When Words Collide 2026

An Isekai by Any Other Name 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Full Circle - How to thrive in a writing circle 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Adventures in Shorts! Finding Success with Short Fiction and Personal Essays 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Who's afraid to write about aging? 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Survival Skills in Dystopian Fiction 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Series Crossovers & Shared Worlds 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Paths to Publication: Traditional, Hybrid, and Self-Publishing in Today’s Market 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Writing Hopepunk: Marginalized Perspectives 4:30pm - 5:45pm

The Ruminating Muse: Spiral Into Poetry 1:30pm - 2:45pm

From Idea to Picture Book Outline & Beyond 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Things That Make You Go: Go! A Workshop on Keeping Your Momentum 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Opening Ceremony & Keynote 10:30am - 11:45am

The AI Argument 12:00pm - 1:15pm

From the Author’s chair: looking at the gatekeepers from the Author’s POV 1:30pm - 2:45pm

No Blueprint Required: Writing Careers Off the Map 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Writing As Resistance: Using Our Words to Critique, Challenge, and Disrupt 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Speak Up! Techniques for Readings and Literary Performances 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Get Ready for Live Action Slush 3:00pm - 4:15pm

In Conversation 1 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Gemma Files Lecture 12:00pm - 1:15pm

A CRASH COURSE IN CONTRACTS FOR WRITERS 1:30pm - 2:45pm

From Overwhelmed to Organized: Your 12 Month Marketing Plan 3:00pm - 4:15pm

The Whole Package: Creating a Top-Quality Published Book That Jumps Off the Shel... 4:30pm - 5:45pm

From Hoops to Books: How Losing Basketball Led Me to Writing 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Short & Sweet, Why Word-Economy Needs to be in Every Writer's Toolkit 1:30pm - 2:45pm

High stakes short fiction 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Book Banning and Censorship: Looking at the Bigger Picture 4:30pm - 5:45pm

It's a Bird. It's a Plane -- Crafting Realistic Imaginary Creatures for Sci-Fi a... 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Fear Factor: How Fear Rewires Your Character’s Behavior, Logic & Responses 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Let's Talk About Sex: Writing Effective Sex Scenes 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Bucket of Bones: Building the Skeleton of Your Murder Mystery 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Games Room is Open! 10:30am - 11:45am

Bring Your Own Lunch and Play D&D (New and Rusty Player Friendly) 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Open Board Games 1:30pm - 2:45pm

TTRGP Games: Pathfinder and Shadowdark 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Midnight Gaming (D&D and V&V) 9:00pm - 11:45pm

You're Write About It! 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Game Theory 101 for writers 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Practice Makes Perseverance: Steps to Creating a Graphic Novel 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Take your character from an RPG to a Novel 5:00pm - 6:30pm

Launch of last year's WWC collaborative novel, Whiskers Through Time 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Tyche Books Presents: 2026 New Releases 1:30pm - 2:45pm

EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing Annual Showcase 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Goblin Casino & Market 7:00pm - 8:45pm

Noir at the Bar 9:00pm - 11:00pm

Fractured Realities: Time Loops, Parallel Worlds, and What Breaks Between 9:00am - 10:15am

Beyond the Postcard: Cuba's Untold Stories 10:30am - 11:45am

Making Monsters: the Art & Craft of Writing Horror 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Surviving Publishing 1:30pm - 2:45pm

The Personal is Political and The Political is Personal! Activism and Advocacy T... 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Cinematic Storytelling: Does Hollywood Flair Work in Speculative Fiction? 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Feminine Solutions in Science Fiction and Fantasy 9:00am - 10:15am

Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy 10:30am - 11:45am

Queer Rep in Mainstream Media 12:00pm - 1:15pm

50 Ways to Kill Your Lover (Homicide at Home) 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Workplace Horror - Something Smells in the Break Room 3:00pm - 4:15pm

From Personal to Perennial: The Craft and Career of Picture Books 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Get Outta My Head! 9:00am - 10:15am

What About Me: From Memoir to Autofiction 10:30am - 11:45am

Afro-Cuban Poetry: From Myths and Memory to Social Transformation 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Craft a Collaborative Novel 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Laugh Out Loud Literary Devices 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Kevin McDonald Superstar 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Writing Beyond the Self: Creating Characters Outside Our Lived Experience 9:00am - 10:15am

Creating a Unique Detective Figure 10:30am - 11:45am

An Author's Guide to Longevity and Adapting to the Changing Publishing Landscape 12:00pm - 1:15pm

This too shall pass… write what you want/write for the market. 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Disability, Romance, and Adventure: Yes, Your Book Can Have Them All! 3:00pm - 4:15pm

From the Past to the Page: Transforming Historical Research into Compelling Fict... 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Books with Hooks 9:00am - 10:15am

In Conversation 2 10:30am - 11:45am

Live Action Slush: Short Fiction 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Query Slush 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Live Action Slush: Romance 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Selling Your Book Without Platform 9:00am - 10:15am

15 Ways to Make Money in the Writing World 10:30am - 11:45am

Inside the 'Shop: The Story Behind the Story 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Beyond the Bottom Line: Running an Anticapitalist Author Business 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Breaking Barriers: Writing, Developing, and Creating Despite Disabilities 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Writing While Neurodiverse: ADHD Strategies for Authors 9:00am - 10:15am

Whose Plot is it Anyway? How to Master the Dominant Arc in Hybrid Fiction 10:30am - 11:45am

