When Words Collide 2026 has ended

When Words Collide 2026

A Festival for Writers, Readers, and Fans

TF

Tracy Fox

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

Survival Skills in Dystopian Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldValerie L. King • Sandy Fitzpatrick • Gary Renshaw • Don Miasek • Susan Forest

1:30pm MDT

Tyche Books Presents: 2026 New Releases Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubMargaret Curelas From the Author’s Chair: Looking at the Gatekeepers from the Author’s POV Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Ali Bryan • Shane Kroetsch • Bradley Somer • Danny Ramadan

3:00pm MDT

EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing Annual Showcase Hyatt Regency Calgary - Thompson Social HubElla Beaumont

4:30pm MDT

Writing Hopepunk: Marginalized Perspectives Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldCait Gordon • Keenan Jones • Amanda Leduc • Adriaan Brae

9:00am MDT

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

10:30am MDT

Writers On Writers: In Conversation with Amanda Leduc and Lily Chu Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Nicole Roche • Amanda Leduc • Lily Chu

1:30pm MDT

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

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

9:00am MDT

The Importance of Finding Your Community Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Deniz Soykurumcetin • Donna D. Conrad • J.C. (John) Corry • Marie Powell

10:30am MDT

Keynotes: The Changing Shape of Authorship: Future-Proofing Your Writing Career Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Amanda Leduc • Danny Ramadan • Craig DiLouie

12:00pm MDT

My Stupid Career, with Kevin McDonald Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 6Kevin McDonald Get that grant! How to win literary arts grants Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 8Lexie Angelo

1:30pm MDT

Your Process, Your Way: The Busy Wordsmith’s Sustainable Writing Practise Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 7Nicole Bross How to Write a Synopsis without Crying First Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 4Mira Landry

3:00pm MDT

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