Below is the current Panel, Workshop, and Event Schedule for Imaginarium 2026 with rooms, times, and hosts!
For full descriptions of all the panels and workshops, please visit our Panels and Workshops page at: https://www.entertheimaginarium.com/2026-panels-workshops-and-events/
Thursday, July 16h
Room/Time
TURFWAY
5 PM – Marathonarium 4 Premium Anthology Workshop presented by Stephen Zimmer – 3 hrs
Ashford (Film Festival Screening Room)
9 PM NIGHT OF THE TURKEYS: A Celebration of Misfit Monster Movies! Hosted by S.A. Bradley & James Sabata (3 hrs+)
FRIDAY JULY 17th
Room/Time
TRIPLE CROWN
12 PM Using Timelines to Tighten Plot – Presented by Chad Elliot (60 min)
1:15 PM Illustrating for Online Presentations – Presented by Jill Baker (60 min)
3:45 PM The Art of Co-Writing Presented by K.L. Bone (60 min)
5 PM Crafting Cross-Genre – (MOD- Sara Marian)
7 PM Humor on the Page vs Humor on the Stage (MOD- Brent Terhune)
DERBY
12 PM Create Memorable Characters – Presented by Rebecka Vigus (60 min)
1:15 PM Whispered Rituals and Sentimental Alchemy – Presented by Jocelyne Waddle (60 min)
2:30 PM “Micro Publishing” and Niche Nonfiction
3:45 PM Start (and GROW!) Your Own Podcast! – Presented by Chris Flanigan and Chris Cohron (60 min)
5 PM Action! How to Break into Independent Film Acting
7 PM Echoes & Ink / An Open Reading and Poetry Session
CALUMET
12 PM NEVER LISTEN TO ANYONE OFFERING ADVICE ON HOW TO BE A WRITER – Presented by Aaron Drown (90 min)
1:45 PM Diversification Strategies to Build an Ironclad Author Career presented by Lydia Sherrer (90 mins)
3:30 PM Metaphysics and Paranormality – Presented by Ron Yacovetti (60 min)
4:45 PM Building Metadata in Ebooks – Presented by Gregg Bridgeman (60 min)
7 PM Writing the Frontier: Grit, Justice, and the Modern Western
8:15 PM Creative Collaborations: How Writers & Filmmakers Can Work Together Presented by Roxanne Warren and Jonathan Knosp (60 min)
9:15 PM Practice Lab: Practice Your Film/Book Pitch Presented by Roxanne Warren and Jonathan Knosp (60 min+)
Winner’s Circle (Restaurant Area)
12 PM Ask The Agent: Part I – Presented by Cherry Weiner (2 hrs)
2:15 PM Build Out Your Book: Make Your Promotion Uniquely Yours – Presented by Renmeleon (2 hrs)
CARRIAGE
12 PM Technical Writing: A Path to Becoming an Author and Speaker ( MOD – D. Mark Haynes)
1:15 PM Realism in Fiction (Even Speculative Fiction)
2:30 PM Double Trouble: Crafting Iconic and Dynamic Duos
3:45 PM The Romantasy Revolution: Blending Magic and Heart
5 PM Grimoires and Gravy – (MOD – Michael Knost) KB Carlisle, Jesse James Fain, Logan Stovall, Michael Lavoice
7 PM The SF Ethics of the Future
8:15 PM Has Ireland become the new Transylvania? Evolving Vampire Origins – (Mod – Dan Klefstad & Eva Vertrice)
CLAIBORNE
12 PM How to Be Creative When All I Want to Do Is Take a Nap – Presenter Kimberly Hoffman (60 min)
1:15 PM The Producer’s Playbook: Funding and Packaging Your Indie Film
2:30 PM NUCLEAR HEAT (MOD – James Sabata) (90 + mins)
4:15 PM The Great Debate: Vampires vs. Werewolves (MOD – Da’Rell Miller)
7 PM Authenticity & Representation in Film and Television
8:15 PM Horrors Against Humanity (MOD – James Sabata) (90 min)
ELLIS
12 PM Nuclear Heat (MOD – James Sabata) (90 min)
1:45 PM Writing Neurodivergent Characters (MOD – Diana Morgan)
3 PM Talk is Cheap: Subtext, Dialect, and the Unspoken
4:15 PM AI: From “Will it Replace Us?” to “How Do I Use It?”