Bring Your Trauma! 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Real vs. Reality 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Accelerate It: Writing in Flow 3:00pm - 4:15pm

The Most Powerful Characterization Detail You're Overlooking: A Character's Job 4:30pm - 5:45pm

What's Under the Bed - Creating monsters who'll haunt readers long after they've... 9:00am - 10:15am

The Modern Hero - Virtues of Uncommon People 10:30am - 11:45am

Bored of Your Book? How to Fall in Love With Your Story Again 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Confessions of a Pants-aholic — How to Plot a Novel When You’d Rather Do Anythin... 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Offstage Characters: What Are They Up To? 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Resurrecting Religious Legends for a Modern Audience 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Breakfast and Play D&D (New and Rusty Player Friendly) 9:00am - 10:15am

Panel Intro to TTRPGs: Their Similarities and Differences 10:30am - 11:45am

Quiplash With WWC 12:00pm - 1:15pm

TTRPG Games: Legend in the Mist / Vampire the Masquerade 1:30pm - 4:15pm

Channel A 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Board Games and Magic the Gathering Mixer 6:00pm - 8:45pm

Midnight TTRPGs (Mothership and D&D) 9:00pm - 11:45pm

Level Up or Die Trying: Writing and Succeeding in Progression Fantasy & LitRPG 10:30am - 11:45am

Make a Killer Movie: Writing Genre Films For Yourself (and the Market) 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Butterflies and Plot Twists: Chaos Theory for Writers 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Writing for Tabletop Roleplaying Games (and publishing them) 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Making an Audiobook: Getting your Words off the... 4:30pm - 5:15pm

Pitch Games 1:30pm - 2:45pm

IFWA at the Improv 6:00pm - 7:15pm

Readings From Your Next Favourite Romance Authors 7:30pm - 8:45pm

Open Mic Night 9:00pm - 10:15pm

Creativity & Chaos 10:30am - 11:45am

Hard Science Fiction Shouldn't Be Hard 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Beyond the Familiar: Crafting Asian Fantasy Worlds 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Why Do We Keep Destroying the World? 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Cross-Genre Careers: Keeping Series & Voice Coherent Across Genres 4:30pm - 5:45pm

The importance of names and language 10:30am - 11:45am

From Manuscript to Market: Ask Us Anything 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Power Dynamics in Fantastical Worlds 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Tricks, Tips & Traps for Successful Writing Groups 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Decolonization of Speculative Fiction 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Workshop with Bianca Marais - TBA 12:00pm - 1:15pm

How to Write a Synopsis without Crying First 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Ripped from the Headlines: Unique Places and Ways to Find Inspiration 3:00pm - 4:15pm

“How Do You Say…”: Writing With a Bilingual Mind 4:30pm - 5:45pm

THREENOTE: With Amanda Leduc, Danny Ramadan, and Craig Dilouie 9:00am - 10:15am

Closing Ceremony: TWONOTE with Andrew Buckley, Gemma Files; plus War of the Words Winners 6:00pm - 7:30pm

The Importance of Finding Your Tribe 9:00am - 10:15am

Inside the Villain's Mind: The Psychology Behind The Crime 10:30am - 11:45am

Historical research methods that work for you 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Through Fires and Fascism: Staying Creative When the World Seems Upended 1:30pm - 2:45pm

The Third Path to Publishing: Finding Author Success with a Small Press 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Writing the long game: the endurance panel. 4:30pm - 5:45pm

My Stupid Career, with Kevin McDonald 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Actors Read YOUR Dialogue! 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Live Action Slush: Science Fiction 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Live Action Slush: Fantasy/Urban Fantasy 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Ten Ways to Market Your Book on a Budget 10:30am - 11:45am

Working with a Freelance Editor: What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a Manuscr... 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Your Process, Your Way: The Busy Wordsmith’s Sustainable Writing Practise 1:30pm - 2:45pm

The Resilient Writer 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Developmental Editing Your Book 4:30pm - 5:45pm

Marketing Without the Ick: Show Up, Be Seen, and Share With Heart 10:30am - 11:45am

Get that grant! How to win literary arts grants 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Feedback Without Freefall: How to Hear Critique and Know What to Do Next 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Write-Her Rhythm 3:00pm - 4:15pm

Something in the Air Tonight: Using Setting to Reflect Emotion 16 4:30pm -
17 5:45pm

What Next? Self-editing Strategies for Moving Your Manuscript Forward 9:00am - 10:15am

Embrace the cringe of the Canadian identity to find success 10:30am - 11:45am

When Dark Clouds Roll In 12:00pm - 1:15pm

How to Make Readers Fall in Love (or Hate) Your Characters 1:30pm - 2:45pm

Write What You Know: Transform Lived Experience into Powerful Fiction 3:00pm - 4:15pm

BYOBreakfast and Play D&D 9:00am - 10:15am

Building RPG Props Without Breaking the Bank 10:30am - 11:45am

Make and Take with Kim 12:00pm - 5:30pm

A Quiet Hour of Reflection and Poetry 9:00am - 10:15am

Designing Interactive Stories: An Intro to Visual Novels with Em Williamson 10:30am - 11:45am

The Do's and Don'ts of Cover Design 12:00pm - 1:15pm

Leveling Up Your TTRPG Storytelling 1:30pm - 2:45pm

War of the Words Readings 3:00pm - 4:15pm

The Hidden Architecture of Character Desire: How Want, Fear, and Contradiction D... 4:30pm - 5:45pm