Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2026: Full Schedule

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The 2026 Pikes Peak Writers Conference is in the books!
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8:30am MDT

Don't Break the Spell:Protecting Reader Trust

Saturday April 18, 2026 8:30am - 9:30am MDT

El Paso

All storytelling requires a "suspension of disbelief," but within the first paragraphs of your novel, the words, character, and promises there will flag to your reader if that suspension can continue and if they trust you to pay off what has been set up. Learn to think like your reader in order to identify small breaks in trust that will keep them from DNF-ing your book.

Faculty

Callie Stoker

Owner, Managing Editor, The Manuscript Dr

Callie Stoker is an editor with almost two decades experience. Her business The
Manuscript Dr offers coaching and editing services. We believe that writing is a skill that
can be taught through the application of individual tools. We love helping our clients
elevate their abilities... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 8:30am - 9:30am MDT
El Paso

Craft of Writing

Moderator John Neal

11:00am MDT

The Human Side of Crime: Survivors, Detectives, and Emotional Intelligence

Saturday April 18, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Academy

• The impact of homicide cases on survivors and the concept of “no closure”.
• Using emotional intelligence to write believable investigators, villains, and survivors.
• Q&A: How do you create characters who feel real while drawing from real human suffering?

Faculty

David Lyons

David Lyons is a former homicide detective and retired police commander, living in central Kentucky. In retirement, he focuses on two passions. One, his role as a faculty member with FBI-LEEDA (the Law Enforcement Executive Development Association), the other, producing The Murder... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Academy

Craft of Writing

Moderator John Neal

2:00pm MDT

Write Drunk, Edit Sober Follow-up

Saturday April 18, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT

Ballroom

The first session, Write Drunk, has you writing to various prompts while drinking. The follow-up Edit Sober session takes you through examining what you wrote and how to edit it into shape.

This workshop has an extra charge. Add via registration form.

Faculty

Deb Courtney

Past President, Pikes Peak Writers

Deb Courtney holds a degree in Fiction from the University of South Florida, where she was a Saunders Scholar in Fiction. She has had numerous short stories published and has worked as a freelance journalist, creativity coach and freelance editor. Her background also includes more... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
Ballroom

Craft of Writing

Moderator John Neal

3:15pm MDT

Q&A with Mary Robinette Kowal

Saturday April 18, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm MDT

Cherry Creek/Cripple Creek

Faculty

Mary Robinette Kowal

Keynote

Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award winning alternate history novel The Calculating Stars, the first book in the Lady Astronaut series which continues in 2025 with The Martian Contingency. She is also the author of The Glamourist Histories series, Ghost... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm MDT
Cherry Creek/Cripple Creek

Craft of Writing

Moderator John Neal

4:45pm MDT

Ethics and Responsibility in Crime Writing

Saturday April 18, 2026 4:45pm - 5:45pm MDT

El Paso

• The dangers of misinformation, leaked evidence, and irresponsible speculation.
• How to portray suspects, victims, and survivors with respect while still telling a gripping story.
• Q&A: Where’s the line between dramatization and exploitation?

Faculty

David Lyons

Saturday April 18, 2026 4:45pm - 5:45pm MDT
El Paso

Reality Track/How-to

Moderator John Neal

Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2026

8:30am MDT

Callie Stoker

11:00am MDT

David Lyons

2:00pm MDT

Deb Courtney

3:15pm MDT

Mary Robinette Kowal

4:45pm MDT

David Lyons

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