7 PM Building Irresistible Chemistry in Romance
8:15 PM The Architecture of Anxiety: Crafting Unputdownable Thrillers
TURFWAY
12 PM Developing Deep Point of View – Presented by DiAnn Mills (90 min)
1:45 PM Stoker on Stoker Multimedia Presentation Presented by Dacre Stoker (90 min)
4:45 PM Understanding the Basics presented by Don Bentley (60 min)
6 PM Opening Ceremonies
6:15 PM Keynote Speech
7 PM Vamp Chat LIVE Podcast With Dan & Eva Featuring Guest Dacre Stoker (60 min)
8:15 PM Midnight Oasis featuring Sako Tumi & Jennifer Noran aka the Queenbee
10 PM The Music of Jayson William Allen and Poetry of the Dead
SATURDAY JULY 18th
Room/Time
TRIPLE CROWN
9 AM Memoir Writing – Presented by Jill Baker (60 min)
10:15 AM Descriptive Writing & Tea Presented by Jen Mulvihill (60 min)
12:30 PM Self Editing Like A Pro – Presented by R.C. Reid (60 mins)
1:45 PM The Writer’s Guide to the Apocalypse: Building the Ultimate Bug-Out Bag Presented by Tim Bischoff (60 min)
3 PM Accounting for Creatives Presented by James O. Barnes (60 min)
4:15 PM Short Story Contest Readings presented by Arlan Andrews (60 min)
DERBY
9 AM The Poet’s Guide to Publishing: How to Conceive, Arrange, Edit, Publish, and Market a Book of Poetry presented by Katerina Stoykova
10:15 AM Exploring the Art of Dialogue Presented by DiAnn Mills (60 min)
12:30 PM The Poetic Journey: Writing for a Deeper Life – Presented by Lee Pennington (60 min)
2 PM Jungian Psychology (with a little Joseph Campbell thrown in) for Character Development, presented by Darlene Franklin Campbell
3:15 PM Amazon’s Coveted #1 Bestseller Flag—How to Achieve One for Your Book! Presented by A.G. Mock (2 hrs)
8:15 PM Anatomy of a Scene: Breaking Down Special Makeup Effects Presented by The Ky Creature FX Crew (60 min)
CALUMET
9 AM Write: Imagine What You Can Do – Presented by Heather Graham (2 hrs)
10:15 AM Understanding Distribution Contract Legalese Presented by Roxanne Warren and Jonathan Knosp (60 min)
11:30 AM Horror & Comedy: Adding levity to the darkness, Presented by Scott Sigler (60 min)
12:45 PM The Alchemy Framework – Presented by Rob Thompson (60 min)
2 PM “Beyond the Beards: Reclaiming and Revolutionizing Classic Fantasy Tropes” – Presented by Brian D. Anderson (60 min)
3:15 PM Firearms in Film Production Presented by Silvio Wolf Busch (90 min)
5 PM Mastering Facebook Marketing presented by David Sherrer (60 min)
8:15 PM Sizzling Prose – Presented by Ariella Talix (60 min)
CARRIAGE
9 AM Mind the Gap: Identifying and Closing Plot Holes
10:15 AM An Interactive Worldbuilding Jam
11:30 AM The Final Encore: Michael Williams Reads Farewell Tour (60 min)
12:30 PM “Description for the panel: Amelia: The Largest Self-Own In History and How She’s Changed the World” (MOD – Clayton Barnett)
1:45 PM Slushfest (MOD – Barbara Evers) (90 mins)
3:30 PM The Anatomy of a Cold Case: Structuring and Researching True Crime
4:45 PM Leveling Up Your Narrative: The Art of LitRPG Writing
CLAIBORNE
9 AM The Pilot Puzzle: Structuring for Television and Streaming
10:15 AM Tech, TV, & Cinema
12:30 PM Special Effects Horror Makeup: Mastering the Art & Adapting on the Fly – Presented by Stephanie Lanham (90 min)
2:15 PM Cosplay 101: Crafting & Character (MOD – Da’Rell Miller)
3:30 PM Scene, Sequence, Story: Building Visual Momentum
4:45 PM The Soundtrack to the Story: Crafting Book Playlists
8:15 PM From Muskets to Manuscripts: Chronicling the Birth of the Republic – (MOD – Clayton Barnett)
ELLIS
9 AM Breathing Life into Tired Tropes
10:15 AM The Evolving Craft of 21st Century Writing
12:30 PM A Match Made In Hell (MOD – James Sabata)
