Utah Wrestler and Coach Panelist at 44th Annual Life, the Universe, and Everything Symposium

West Jordan, Uta. — The Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE) Symposium for Science Fiction and Fantasy Creators recently announced the authors taking part in the 44th annual three-day event being held Feb. 12–14, 2026, at the Marriott Hotel in Provo, Utah. Award-winning science fiction and fantasy author W.D. Kilpack III of West Jordan is among the authors taking part in panels, presentations, workshops, kaffeeklatches, meetups, readings, and pitch sessions.

Kilpack will be appearing in two panels on Friday, Feb. 13, and Saturday, Feb. 14. On Friday, he will be a panelist in the World Building Panel Discussion "That's Going to Leave a Mark: Injury, Disability, and Lasting Impact in Storytelling" and "She Spoke with Her Eyes: Communication Beyond Words." Kilpack will also participate in the Mass Signing sessions on Friday, starting at 7 p.m. that are open to the public. Kilpack will have books for sale on site, or they can be acquired ahead of time and brought to the event, either from Amazon, For the Love Of and eBorn Books at the Newgate Mall in Ogden, eBorn Books at South Towne and The Printed Garden bookstore in Sandy, or directly from the author via his Web site.

This year's LTUE guests of honor are animator/director/screenwriter/producer Ron Clements, Wall Street Journal best-selling fantasy and romance author Charlie N. Holmberg, and The New York Times best-selling author Matt Dinniman. The toastmaster is romance author Emily Goodwin.

Kilpack said, "I am honored and grateful to be included in LTUE this year! Being selected feels like winning an award! It feels like the hard work and late nights writing, editing, and going down rabbit holes for research are paying off. I am honored and excited. Being a panelist in the past was amazing and I have no doubt this year will be just as great!"

Kilpack has published eight novels to date, five in the epic fantasy New Blood Saga (Crown Prince, Order of Light, Demon Seed, Rilari and Vengeance Borne), the science-fiction novella, Pale Face(currently in movie development), and the first two of the dystopian military science-fiction trilogy Battle Calm Cycle (Battle Calm and Battle Calm: Omega Message). Between them, they have won 48 book awards and honors, including the Ultimate Championship Trophy and Super Champion Medal from the Outstanding Creator Awards, International Impact Book Award, International Firebird Book Award, The BookFest Award, Honorable Mention in L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future, Editor's Choice and Top Pick from BooksShelf.com, and runner-up finishes in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy category of the Online Book Club's Book of the Year Competition. Book six of the New Blood Saga, Usurper's Might, is coming soon.

Kilpack said, "I love hearing from my readers! They send me pictures of themselves holding my books, send messages with their comments, and I am so grateful for their support. I also love meeting them at events like LTUE!"

According to Sinister Soup podcast co-founder, Clay Vermulm, "Bill [Kilpack] is a wonderful man who works extremely hard on his craft. Kilpack delivers a stunning blow to the belief that Indie-Fantasy is worth any less that its salt [with] well-crafted epic[s] with unique plot mechanisms, well-developed and believable characters, and a world grounded in the visceral and the real."

Author and screenwriter Jeff Bailey said that Kilpack "is an active author of novels, TV screenwriter, producer, and partner in a movie production company. I consider him to be one of the new breed of fast rising influencers in the publishing, television, and movie industries."

About Kilpack

Kilpack is an award-winning and critically acclaimed internationally published writer, with works appearing in print, online, radio and television, starting with his first publication credit at the age of nine, when he wrote an award-winning poem. As an adult, he has been editor and/or publisher of 23 news and literary publications, both online and in print, with circulations as high as 770,000. He received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Westminster University. As an undergrad, he double-majored in communication and philosophy, while completing the Honors Program. As a graduate student, he earned a master of professional communication with a writing emphasis. He was also a high-performing athlete, qualifying to represent the USA in Greco-Roman wrestling. He is a communication professor and a nationally recognized wrestling coach. He is happily married to his high-school sweetheart. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he continues to live, coach and teach. For more information go to www.Kilpack.net.

About LTUE

Life, The Universe, & Everything: The Marion K. “Doc” Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy originated at Brigham Young University and has grown and changed a lot over the last 40 years. LTUE is a three-day academic symposium on all aspects of science fiction and fantasy. Comprised of panels, presentations and papers on writing, art, literature, film, gaming and other facets of speculative fiction, LTUE is a place to learn all about life, the universe, and everything else you love. The symposium is, most importantly, a gathering place for fans of our creative and innovative world to hang out and share their love of all things amazing, obscure, and even not-quite-real. For more information go to www.LTUE.net.