When Words Collide 2026

When Words Collide 2026

A Festival for Writers, Readers, and Fans

12:00pm MDT

An Isekai by Any Other Name Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollChris Carolan • Jodi McIsaac • Selene O'Rourke • Calvin Jim Survival Skills in Dystopian Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldValerie L. King • Sandy Fitzpatrick • Gary Renshaw • Don Miasek • Susan Forest The AI Argument Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5D.G. Valdron • Jason Pearce • Cleodel Khrishna • Alison McBain

1:30pm MDT

From the Author’s chair: looking at the gatekeepers from the Author’s POV Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Ali Bryan • Bradley Somer • Danny Ramadan Full Circle - How to thrive in a writing circle Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollKelli Etheridge • Kim Harbridge • Louise Dumayne • Kristyn Pacione • Ennis Lucy Series Crossovers & Shared Worlds Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLexie Angelo • Rick Overwater • Camilla Tracy • P.D. Workman

3:00pm MDT

Adventures in Shorts! Finding Success with Short Fiction and Personal Essays Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollJ.C. (John) Corry • Kim Harbridge • Susan Calder • Hilary Faktor No Blueprint Required: Writing Careers Off the Map Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Yewande Daniel-Ayoade • Miranda Krogstad • Andrew Buckley • Finnian Burnett Paths to Publication: Traditional, Hybrid, and Self-Publishing in Today’s Market Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLeanne Janzen • Carly Watters • Felicia Zuniga

4:30pm MDT

Who's afraid to write about aging? Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollMarie Powell • Karen Elizabeth Lee • Faye Arcand • Robyn Diner • Ann Cavlovic 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 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 • Bonnie Jacoby • Camilla Tracy Fractured Realities: Time Loops, Parallel Worlds, and What Breaks Between Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollValerie L. King • 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

10:30am MDT

Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldAlison McBain • Zeva Mah • Camilla Tracy • Cleodel Khrishna • Jasmine Sidhu Creating a Unique Detective Figure Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Chris Carolan • Juanita R Violini • Jonathan Whitelaw • Lexie Angelo Panel Intro to TTRPGs: Their Similarities and Differences Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen AKim Firmston • Cipher • Rhonda Parrish • Darren Tenor • Calvin Jim

12:00pm MDT

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

1:30pm MDT

50 Ways to Kill Your Lover (Homicide at Home) Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLinda Sanche • JE Barnard • Pamela Donison • Merrilee Robson • Susan Calder Surviving Publishing Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollRhonda Parrish • Richard Graeme Cameron • Jason Pearce • Margaret Curelas • Krista D. Ball 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

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 The Personal is Political and The Political is Personal! Activism and Advocacy Through Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollBen Zalkind • Amanda Leduc • Ann Cavlovic • Kirti Bhadresa Workplace Horror - Something Smells in the Break Room Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldJason Pearce • Sarah L. Pratt • Rob Bose • Chris Marrs Writing for Tabletop Roleplaying Games (and publishing them) Hyatt Regency Calgary - Stephen BChris Corvan • Eden Martens • Caelen Bell • Darren Tenor

4:30pm MDT

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 From the Past to the Page: Transforming Historical Research into Compelling Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Bob Booth • Susan Calder • Lisa Williamson • Pamela Clark

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

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

10:30am MDT

Inside the Villain's Mind: The Psychology Behind The Crime Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Pamela Donison • P.D. Workman • Dave Sweet • Dr. Cynthia Baxter The importance of names and language Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLareina Abbott • Jason Pearce • Camilla Tracy • Onyx Shelton

12:00pm MDT

From Manuscript to Market: Ask Us Anything Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldLeanne 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 5Jodi McIsaac • J.C. (John) Corry • Donna D. Conrad • Marie Powell

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 - HeraldRandy McCharles • Alison McBain • Kim Cheel • Blake Ravenhart • Susan Forest Through Fires and Fascism: Staying Creative When the World Seems Upended Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Sarah Johnson • Cait Gordon • Finnian Burnett • Tanya MacIntosh

3:00pm MDT

The Third Path to Publishing: Finding Author Success with a Small Press Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Hilary Faktor • Susan Carpenter • CM Shanahan Tricks, Tips & Traps for Successful Writing Groups Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldSandy Navrady • Lareina Abbott • Sean Crawford • Em Williamson Why Do We Keep Destroying the World? Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollAmbre Olivari • Rick Overwater • Nikki Vogel • Chris Carolan

4:30pm MDT

Cross-Genre Careers: Keeping Series & Voice Coherent Across Genres Hyatt Regency Calgary - DollJennifer Sommersby • Alison McBain • Alexis Marie Chute • P.D. Workman Decolonization of Speculative Fiction Hyatt Regency Calgary - HeraldSusan Forest • Onyx Shelton • Zeva Mah • Calvin Jim Writing the long game: the endurance panel. Hyatt Regency Calgary - Imperial Ballroom 5Bradley Somer • Ali Bryan • Marcello Di Cintio • Leanne Shirtliffe • Nikki Vogel