1:45 PM Navigating Sensitive Topics In Your Writing
3 PM Researching Clothing & Setting for Historical Realism
Winner’s Circle (Restau4rant Area)
12:45 PM AMA: Film Distribution and Post-Production presented by Roxanne Warren and Jonathan Knosp (2 hrs)
2:45 PM Pitch to an Agent Session – Presented by Cherry Weiner (2 hrs)
TURFWAY
9 AM Legends & Lattes: The Rise of Cozy Fantasy & Low-Stakes Storytelling
10:15 AM What’s Vlad Got to do With It? Presented by Dacre Stoker (60 min)
12:30 PM Guests of Honor and Imaginator 30 min Interviews by Michael Knost 12:30 PM A.G. Mock – 1 PM Heather Graham – 1:30 PM Scott Sigler – 2 PM Don Bentley – 2:30 PM Dacre Stoker
3 PM Special Presentation: From Royal Scandals to Lost Time: Telling Stories for a Living & Book Signing – Presented by Barry Maher (75 min)
6 PM Seating Starts for the Awards Ceremony
6:30 PM Sako Tumi performs followed by the musical artistry of Ben Lacy / Meal Served
7 PM Awards Presentation Begins
8:15 PM Costume Contest
9 PM Karaoke and Imaginariium Ball
Game Hall Area
4 PM The Queen Bee’s Tea Duel of Composure and Crumb Presented by The Queen Bee (Jennifer Noran)
SUNDAY JULY 19th
Room/Time
TRIPLE CROWN
9 AM Crafting Critters – Presented by Barbara Evers (60 min)
10:15 AM Writing the Ancestors presented by Christina (Tea) Marrocco (90 min)
1 PM Live Round Table Pitch Session
2:15 PM Agent Pitches with Rose Betancourt (2 hrs)
DERBY
9 AM Writing Stories of Transformation and Community
10:15 AM Interviewing Your Characters – Unlock Their Deepest Secrets – Presented by Lynn Tincher (60 min)
11:30 AM Creating a Marketing Plan When You Don’t Have a Marketing Degree – Presented by Hallee Bridgeman (60 min)
1 PM Creative Writing Through Grief and Trauma (MOD – Tim Bischoff)
2:15 PM Sequential Storytelling: The Architecture of Comics and Graphic Novels
3:30 PM The Craft of Short Story Writing
CALUMET
9 AM What Indie Booksellers Wish Authors Knew
10:15 AM Ask The Agent: Part II Presented by Cherry Weiner (90 min)
11 AM Direct to Consumer (D2C) Mastery
1 PM Crafting and Connecting through Poetry
2:15 PM Navigating the New Age of Young Adult Fiction
3:30 PM Automating and Systemizing Social Media for Authors and Book Marketing Presented by Ed Downes (60 min)
CARRIAGE
9 AM Navigating Publishing Scams
10:15 AM Beyond the Beats: Exploring Non-Linear and Alternative Story Structures
11:30 AM Future-Proofing Your Career: The Multi-Platform Creator
1 PM The Imposter in the Room: Overcoming Self-Doubt and the “Fraud” Factor”
2:15 PM Crafting Irresistible Romance Arcs
3:30 PM Building and Sustaining a Successful Writing Group
CLAIBORNE
9 AM Telling Bold Stories in a Restricted World
10:15 AM 9:16 Vision: The Art of Vertical & Short Form Cinema
11:30 AM Crafting Songs for Story and Stage
1 PM Horror and Humor: Two Sides of the Same Coin (MOD – James Sabata)
2:15 PM Mastering the Magazine and Periodical Market
3:30 PM The Mystery Wrestling Experience (MOD – James Sabata)
ELLIS
9 AM Bulletproofing Your Plot: Building Inconsistency-Free Worlds
10:15 AM Crafting Stories for the Next Generation
11:30 AM The Mechanics of Faith
1 PM The Art of Illustrating Literature
2:15 PM Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
3:30 PM Gears, Goggles, and Gaslight: The Steampunk Aesthetic
TURFWAY
9 AM Church Service
10:15 AM The Future of Creative Integrity – (MOD – Chad Elliot)
12 PM The Art of Cross-Genre Writing
1 PM Where the Wild Books Are: A Magical Reading Adventure! Presented by Alyssa Davis (60 min)
2:15 PM Adding Intrigue & Action to Your Writing presented by Don Bentley (60 min)
3:30 PM Rewrite the Century: An Interactive Alternate History Panel
