When Words Collide 2026 has ended

When Words Collide 2026

A Festival for Writers, Readers, and Fans

Christine Pettyjohn

https://jclaccounting.ca/

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10:00am MDT

Welcome! Opening Ceremony & Keynote Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4+6Delilah 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

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 BKevin Weir • Winston Pei • Megan Baldrey • Erin Weir An Isekai by Any Other Name Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollChris Carolan • Peter G. Reynolds • Selene O'Rourke • Calvin Jim

1:30pm MDT

Game Theory 101 for writers Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BRon S. Friedman

4:30pm MDT

Bucket of Bones: Building the Skeleton of Your Murder Mystery Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Dave Sweet • Charlotte Morganti

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 HubNiall Howell

9:00am MDT

BREAKFAST CLUB: The Shit No One Tells You About Writing / Books with Hooks Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Bianca Marais • Carly Watters • Cecilia "CeCe" Lyra Pitch Games Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BChris Corvan • Stacey Kondla • Lexie Angelo • Ed Willett • Ella Beaumont What's Under the Bed - Creating monsters who'll haunt readers long after they've closed the book Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Shelly Campbell Fractured Realities: Time Loops, Parallel Worlds, and What Breaks Between Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollValerie L. King • Michael Gillett • Ron S. Friedman • Randy McCharles Writing Beyond the Self: Creating Characters Outside Our Lived Experience Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5James Downe • Robert J. Sawyer • Huck Kahng • Finnian Burnett Get Outta My Head! Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Andrew Buckley

10:30am MDT

Level Up or Die Trying: Writing and Succeeding in Progression Fantasy & LitRPG Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BBlake Ravenhart The Modern Hero - Virtues of Uncommon People Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollDave Sweet

12:00pm MDT

Quiplash With WWC Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen AKevin Weir A CRASH COURSE IN COPYRIGHT Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7D.G. Valdron An Author's Guide to Longevity and Adapting to the Changing Publishing Landscape Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Mark Leslie Lefebvre • Robert J. Sawyer Making Monsters: the Art & Craft of Writing Horror Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollFiona McTaggart • James Downe • Kim Harbridge • Sam Wilket Queer Rep in Mainstream Media Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldSarah L. Pratt • Danny Ramadan • Tanya MacIntosh • Adriaan Brae

1:00pm MDT

Beyond the Page Demo: Winston Pei is Cutting Up Books for Fun and Art Grand FoyerWinston Pei

1:30pm MDT

Butterflies and Plot Twists: Chaos Theory for Writers Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BRon S. Friedman Confessions of a Pants-aholic — How to Plot a Novel When You’d Rather Do Anything Else Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Claire Bonneau Surviving Publishing Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollRhonda Parrish • Jason Pearce • Margaret Curelas This too shall pass… write what you want/write for the market. Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Bradley Somer • Ali Bryan • Marcello Di Cintio • Ben Zalkind Query Slush Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Jennifer Chevais • Jennifer Sommersby • Erin Weir • Bonnie Jacoby

3:00pm MDT

Offstage Characters: What Are They Up To? Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Susan Forest Workplace Horror - Something Smells in the Break Room Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldJason Pearce • Sarah L. Pratt • Rob Bose • Chris Marrs Live Action Slush: Romance Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Nicole Roche • Mira Landry • Carly Watters • Alison McBain

4:30pm MDT

The Most Powerful Characterization Detail You're Overlooking: A Character's Job Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Angela Ackerman Cinematic Storytelling: Does Hollywood Flair Work in Speculative Fiction? Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollChris Corvan • Rick Overwater • Don Miasek • James Downe • Michael Peterson From Personal to Perennial: The Craft and Career of Picture Books Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldKeenan Jones • Yewande Daniel-Ayoade • Paola Santos • Maria Marianayagam

6:00pm MDT

IFWA at the Improv Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubCalvin Jim

9:00pm MDT

Open Mic Night Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubRandy McCharles • Valerie L. King

9:00am MDT

BREAKFAST CLUB: Writing Across Borders: Telling Stories Across Genres with Danny Ramadan and Eliza Reid Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Ashley J.J. White (aka Ashley Frerichs) • Danny Ramadan • Eliza Reid

10:30am MDT

Creativity & Chaos Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Andrew Buckley • Finnian Burnett Keynotes: The Changing Shape of Authorship: Future-Proofing Your Writing Career Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Amanda Leduc • Danny Ramadan • Craig DiLouie Inside the Villain's Mind: The Psychology Behind The Crime Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Pamela Donison • Valerie L. King • P.D. Workman • Dave Sweet The importance of names and language Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLareina Abbott • Jason Pearce • Camilla Tracy • Onyx Shelton

12:00pm MDT

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 - HeraldCecilia "CeCe" Lyra • Leanne 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 5Tema Frank • 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

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 Your Process, Your Way: The Busy Wordsmith’s Sustainable Writing Practise Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Nicole Bross Power Dynamics in Fantastical Worlds Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldSusan Forest • Randy McCharles • Alison McBain • Kim Cheel • Blake Ravenhart

3:00pm MDT

War of the Words Readings Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen B The Third Path to Publishing: Finding Author Success with a Small Press Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Sarah Johnson • Hilary Faktor • Susan Carpenter • CM Shanahan

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 - Imperial Ballroom 9Sarah Brinley Cross-Genre Careers: Keeping Series & Voice Coherent Across Genres Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollJennifer Sommersby • Alison McBain • Alexis Marie Chute • P.D. Workman Live Action Slush: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Margaret Curelas • Bonnie Jacoby • Megan Baldrey • Ella Beaumont

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+6Andrew Buckley • Gemma Files