DFWCon 2026: Full Schedule

5:00pm CDT

Friday October 2, 2026 5:00pm - 7:00pm CDT

It's a proven fact that a few beverages can stamp out the stereotype of introverted writers. Be a part of this amazing transformation at the Friday Night Mixer. Hilarious games, tasty food and cocktails. Listen for the cowbell for your chance at door prizes. Join host Rebecca Paddock for the fun in the Atrium of the Hilton Garden Inn.

Friday October 2, 2026 5:00pm - 7:00pm CDT
Hilton Garden Inn Atrium 1615 Campus Dr, Hurst, TX 76054, USA

Event

7:30am CDT

Conference Doors Open

Saturday October 3, 2026 7:30am - 5:15pm CDT

Hurst Conference Center

Saturday October 3, 2026 7:30am - 5:15pm CDT
Hurst Conference Center 1601 Campus Dr, Hurst, TX 76054

Event

8:00am CDT

Welcome to DFWCon 2026

Saturday October 3, 2026 8:00am - 8:20am CDT

Ballroom

We'll kickoff DFWCon 2026 with key information about this year's conference, hosted as always by horror writer and emcee for the weekend, Russell Connor.

Speakers

Russell C Connor

Russell C. Connor has been writing horror since the age of five. His short fiction has appeared in such publications as Black Petals Magazine, Alien Skin, Burial Day, Sanitarium, Beware the Dark, and the Stupefying Stories Showcase, as well as the anthologies Roadkill: Tex... Read More →

Saturday October 3, 2026 8:00am - 8:20am CDT
Ballroom

Event

8:30am CDT

✅ [START HERE] A FIRST-TIMER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE TO CON

Saturday October 3, 2026 8:30am - 9:20am CDT

Room 5

Your first writers conference can feel like landing somewhere with no map. What do I say during my free agent pitch session, why is everyone buzzing about the Gong Show, and how does Read & Critique work? This survival guide session breaks down the conference’s structure, turns networking into something natural instead of forced, covers do’s and don’ts for pitching, and shows how to turn Con into real momentum for your writing. Taught by someone who was lost in your exact seat three years ago. Bring your questions!

Classes with ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.

Speakers

Hayley Bell Parker

Saturday October 3, 2026 8:30am - 9:20am CDT
Room 5

Event

Skill Level ✅ New Attendees

12:30pm CDT

Lunch: Keynote Speaker Katherine Center

Saturday October 3, 2026 12:30pm - 2:00pm CDT

Ballroom

Saturday October 3, 2026 12:30pm - 2:00pm CDT
Ballroom

Event

7:00pm CDT

Cocktail Reception

Saturday October 3, 2026 7:00pm - 10:00pm CDT

Hurst Conference Center

Join us in the Hilton Garden Inn grand ballroom for the Saturday night cocktail party. This is your opportunity to rub elbows with our literary agents in a relaxed atmosphere. Listen for the cowbell for your chance at door prizes!

Saturday October 3, 2026 7:00pm - 10:00pm CDT
Hurst Conference Center 1601 Campus Dr, Hurst, TX 76054

Event

7:30am CDT

Conference Doors Open

Sunday October 4, 2026 7:30am - 5:15pm CDT

Hurst Conference Center

Sunday October 4, 2026 7:30am - 5:15pm CDT
Hurst Conference Center 1601 Campus Dr, Hurst, TX 76054

Event

8:00am CDT

Dawn Of The Gong! The Query Gong Show

Sunday October 4, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT

Ballroom

It’s one of the highlights of DFWCon. What do agents really think about your query letter?

Host Russell C. Connor will be joined by George Goldthwaite, who will read letters at random in his velvety voice. Author names will be withheld, so the whole ballroom isn't staring at you. A panel of agents will listen, and they’ll bang a gong when they've had enough. Three gongs and the letter is out. Agents will explain what problems caught their attention.

