2026 Festival of Faith and Writing: Full Schedule

2:30pm EDT

Inside the Issue: The Art and Ethics of Curating Literary Journals

Thursday April 16, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT

In conversation, Jacob Schepers and Alan Koppschall discuss the craft of shaping a literary journal—from selecting work and nurturing emerging voices to balancing editorial vision with community care.

Speakers

Alan Koppschall

Plough

Alan Koppschall is an editor and the event coordinator at Plough. He is a member of the Bruderhof and lives with his wife, Marilyn, at the Woodcrest Bruderhof in Rifton, New York. He previously worked as a journalist for Catholic News Agency's Vatican Bureau... Read More →

Jacob Schepers

Jacob Schepers is cofounder and coeditor of Ballast, a 501(c)(3) non-profit online literary magazine, and the author of the poetry collections A Bundle of Careful Compromises and Ugly Ground Swell Moss, and the chapbooks Connections & Choreography and Shipwreck Abstracted... Read More →

Thursday April 16, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Conversation

4:00pm EDT

AI in the Literary Arts

Thursday April 16, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

It can seem our culture is all-in on AI replacing the creative arts. From writing and the visual arts to film production and music, AI is ascendant. Is AI merely another tool in the artist’s toolbox, or is it an idol to which we are outsourcing our humanity? Join veteran audiobook narrator (and nerd) Adam Verner in exploring this very timely issue.

Speakers

Adam Verner

Adam is a full time narrator and has recorded over 700 titles for publishers and authors large and small. Winner of a 2017 VoiceArts award and multiple Earphones Awards, he holds his MFA in Acting from Roosevelt University. He lives with his wife and family in beautiful Colorado... Read More →

Thursday April 16, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

9:00am EDT

Beyond Nostalgia: The Art of Remembering

Friday April 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

How do we write the past without hiding its scars? Dana VanderLugt examines the "middle place” of memory, reflecting on how to honor history without anesthetizing it and wrestling with how we might reject simple nostalgia in favor of complex stories that access the grit and grace of the truth. 

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room

Speakers

Dana VanderLugt

Dana VanderLugt descends from a family of apple growers and storytellers. Her debut novel in verse, Enemies in the Orchard, is inspired by German POWs who worked on her family orchard during WWII. A former English teacher, she now works as a literacy consultant in Michigan, where she lives with her husband, sons, and spoiled golden retriever. And yes, she makes a mean apple pie... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

10:30am EDT

Faith, Imagination, and the Marketplace: Writing and Publishing Christian Genre Fiction 

Friday April 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

What does it mean to write stories of faith within genres like mystery, romance, fantasy, or science fiction? This panel gathers Christian authors and editors to discuss how imaginative storytelling can illuminate truth, wrestle with belief, and reach wide audiences, and to offer insight into the craft and calling behind contemporary Christian genre fiction.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room

Speakers

Stephanie Broene

Stephanie is the Associate Publisher of fiction at Tyndale House Publishers. For the past twenty years, she has loved working with authors to help them cultivate and bring their stories to the page, managing the publishing process from the idea phase to finished product. She has been... Read More →

Janyre Tromp

Janyre Tromp is a best-selling historical suspense novelist who writes fiery myth-laced tales that, at their core, hunt for beauty—even when it isn’t pretty. Her books include The Scorpion Thief, Darkness Calls the Tiger, and Shadows in the Mind’s Eye. But she’s also a mo... Read More →

Kellie VanHorn

Kellie VanHorn is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author of inspirational romantic suspense. Her novel Hunted in the Wilderness won an ACFW Carol Award in the Short Novel category, and her debut YA thriller was published by Penguin Random House in 2023 (writing as Kellie M. Parke... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Panel Session

11:45am EDT

As You Please: Writing From a Place of Joy

Friday April 17, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

As writers, each of us draws on the well of books that have inspired us to be storytellers. Whether it’s their plots, their characters, or their prose that delight us, these books make up our own personal syllabi. In this session, Albus serves as your writing cheerleader, encouraging you to find what makes you tick as a writer and to use it to write from a place of joy. 

