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Friday, April 17
 

8:30am MDT

Creative Writing Before and After AI: Navigating the New Literary Renaissance
Friday April 17, 2026 8:30am - 9:30am MDT
Grounded Authors Guild guidance and current U.S. copyright guidance for AI-assisted work.

AI is changing the writing life, and for serious writers, that change presents an extraordinary opening. In this workshop, we will examine how AI is reshaping the creative process, what it means for authorship and originality, and how writers can use these tools to deepen their thinking and sharpen their process while keeping human authorship at the center.

You will learn: 
  • What has changed in creative writing process in the age of AI
  • The two definitions every modern writer must understand
  • The three types of writers emerging in this new era, where do you fit?
  • The copyright guidance that matters now

This session will challenge old assumptions, clarify what is at stake, and offer a more intelligent path forward for writers who want to work with new tools.
Faculty
avatar for Ana del Valle

Ana del Valle

AI Creative Writing Academy
In alignment with U.S. Copyright Law and the Author’s Guild’s 2025 guidelines on ethical AI use, Ana del Valle is an award-winning novelist, technologist, and recognized authority on AI in fiction writing. She is the host of The Novelist Studio podcast and YouTube channel, and... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 8:30am - 9:30am MDT
El Paso

9:45am MDT

They Want to Hear From You!
Friday April 17, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am MDT
Pippa Grant launched her pen name with a newsletter plan, and that plan was crucial to the rise of her brand from complete unknown to Amazon Top 10 bestselling author within 16 months. This workshop is a guide on to how to attract readers to your newsletter, why you should send newsletters regularly, and how to identify newsletter content that you’ll want to write.
Faculty
avatar for Pippa Grant

Pippa Grant

Keynote
Pippa Grant wanted to write books, so she did.Before she became a USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling romantic comedy author, she was a young military spouse who got into writing as self-therapy. That happened around the time she discovered reading romance novels, and the two eventually... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 9:45am - 10:45am MDT
Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge

2:00pm MDT

Editor Panel
Friday April 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
Share an hour with our attending editors and learn about them and their publishing companies.
Agents & Editors
avatar for Anna Michels

Anna Michels

Senior Editorial Director, Sourcebooks
Anna Michels has been at Sourcebooks for more than thirteen years and is Senior Editorial Director of Sourcebooks nonfiction and Poisoned Pen Press. Anna is looking for a wide variety of books under the nonfiction umbrella, including history, narrative and prescriptive nonfiction... Read More →
avatar for Drue VanDuker

Drue VanDuker

Assistant Editor, St. Martin's Press
Drue VanDuker is an assistant editor at St. Martin's Press, where she has worked since 2022 after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English and a minor in Rhetoric and Writing. At SMP, she has worked across a wide range of genres, including book club... Read More →
avatar for Kelly Stone

Kelly Stone

Associate Editor, St. Martin’s Publishing Group
Kelly Stone is an associate editor at St. Martin’s Publishing Group. She joined St. Martin’s in 2021 after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Communication. Her list consists of action-packed thrillers, rom-com/mystery mash-ups, elevated cozy mysteries, and humor-filled... Read More →
avatar for Nicole Luongo

Nicole Luongo

Associate Editor, Hachette Book Group
If you asked six-year-old me and present-day-me what a “perfect day” looked like, our answers would be identical: hot cocoa, a loaded bookstore gift card—with unlimited browsing time—mint chocolate chip ice cream, and an evening of uninterrupted reading. (I’m nothing if... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge

3:15pm MDT

Ask an Agent: Q&A with Elisa Saphier
Friday April 17, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm MDT

Agents & Editors
avatar for Elisa Saphier

Elisa Saphier

Agent, MacGregor & Luedeke
Elisa Saphier is an agent with MacGregor & Luedeke where she is the exception, looking for nonreligious nonfiction and upmarket genre fiction (especially mystery/thriller and romance) to balance out her mostly literary list. She represents upper middle grade through adult (fiction... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 3:15pm - 4:15pm MDT
Cherry Creek/Cripple Creek
 
Saturday, April 18
 

11:00am MDT

Through Animal Eyes: Adventures in Writing the Nonhuman
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
This workshop will help writers explore ways to bring animals and other non-human subjects into their adult, young adult, or middle grade fiction. A series of exercises help participants connect more deeply with the natural world and share your insights and experience with others.
Faculty
avatar for Anita Mumm

Anita Mumm

Anita Mumm is a writer and developmental editor based in Salida, Colorado. At her editorial firm, Mumm’s the Word, she supports first-time novelists and bestsellers alike. Her clients have earned top spots on The New York Times bestseller list and received acclaim from Publi... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
El Paso

2:00pm MDT

Strong Character Voice: What It Is, What It’s Not, and How to Achieve It
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
Maybe you’ve heard an agent or editor ask for stories with strong voice. But what on this blue-green Earth are they talking about? After briefly defining Authorial Voice vs. Narrative Voice vs. Character Voice, we’ll demystify what agents and editors mean when they talk about “voicey” characters, and focus on how to infuse more character voice into our manuscripts. We’ll study examples of strong voice and learn to create distinguishable voice for each character without going overboard and veering into caricature. You'll come away with clear, actionable steps they can take to spot opportunities to add voice and to develop and improve character voice in their stories.
Faculty
avatar for Taryn Skipper

Taryn Skipper

Author/artist Taryn Skipper’s publications include her science fiction novel for young adults, Between Tungsten and Gold (Sept. 2025, Splinter Press), picture and activity books for children, short stories and poetry in anthologies, cover art, and a decade of commissioned portraits and paintings. She enjoys presenting and volunteering at writing events and conferences and sits on the Storymakers G... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
Academy

4:45pm MDT

Editing Beyond “Gut Feel”: A Checklist for Success
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:45pm - 5:45pm MDT
Revising your work (or critiquing others’) can be overwhelming. Without specific elements to look for, it’s easy to fall back on our “gut feel,” which is hard to articulate and even harder to trust. Learn to evaluate 17 storytelling aspects to edit and strengthen any manuscript, including your own!
Faculty
avatar for Kelley J. P. Lindberg

Kelley J. P. Lindberg

President, Blue Raven Services Inc.
Kelley J. P. Lindberg writes adult and YA fiction, but her writing history is littered with dozens of how-to books (including several bestsellers) and hundreds of articles. Her fiction and essays have appeared in literary magazines, in anthologies including PPW’s Journeys into... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:45pm - 5:45pm MDT
Palmer
 
Sunday, April 19
 

11:30am MDT

Tough Talk: Writing Effective Dialogue
Sunday April 19, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm MDT
Dialogue is a powerful writing tool; however, literary dialogue isn't the same as day-to-day speech. Learn techniques used by dramaturges to develop effective dialogue, ratchet up tension through dynamic speech, and make dialogue sound realistic to your readers' ears. Find out how to manage dialogue "tags" for effect and "invisibility." Participants are encouraged to bring works in progress that they can edit during the session.
Faculty
avatar for Laurie Marr Wasmund

Laurie Marr Wasmund

Author, lost ranch books
Laurie Marr Wasmund holds an M.A. in literature from the University of Denver. She has been an editor, community college instructor, and national writing workshop presenter. Her short stories have appeared in literary magazines such as Cimarron Review and Weber Studies. She is... Read More →
Sunday April 19, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm MDT
Academy
 
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