Second annual Creative Writing & Storytelling Conference

This year’s conference theme is Writing and Storytelling as Resistance.
In conjunction with Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 25, 2026, the conference will address how storytelling and writing contribute to a renewed artistic age of resistance. As authoritarianism expands and power increasingly narrows and corrupts, what are our duties as writers and storytellers? Who gets to tell a story?

And while the traditional book publishing industry navigates the constraints and irrationality of late capitalism, what are the alternative modes of presenting, sharing, publishing and telling stories? How can writing, an individual practice, be mobilized to create communities of resistance? What is the role of writing craft in social change?

Interested in presenting? Submissions are open. Deadline is February 25.

Ideas to consider

• Censorship and book bans
• Gatekeeping in storytelling, writing and publishing
• Writing and storytelling tools against power, control and erasure
• Resisting dominant narratives and researching and surfacing lost, erased and neglected stories
• Resistance as craft: experiments in structure, voice and point of view
• Resistance as new modes of storytelling
• Authorship: who gets to tell a story?
• Writing communities as resistance

Presenters are invited to submit one of the following:

1. Panel discussions
   Consisting of 3 to 4 participants, panels will be 75 minutes in length and will address a key topic related to the theme of writing and storytelling as resistance. Please submit one proposal for the panel, including proposed panel title, a summary of the session and full names and 100-word bios of each participant.
2. Workshop proposals
   Workshops, 75 minutes in length, led by 1 to 2 writers, should address a key craft issue related to the theme of writing and storytelling as resistance. Please submit a summary of the workshop, including proposed title, any exercises or participation components, a brief synopsis of the key takeaways for participants and session leader names including 100-word bios.
3. Individual presentations
   Presentations will be limited to 20 minutes maximum. Please submit a 100-word bio and short summary of your presentation: proposed title, the key topics or questions you will address and how it relates to the conference theme of curation, writing and storytelling. Individual presentations will be grouped into sessions consisting of 2 to 3 presentations with time for questions at the end.

All submissions must be in .docx format, with the presenter’s full name and session title at the top. Submissions should be a maximum of 200 words, and include presenter bios on the same document. Please email submissions to gillian.turnbull@ukings.ca with the subject header CONFERENCE PROPOSAL.

Deadline: February 25, 2026
Participants will be notified of their acceptance by March 1, 2026

Honorariums
*Total pay for a 75-minute session is $300

Example breakdown:

• $300 for one individual running a full-length workshop; $150 each for two people running a workshop
• $75 each for a panel of four speakers
• $100 each for 20-minute individual presentations

Unfortunately, we cannot cover travel or accommodation expenses.

Registration and schedule will be available closer to the conference.