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room

Speakers

Kate Albus

Kate Albus writes historical fiction for young readers. Her novels A Place to Hang the Moon and Nothing Else But Miracles have been recognized by the NY Public Library, Kids Indie Next, SCBWI, Bank Street College of Education, JLG, CCBC, the ALA's Association for Library Service to Children, and state reading lists around the country. Kate lives with her family in rural Maryland... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

2:30pm EDT

How to Pitch Your Nonfiction Book

Friday April 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

You have a book inside you that you know will be a gift to readers. But to reach those readers, you need to persuade the gatekeepers—agents and publishers—to say “yes.” The good news is that when you discover how gatekeepers think, you can deliver what they want. In this session, Starbuck will dish about how to craft a strategic pitch that gives gatekeepers every reason to say “yes.”

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room

Speakers

Margot Starbuck

Margot is a New York Times bestselling writer who’s written over 50 books and works with publishers as a writer, editor, and coach. She specializes in helping nonfiction writers get published by equipping them to dazzle gatekeepers. As a collaborator, Margot enjoys writing alongside... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

4:00pm EDT

Finding and Working with a Literary Agent: The Dos, the Don’ts, and the Reality

Friday April 17, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

What really happens when writers start looking for a literary agent—and what should they expect if they find one? Drawing on over 20 years in publishing, including the past decade as an agent at Yates & Yates, Mike Salisbury offers a candid, light-hearted look at the dos, don’ts, and realities of literary representation.

Speakers

Mike Salisbury

For nearly twenty years, Mike Salisbury has helped authors transform ideas into bestselling books and enduring brands. As a literary agent at Yates & Yates and a consultant at Author Coaching, he has guided high-capacity communicators—pastors, speakers, thought leaders—through... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

9:00am EDT

The Art of Fashioning the Soul

Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

We become what we behold. The imagination shapes how we see the world and our place within it. So how might we intentionally form the imagination to become the type of people we want to become? Lanta Davis introduces “the art of fashioning the soul,” a historic Christian practice that trains the imagination as part of spiritual formation. 

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room

Speakers

Lanta Davis

Lanta Davis writes and teaches about the sacramental imagination, beauty, and character formation. Her book, Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation, was named one of Christianity Today's best books of the year, and her writing has also appeared... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

10:30am EDT

Rituals, Mentors, Priorities and Joy: the Ingredients of My Comics Career

Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

The 2024 publication of Timid, Todd's semi-autobiographical, middle-grade graphic novel, fulfilled a dream he had since he was 8. He will share his 40-year journey to book-length publication, which included development of daily rituals, timely encouragement from people who believed in his work, making writing a priority in his everyday life, and approaching the craft of writing with joy.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room

Speakers

Jonathan Todd

Jonathan Todd is the author and illustrator of the semi-autobiographical graphic novel Timid (Scholastic/Graphix), which was inspired by his struggle to overcome shyness as a tween following his family's move from Miami to a Boston suburb in the 1980s. He is a recipient of a 2024 New England Book Award. For more information about Jonathan, including his author visits, visit... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

11:45am EDT

Faith, Family, Football: Eli Cranor on the Dark Side of the American Dream

Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

In small-town America, football is more than just a game—it's a religion, a family legacy, and a path to salvation. But beneath the bright lights of "Friday Night Lights" lies a world of desperation, corruption, and violence. Award-winning author and former professional quarterback Eli Cranor dissects the powerful themes that fuel his acclaimed Southern noir novels.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room

Speakers

Eli Cranor

Nationally-bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author, Eli Cranor played quarterback at every level: peewee to professional. These days, he serves as the Writer in Residence at Arkansas Tech, where he also lends his expertise to the university's football team. His previous works include... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

2:30pm EDT

A Conversation with Terumi Echols

Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

A Conversation with Terumi Echols, Interviewed by Scott Hoezee, Center for Excellence in Preaching.

Speakers

Terumi Echols

Terumi Echols is the President and Publisher of InterVarsity Press (IVP), where she leads a mission-driven publishing ministry committed to deepening lives in Christ and equipping the church for faithful witness and renewal. Under her leadership, IVP has strengthened its financial health, expanded its global reach, and launched significant initiatives... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Interview

4:00pm EDT

Audiobooks for Authors

Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT

Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Why should authors push for their work in audio? How does the selling of audio rights work with established publishers? How can an indie-published author hire a narrator and create their own audiobook? Join Adam Verner, a veteran narrator, for a deep dive into the world of audio and the importance of the spoken word.

Speakers

Adam Verner

Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room

Concurrent Session, Solo Session

2:30pm EDT

4:00pm EDT

9:00am EDT

10:30am EDT

11:45am EDT

2:30pm EDT

4:00pm EDT

9:00am EDT

10:30am EDT

11:45am EDT

2:30pm EDT

4:00pm EDT

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