Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2026: Full Schedule

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11:00am MDT

This Ain’t Your Granddaddy’s Western

Friday April 17, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Douglas

A look at how Westerns are evolving through crossovers with crime, horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. We’ll explore the future of the genre, with examples from writers like Craig Johnson, CJ Box, and Marc Cameron, and modern media like The Mandalorian and Bone Tomahawk.

Faculty

Reavis Z. Wortham

Keynote

NYT Bestselling author, Reavis Z. Wortham, is the recipient of many awards, including two Spur Awards from the Western Writers Association, and six Will Rogers Medallions. Kirkus Reviews listed his first novel in the historical Red River series, The Rock Hole, as one of their Top... Read More →

Agents & Editors

Casey Cowan

Roan & Weatherford Publishing Associates

Casey Cowan began his career in graphic design, shaping projects across a wide range of industries for nearly two decades before finding his niche and co-founding Roan & Weatherford Publishing Associates in 2013. Under his leadership, the company has grown into a successful, award-winning... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Douglas

Genre-Specific

Moderator Mike Torreanno

3:15pm MDT

Ten Editing Hacks

Friday April 17, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm MDT

El Paso

This presentation puts self-editing tasks into an easy-to-follow list format. You can check off each item before submitting your manuscript to anyone from critique partners to agents and editors. Most of the tasks are quick and use shortcuts in Word such as Find and Replace. Others are a bit more work-intensive, like culling extraneous adverbs or removing filter words and writing in deeper POV but will ultimately strengthen your story.

Faculty

Jessica Snyder

Jessica Snyder is a romance editor, author coach, and digital nomad traveling the US with her giant dog, Arrow. She's a Gallup Strengths enthusiast who loves kickass heroines, tropes flipped on their heads, rotisserie chicken, and getting stamps in her passport.

Friday April 17, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm MDT
El Paso

Craft of Writing

Moderator Mike Torreanno
Audience Beginner

Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2026

11:00am MDT

Reavis Z. Wortham

Casey Cowan

3:15pm MDT

Jessica Snyder

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