: Finding Author Success with a Small Press Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Hilary Faktor • Susan Carpenter • CM Shanahan Tricks, Tips & Traps for Successful Writing Groups Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldSandy Navrady • Lareina Abbott • Sean Crawford • Em Williamson Why Do We Keep Destroying the World? Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollAmbre Olivari • Rick Overwater • Nikki Vogel • Chris Carolan Live Action Slush: Science Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Richard Graeme Cameron • Bonnie Jacoby • Krista Wallace • Ella Beaumont Ripped from the Headlines: Unique Places and Ways to Find Inspiration Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Faye Arcand Write-Her Rhythm Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Laura-Jeanne Stollery Strategies for Surviving Feedback - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req) Hyatt Regency Calgary - BannermanFinnian Burnett • Christine Tsai Taylor The Three Bodies Problem - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req) Hyatt Regency Calgary - WalkerDanny Ramadan

4:30pm MDT

Developmental Editing Your Book Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Suzy Vadori The Hidden Architecture of Character Desire: How Want, Fear, and Contradiction Drive Every Scene Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BSarah Brinley “How Do You Say…”: Writing With a Bilingual Mind Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Lavinia Leon Cross-Genre Careers: Keeping Series & Voice Coherent Across Genres Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollJennifer Sommersby • Alison McBain • Alexis Marie Chute • P.D. Workman Decolonization of Speculative Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldSusan Forest • Onyx Shelton • Zeva Mah • Calvin Jim Writing the long game: the endurance panel. Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Bradley Somer • Ali Bryan • Marcello Di Cintio • Leanne Shirtliffe • Nikki Vogel Live Action Slush: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Margaret Curelas • Bonnie Jacoby • Megan Baldrey • Ella Beaumont Something in the Air Tonight: Using Setting to Reflect Emotion Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Fiona McTaggart

6:00pm MDT

Closing Ceremony: TWONOTE with Andrew Buckley, Gemma Files; plus War of the Words Winners Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4+6