LEADS: Writers Conference embodies UND’s ‘Service’ commitment

Editor’s note: The following letter, written by Patrick Henry, director of the UND Writers Conference and associate professor and director of Creative Writing at UND, introduces a special edition of UND Today devoted to the Service core value of the UND LEADS Strategic Plan. Head over to UND Today to read the full selection of stories.

Dear friends of the UND Writers Conference:

For fifty-seven years, the Writers Conference has served our community on campus, in the region and beyond by bringing the most inspiring and significant writers of our times to Grand Forks—a spot that’s not typically on the list of major book tour spots. Each year, the Writers Conference’s featured authors have shared their stories, entranced audiences and helped us better understand the world around us through the art of fiction, memoir, poetry, graphic narratives and much more.

This year’s Writers Conference, “Fables & Futures,” draws its inspiration from this mission and another tale as old as time: the fables that have drawn us to the fireside, generation after generation. Since time immemorial, stories have served our community by fostering ties between us. They have allowed us to better understand the world around us and to imagine a better future for all. Stories are not merely decorative; they are the fiber that weaves our community together.

That’s the territory that this year’s “Fables & Futures” conference will explore, through three days of inspiring panel discussions, community workshops, open mics, featured author readings and more. We hope you’ll join us—in-person or online via Zoom—from March 25 through 27, for what promises to be a riveting Writers Conference!

A stellar array of authors

This year, we’re especially honored to feature Booker Prize– and Story Prize-winner George Saunders, whose brand-new novel “Vigil” is taking the book world by storm. Our featured authors also include brilliant, award-winning writers who put their own unique spins on timeless classics. Maria Dahvana Headley’s translation of the epic poem “Beowulf” injects a well-known story of heroism and bravado with an edgy, earnest and contemporary voice. The ghost story and murder mystery find new life in Amber Sparks’s “Happy People Don’t Live Here,” a vibrant novel set in a Minnesota sanatorium converted into apartment complex.

Ananda Lima’s “Craft”—which was long-listed for the Story Prize—follows a writer’s encounters with the devil, starting at a Halloween party and moving forward through the years of COVID. Megan Kamalei Kakimoto’s story collection “Every Drop Is a Man’s Nightmare” infuses the lore of her native Hawaii into a contemporary world marked by financial crises, dreams of a better life, and the impact of the Internet age.

In her novella “H & G” and poetry collections such as “Fablesque,” Anna Maria Hong adapts fairy tales and their familiar images to imagine the memories, grief and hope that linger with us after tragedy and loss. Roque Raquel Salas Rivera’s “Algarabía” shows how the power of fables and futures can guide us in creating our own mythologies.

And last but not least, sculptor Beatriz Cortez provides us with a visual look at how fables and futures influence our relationship with art, objects and the physical world around us.

Of course, it’s not just this dazzling lineup that we’ll spotlight at this year’s Writers Conference. Whether you’re a writer, a reader, a community member or a friend anywhere in the world, the UND Writers Conference is here to inspire and serve you. As ever, this year’s conference will feature free and open-to-all community workshops and evening receptions, where you can mingle with our featured authors and chat about storytelling and the arts. At the conference’s community open mic nights, our in-person conference attendees can share their work with a warm and friendly audience.

This year, we’re also piloting an expanded conference with new scheduled events, including a visit from literary agent Penelope Burns, a panel on careers in creative fields, and more community workshop sessions. The Writers Conference is also bringing our featured authors directly to UND students through classroom visits, informal meet-and-greet conversations and more, in partnership with the Department of English, the Honors Program and the Pride Center.

Through a student-focused publishing and editing showcase scheduled for Thursday, March 26, we also provide a forum that spotlights the rigorous, hands-on experiential learning that students receive right here at UND.

A decades-long commitment to Service

Through this and more, the Writers Conference is continuing our mission of providing free and open access to the literary arts and humanities—because stories are how we build our connections to one another. Our work is also a testament to UND’s ongoing commitment to the Service core value, which calls on us to “promote the arts and humanities, which contribute to the cultural vibrancy of the state and help attract and retain talent in our communities.”

As part of our mission to serve everyone in our community on campus, in the Grand Forks community, in North Dakota and beyond, all Writers Conference events will always be free and open to all. Learn more about this year’s Writers Conference and register to attend, in-person or online.

Warmest wishes,

Patrick Henry