When Words Collide 2026

When Words Collide 2026

A Festival for Writers, Readers, and Fans

Cheryl Terra

https://cherylterra.com/

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10:30am MDT

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

12:00pm MDT

The AI Argument Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5D.G. Valdron • Jason Pearce • Cleodel Khrishna • Alison McBain

1:30pm MDT

Fear Factor: How Fear Rewires Your Character’s Behavior, Logic & Responses Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Angela Ackerman Game Theory 101 for writers Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BRon S. Friedman

3:00pm MDT

Let's Talk About Sex: Writing Effective Sex Scenes Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Brenna Bailey-Davies No Blueprint Required: Writing Careers Off the Map Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Yewande Daniel-Ayoade • Miranda Krogstad • Andrew Buckley • Finnian Burnett

4:30pm MDT

Book Banning and Censorship: Looking at the Bigger Picture Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Kit Dobson Writing As Resistance: Using Our Words to Critique, Challenge, and Disrupt Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Madison Joyce • Priscille Bukasa • Adrienne Adams • Alex Benarzi • O.L. McAnord Things That Make You Go: Go! A Workshop on Keeping Your Momentum Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Deniz Soykurumcetin

9:00am MDT

Selling Your Book Without Platform Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Jessica Waite Writing Beyond the Self: Creating Characters Outside Our Lived Experience Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5James Downe • Robert J. Sawyer • Huck Kahng • Finnian Burnett Writing While Neurodiverse: ADHD Strategies for Authors Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Nicole Bross

10:30am MDT

In Conversation with Danny, Amanda, and Lily Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Danny Ramadan • Amanda Leduc • Lily Chu • Ashley J.J. White (aka Ashley Frerichs) Whose Plot is it Anyway? How to Master the Dominant Arc in Hybrid Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Kim Cheel

12:00pm MDT

An Author's Guide to Longevity and Adapting to the Changing Publishing Landscape Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Mark Leslie Lefebvre • Robert J. Sawyer Queer Rep in Mainstream Media Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldSarah L. Pratt • Danny Ramadan • Tanya MacIntosh • Adriaan Brae

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

3:00pm MDT

Beyond the Bottom Line: Running an Anticapitalist Author Business Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Brenna Bailey-Davies Offstage Characters: What Are They Up To? Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Susan Forest Disability, Romance, and Adventure: Yes, Your Book Can Have Them All! Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Alex Benarzi • Lavinia Leon • Blake Ravenhart • Julie A. Christiansen • Cait Gordon Live Action Slush: Romance Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Nicole Roche • Mira Landry • Carly Watters • Alison McBain Accelerate It: Writing in Flow Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Rosey Hwang Laugh Out Loud Literary Devices Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Miranda Krogstad

4:30pm MDT

The Most Powerful Characterization Detail You're Overlooking: A Character's Job Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Angela Ackerman

7:30pm MDT

Readings From Your Next Favourite Romance Authors Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubJennifer Sommersby • Rosey Hwang • Alix Kelinda • Lily Chu

9:00am MDT

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

10:30am MDT

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

12:00pm MDT

My Stupid Career, with Kevin McDonald Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Kevin McDonald 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

How to Make Readers Fall in Love (or Hate) Your Characters Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Chris Corvan How to Write a Synopsis without Crying First Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Mira Landry

3:00pm MDT

Write What You Know: Transform Lived Experience into Powerful Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 9Julie A. Christiansen Ripped from the Headlines: Unique Places and Ways to Find Inspiration Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Faye Arcand

4:30pm MDT

Something in the Air Tonight: Using Setting to Reflect Emotion Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Fiona McTaggart Writing the long game: the endurance panel. Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Bradley Somer • Ali Bryan • Marcello Di Cintio • Leanne Shirtliffe • Nikki Vogel

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