When Words Collide 2026

When Words Collide 2026

A Festival for Writers, Readers, and Fans

Kat Siddle

Writer

Vancouver, Canada

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About me

Book nerd, writer and weirdo living in Vancouver, Canada. By day I manage a corporate archive for a fashion company. By night, I wrote spooky stories about haunted houses, parasites, anxiety and secrets.

10:30am MDT

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

4:30pm MDT

In Conversation 1 Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Andrew Buckley • Gemma Files • Bianca Marais • Craig DiLouie

9:00am MDT

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 Feminine Solutions in Science Fiction and Fantasy Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldSusan Forest • Krista Wallace • Sarah Johnson • Bonnie Jacoby • Camilla Tracy 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

Whose Plot is it Anyway? How to Master the Dominant Arc in Hybrid Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Kim Cheel

12:00pm MDT

Bored of Your Book? How to Fall in Love With Your Story Again Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Nicole Bross Making Monsters: the Art & Craft of Writing Horror Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollFiona McTaggart • James Downe • Kim Harbridge • Sam Wilket Live Action Slush: Short Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Claire Bolton • Jennifer Chevais • Lexie Angelo • Cecilia "CeCe" Lyra

1:30pm MDT

Query Slush Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Jennifer Sommersby • Erin Weir • Mira Landry • Bonnie Jacoby Real vs. Reality Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Donna D. Conrad

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 Accelerate It: Writing in Flow Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Rosey Hwang

9:00am MDT

What Next? Self-editing Strategies for Moving Your Manuscript Forward Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Sandra McIntyre

10:30am MDT

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

12:00pm MDT

Working with a Freelance Editor: What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a Manuscript Edit) Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Jennifer Sommersby

1:30pm MDT

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 - HeraldSusan Forest • Randy McCharles • Alison McBain • Kim Cheel • Blake Ravenhart

3:00pm MDT

The Healthy Writer Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Ali Bryan 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 Live Action Slush: Science Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Richard Graeme Cameron • Bonnie Jacoby • Krista Wallace • Ella Beaumont

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

6:00pm MDT

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