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January

 

Happy New Year!


August 10-12, 2018 is on the horizon. We are hoping to do more in 2018 than we've done in the past and are looking for additional people to join our planning committee. If you would like to be a part of making great things happen, please contact us at:
info@whenwordscollide.org

 
Got Your Festival Pass?

If you plan to attend in August, why wait? Over 50% of available 2018 passes have already been sold. Online registration and the downloadable mail-in form are at:
www.whenwordscollide.org/reg3.php

If you are unsure if you are already registered, check our online membership list at:
www.whenwordscollide.org/passholders.php
(Note that, if at time of registration you did not indicate to be listed, you will not be listed.)

 
Returning Past Guests

Past festival guests Shirlee Smith Matheson, Adrienne Kerr and Brian Hades have confirmed that they will be attending the festival in 2018.

 
Book Your Hotel Room

The Delta Calgary South is now able to accept online room bookings. Hint: Book early; the past 3 years the hotel has sold out well in advance of the booking deadline.
www.whenwordscollide.org/venue.php

 
Journey Through The Ages Banquet

Roman Centurions. Japanese Samurai. British Druids. Our Saturday evening banquet will have a Journey Through the Ages theme. Dress from any period is welcome, but not required. Banquet tickets may be purchased at time of registration or separately using the same form.
www.whenwordscollide.org/event.php
www.whenwordscollide.org/reg3.php
 

Master Classes

Once again we will have a full slate of Master Classes by our festival guests. Classes for 2018 will be offered prior to and following the festival. Details TBA.
 
 
Your Feedback

The postmortem meeting for WWC 2017 is past and the organizers wish to thank those who provided feedback. We can, however, consider feedback at any time. If you wish to comment on something you particularly liked or disliked, or have suggestions for future festival guests or content, please let us know:
http://www.whenwordscollide.org/feedback.php
 
 
Podcasts

New podcasts added: The Beyond Traditional & Self-Publishing panel discussion as well as Will Ferguson on Publishing & Writing. Find these and all WWC festival podcasts at:
http://whenwordscollide.libsyn.com/

 
News & Notes Archive
 
This and past newsletters can be found at::

What's Happening
 
 
Aurora Awards Eligibility List Now Open
 
It’s that time of the year again. Nominations will begin in March.  We are asking CSFFA members to help us put in Science Fiction and Fantasy works done in 2017 by Canadians into the eleven award eligibility lists. Questions about the awards can be sent to admin@prixaurorawards.ca
 
We are in the midst of creating a new and improved website but unfortunately, we are running behind so the eligibility lists will be the same as last year, at least for now.  Full details of the new site will be sent out once it’s been tested. www.prixaurorawards.ca
 
 
Writers in the House, January 27 & 28
Join Calgary area writers for a weekend of writing at the Delta Calgary South Fireside Room. Drop by any time between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Sat and Sun for social writing.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2246921438867660/
 
 
Owl's Nest Books Events

Mon Feb 5 - Colleen Songs
Tue Feb 6 - Andrea Lamoureux
Sat Feb 10 - Talena Winters
Mon Feb 12 - M. Jane Colette & YYC Queer Writers
Thu Mar 15 - Dwayne Clayden
Sun Apr 29 - Janet Wees
and many more signings, readings, and book discussions listed at:
https://bookmanager.com/1675575/?q=h.calevents
 

In Places Between Short Story Contest
The Alberta Romance Writers' Association, the Alexandra Writers' Center Society, Coffin Hop Press, Calgary Crime Writers, and the Imaginative Fiction Writers' Association, the five sponsors of In Places Between: The Robyn Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest, are currently accepting submissions for the 2018 contest. Short stories under 4000 words in any genre may be submitted by authors attending When Words Collide: A Festival for Readers and Writers. No entry fee, but entrants must be members of the festival. Prize money for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, as well as for 7 Honorable Mentions. All ten winning stories will be published in In Places Between, to be launched at the festival August 10-12, 2018. The 2018 celebrity judges will be Shirlee Smith Matheson (past WWC Guest of Honor), Margaret Curelas (Publisher of Tyche Books), Jeff Campbell (anthology editor with Edge Press) and Gerald Brandt (International bestselling Daw author). The deadline for contest entries is May 5, 2018. For more details, go to http://ifwa.ca/short-story-contest/ 
 

What Publishers Want (and Authors Need): A Workshop with Literary Agent Sam Hiyate

Saturday, March 10

Today’s literary marketplace remains a mystery to up-and-coming writers. Often they ask themselves, what do I do next? How do I write a query letter that will stand out? What are editors really looking for? Most importantly, how do I know that my work is ready to be submitted?

Agent Sam Hiyate will examine the publishing world in Canada, the U.S. and international markets in this one-day workshop. What are the market’s needs, wants, trends and ‘must haves’?


Writing the Popular Fiction Novel with Kelly Armstrong

Saturday, April 7
Writing commercial—or “ popular”—fiction is not about writing to a market or writing hemmed in by genre rules. It’s about crafting the fantasy/mystery/SF/romance/horror story you want to tell, while understanding the market and reader expectations. This workshop will dispel some of the myths about writing commercial fiction and take a hard look at how to make your story stand out from the crowd. It will also touch on the business of commercial fiction writing.

For details visit: www.alexandrawriters.org/courses/writing-the-popular-fiction-novel/

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