We've seen agents like a query letter so much — even if it doesn’t make it all the way through — they ask the author to send in the manuscript.

However, beware! if you need a fan and a fainting couch, this might not be for you. Your letter could get shredded in front of a few hundred people. Bring your A-game, but remember, few escape gong-free!

Signups will be available at the conference.

Speakers

Russell C Connor

George Goldwaithe

Sunday October 4, 2026 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Ballroom

Event

12:00pm CDT

Lunch: Keynote Speaker Natalie Sue

Sunday October 4, 2026 12:00pm - 1:30pm CDT

Ballroom

DFWCon Director Rebecca Seifert will host a Q&A with internationally bestselling author Natalie Sue.

Natalie's debut novel, I Hope This Finds You Well, was the winner of the 2025 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour and the Alberta Literary Award for Fiction, and was a finalist for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. Her latest book, You’ll Love It Here, was released August 11, 2026.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys bingeing great and terrible TV, attempting pottery, and procuring houseplants. She lives in Calgary with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Speakers

Natalie Sue

Natalie Sue is the Canadian internationally bestselling and award-winning author of her debut novel, I Hope This Finds You Well. She is of Iranian and British descent.

Her latest book, You’ll Love It Here, was released August 11, 2026.

I Hope This Finds You Well was the winner of... Read More →

Rebecca Seifert

Rebecca Seifert is an author living in Dallas, Texas, and the 2026 DFW Writers’ Conference Director.

Sunday October 4, 2026 12:00pm - 1:30pm CDT
Ballroom

Event

2:40pm CDT

The Speed Editing Event

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT

Room 6

(capped: 10 submissions, viewers welcome)
Is your work ready to be submitted? Have you crossed your T’s and dotted your I’s? Come join Helen Dent and Brooke Fossey to find out. Submit up to three double-spaced pages of your best (or most troublesome) work and watch as they do a fast and furious line-level edit. Beyond writing convention, you’ll get a fly-on-the-wall opportunity to see how your work is received, and learn through other’s mistakes and victories. Each submission is guaranteed a five-minute velocity edit. Work must be submitted beforehand at (x). Please include genre and target audience, and redact your name.

Speakers

Helen Dent

Helen Dent's career as a writer began at age nine, when her grandfather paid her a dollar a page for what turned into quite a lengthy story. She studied monster theory (among other things) in graduate school, taught English at a Chinese university, and toured the Scottish Hebrides... Read More →

Brooke Fossey

Brooke Fossey was once an aerospace engineer with a secret clearance before she traded it all in for motherhood and writing. She’s a past president and an honorary lifetime member of DFW Writers’ Workshop. Her work can be found in numerous publications, including Ruminate Mag... Read More →

Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Room 6

Event

3:40pm CDT

✅ Let's Chat: An Overview & Celebration of DFWCON 2026!

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

Room E-F

Whoo, it's been a long, exciting weekend at DFWCon 2026! So let's celebrate and debrief. This class is a community open forum discussion of what attendees learned at DFWCon, what marketing and craft tactics they plan on implementing, and overall the biggest take-aways and celebrations of the art of writing. Consider it a nice wrap-up catch all, where you can ask Dana Swift any last questions about querying, submission, book deals, marketing after release, etc. All the while she'll be celebrating attendees and the lessons you learned. This might just be the best way to learn about a class or two you missed so have your notebooks ready.

Is this your first writers conference? Classes with a ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.

Speakers

Dana Swift

Dana started making up fantasy worlds when she was eleven years old and hasn’t stopped since. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned degrees in English and Advertising. Dana currently lives in Austin with her husband and her two dogs whose... Read More →

Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room E-F

Event

Skill Level ✅ New Attendees

5:00pm CDT

7:30am CDT

8:00am CDT

8:30am CDT

12:30pm CDT

7:00pm CDT

7:30am CDT

8:00am CDT

12:00pm CDT

2:40pm CDT

3:40pm CDT

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