Below is a list of our Panel and Workshop Programming for 2027, as well as Special Activities and Events!
Imaginarium 2027 will feature over 200 Panels, Workshops, Events, and Special Activities at our new home, the Crowne Plaza! This page will be updated regularly as programming is added, so be sure to check back regularly!
See the topics and descriptions for each category!
Panels are listed first, followed by all of the workshops.
Read through topics and descriptions, with presenters for Workshops included.
Access all of our programming with an Imaginarium 2027 Event Ticket!
To get information on Imaginarium 2027 Event Tickets, please visit:
https://www.entertheimaginarium.com/2027-event-tickets/
Panels (coming soon!)
Workshops
Writing and Publishing Workshops
60 Minutes to Murder: Presented by Virginia Smith. How do you create a spellbinding mystery? In this workshop, you will discover the essential clues you need to craft a killer story. Whether you want to write a classic cozy who-dun-it or an edge-of-the-seat thriller, you will learn the exact mechanics behind breathtaking suspense. Target Audience: writers at all levels of experience. (60 min)
Adventures in Editing: Presented by Ann VanderMeer. Writers, editors, and other professionals in the publishing process we will discuss the life cycle of a story or novel. All the steps of getting the writer’s work out into the world. We will examine the many hats an editor may wear during the editing process, as well as the writer’s relationship with other professionals in the field and how a writer can better manage their part in this endeavor. There are many people involved in each project beyond those who work at the publishing company: agents, booksellers, reviewers, and even first readers! (6o min)
From Real Places to Fictional Worlds: Using History, Landscape and Regional Memory: Presented by James O. Barnes. Every place carries a history, a landscape, and a collection of memories that can give fiction depth and authenticity. In this 90-minute interactive workshop, author James O. Barnes will show writers how to transform real locations into believable fictional settings without merely copying a map or delivering a history lesson. Through guided exercises and audience discussion, participants will identify the physical, cultural, historical, and emotional details that define a place; decide what to preserve, combine, or change; and connect setting to character, conflict, and atmosphere. Attendees will leave with a practical setting blueprint they can apply to a current or future writing project. This workshop is suitable for fiction writers in any genre and at any experience level. (90 min)
How to Break Into Media Tie-Ins: Presented by Chris A. Jackson. Breaking in as a tie-in writer is very different than pitching your manuscripts to traditional publishers. Learn the ins and outs of media tie-in writing for games, movies, TV series, and other licensed properties. (60 min)
Marathonarium 5 Premium Short Story Workshop: Presented by Stephen Zimmer. Get ready for our next 3-Hour Short Story Marathon at Imaginarium 2027, where your completion of a short story gets you published in the fifth volume of our Imaginarium Convention Marathonarium Anthologies!
The Marathonarium 5 workshop will be conducted by award-winning author, editor, and podcaster Stephen Zimmer, and will include a short presentation focusing on marathon-style writing and the craft of writing short stories.
At the end of the presentation, the three-hour creative writing adventure begins!
The presentation will begin at 5 PM on July 22nd
At 5:30 PM, we begin writing.
By 8:30 PM, each participant will transmit his or her story to Stephen for the next steps, which will include editing and time for you to make any needed corrections or revisions to your short story.
Then, the stories will be published in the Marathonarium Anthology Volume 5, which will be released in both print and digital formats, with proceeds supporting the Imaginarium Convention! Stories are non-exclusive, meaning that you will be able to use them right away in any project that you would like!
Note: this is a Premium Exclusive Workshop requiring a small additional fee with a limitation of 18 participants. To register for one of the spaces on this workshop, visit: https://www.entertheimaginarium.com/marathonarium-5-premium-workshop-sign-ups/