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When Words Collide 2026
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When Words Collide 2026
A Festival for Writers, Readers, and Fans
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AC
Anna Cavouras
Friday
, August 14
10:00am
MDT
Welcome! Opening Ceremony & Keynote
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4+6
Delilah S. Dawson • Kevin McDonald • Andrew Buckley • Bianca Marais • Lily Chu • Craig DiLouie • Gemma Files • Danny Ramadan • Amanda Leduc • Mira Landry • Carly Watters • Cecilia "CeCe" Lyra • Terry Brooks
12:00pm
MDT
Found Footage Fiction
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7
Gemma Files
Survival Skills in Dystopian Fiction
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Herald
Valerie L. King • Sandy Fitzpatrick • Gary Renshaw • Don Miasek • Susan Forest
1:30pm
MDT
Fear Factor: How Fear Rewires Your Character’s Behavior, Logic & Responses
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9
Angela Ackerman
Short & Sweet, Why Word-Economy Needs to be in Every Writer's Toolkit
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8
Alexis Marie Chute
Speak Up! Techniques for Readings and Literary Performances
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6
Miranda Krogstad
The Ruminating Muse: Spiral Into Poetry
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4
Lavinia Leon
3:00pm
MDT
EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing Annual Showcase
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social Hub
Ella Beaumont
Let's Talk About Sex: Writing Effective Sex Scenes
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9
Brenna Bailey-Davies
No Blueprint Required: Writing Careers Off the Map
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5
Yewande Daniel-Ayoade • Miranda Krogstad • Andrew Buckley • Finnian Burnett
4:30pm
MDT
StoryCentric presents, Writers on Writers
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6
Andrew Buckley • Gemma Files • Bianca Marais • Craig DiLouie
Book Banning and Censorship: Looking at the Bigger Picture
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8
Kit Dobson
Who's afraid to write about aging?
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Doll
Marie Powell • Karen Elizabeth Lee • Robyn Diner • Ann Cavlovic
Writing Hopepunk: Marginalized Perspectives
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Herald
Cait Gordon • Keenan Jones • Amanda Leduc • Adriaan Brae
Saturday
, August 15
10:30am
MDT
Beyond the Postcard: Cuba's Untold Stories
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Bannerman
Diane Din Ebongue • HEBERT POLL GUTIÉRREZ
12:00pm
MDT
An Author's Guide to Longevity and Adapting to the Changing Publishing Landscape
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5
Mark Leslie Lefebvre • Robert J. Sawyer
Making Monsters: the Art & Craft of Writing Horror
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Doll
Fiona McTaggart • James Downe • Kim Harbridge • Sam Wilket
1:30pm
MDT
Butterflies and Plot Twists: Chaos Theory for Writers
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen B
Ron S. Friedman
50 Ways to Kill Your Lover (Homicide at Home)
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Herald
Linda Sanche • JE Barnard • Pamela Donison • Merrilee Robson • Susan Calder
This too shall pass… write what you want/write for the market.
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5
Bradley Somer • Ali Bryan • Marcello Di Cintio • Ben Zalkind
3:00pm
MDT
Beyond the Bottom Line: Running an Anticapitalist Author Business
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7
Brenna Bailey-Davies
Disability, Romance, and Adventure: Yes, Your Book Can Have Them All!
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5
Alex Benarzi • Lavinia Leon • Blake Ravenhart • Julie A. Christiansen • Cait Gordon
4:30pm
MDT
The Most Powerful Characterization Detail You're Overlooking: A Character's Job
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8
Angela Ackerman
From Personal to Perennial: The Craft and Career of Picture Books
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Herald
Keenan Jones • Yewande Daniel-Ayoade • Paola Santos • Maria Marianayagam
From the Past to the Page: Transforming Historical Research into Compelling Fiction
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5
Bob Booth • Susan Calder • Lisa Williamson • Pamela Clark
7:30pm
MDT
Readings From Your Next Favourite Romance Authors
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social Hub
Jennifer Sommersby • Rosey Hwang • Alix Kelinda • Lily Chu
9:00pm
MDT
Open Mic Night
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social Hub
Randy McCharles • Valerie L. King
Sunday
, August 16
9:00am
MDT
What Next? Self-editing Strategies for Moving Your Manuscript Forward
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9
Sandra McIntyre
The Importance of Finding Your Community
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5
Deniz Soykurumcetin • Donna D. Conrad • J.C. (John) Corry • Marie Powell
10:30am
MDT
Inside the Villain's Mind: The Psychology Behind The Crime
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5
Pamela Donison • Valerie L. King • P.D. Workman • Dave Sweet
Marketing Without the Ick: Show Up, Be Seen, and Share With Heart
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8
Rosey Hwang
12:00pm
MDT
A Very, Very, Very Fine House: The Warp and Weft of Worldbuilding - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req)
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Walker
Amanda Leduc
3:00pm
MDT
Strategies for Surviving Feedback - MASTERCLASS (pre-reg req)
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Bannerman
Finnian Burnett • Christine Tsai Taylor
6:00pm
MDT
Closing Ceremony: Keynotes on Courage, Identity, and our Stories Ahead with Andrew Buckley and Gemma Files; plus War of the Words and 2027 festival lookahead
Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4+6
Andrew Buckley • Gemma Files
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