May 29—31, 2026, Saint John

Friday, May 29

Crowne Plaza Harbourview (The Bay Room)

3:00 pm to 5:00 pm:
Open Mic and Book launch hosted by Thomas Chamberlain

NB Writing Competition Literary Soiree (Top of the Town)

6:00 ­ 6:45 pm:
Reception (cash bar),
Music By: Brent Mason

7:00 - 9:00 pm: AWARD READINGS AND RECEPTION
Hosted by Susan White and Martha Vowles

Saturday, May 30

Crowne Plaza Harbourview

9:00 - 9:45 am: Keynote Address (Top of the Town)
Robert J. Sawyer: Facing the Future: New Horizons in Publishing, What it Means to be a Writer, and the Promise and Peril of AI

10:00 am —12 pm: Workshops
Robert J. Sawyer, Sci-fi Masterclass (Top of the Town)
"Combing the Intimately Human with the Grandly Cosmic: The Keys to Writing Science Fiction that Appeals to Both the Heart and the Mind"
OR
Rebecca Carrigan, Sakura Blue Studios (The Bay)MARKETING VS PUBLICITY—Real-World Promotion Strategies for Indie Authors

BUFFET LUNCH (The Top of the Town)

NOON TO 1:30 PM

2:00 pm—4:00 pm: Workshops
Joe Mahoney (The Studio) Record your own Audiobooks,
OR
Akilah Walcott (The Bay) Page—to Stage Poetry and Performance

The eleventh annual NB BOOK AWARDS!

Lily Lake Pavilion, Saint John

6:00 pm: Reception
Music by: Joseph Albert

7:00 pm: Live ceremony
Hosted by: Julia Wright
Keynote: James Mullinger

Book Table : The Write Cup Bookstore Cafe
Trophies provided by: Glass Roots Inc.

Sunday, May 31,

Crowne Plaza Harbourview

9:30 am—11:30 am - Workshops
Anastasios (Tommy) Mihalopoulos
(The Studio)
Retelling Myth and Fairy Tales
(sponsored by: UNB Art Centre)
OR
Lesley Choyce (The Bay)
The Craft of Fiction

BONUS! The Bay Room

1:00 to 3:00 pm:
PITCH THE PUBLISHER
Hosted by Andrea Kikuchi