Public Workshop Series
The UND Writers Conference is excited to continue our partnership with the Grand Forks Public Library.
Join us in February 2026 for a series of free and open-to-all workshops, inspired by the work of this year's featured UND Writers Conference authors! Held at the Grand Forks Public Library on each Sunday in February, our workshop series offers everyone in the community the opportunity to create original works of art in a warm and supportive environment. No previous writing experience is required; we invite writers of all skill levels to join us and to share their work!
All events in this spring's Public Workshop Series will be held in the second-floor conference room at the Grand Forks Public Library (2110 Library Circle, Grand Forks, ND 58201). No advanced registration is required.
Public Workshop Series Schedule
All events in our public workshop series are built around the creative work of one of the visiting authors featured at the 2026 UND Writers Conference, "Fables & Futures." Learn more about this year's featured authors.
Time: 2:00–3:00 PM (In-person)
Location: Conference room, Grand Forks Public Library
Workshop Instructor: Patrick Thomas Henry
About This Workshop: This workshop will guide writers of any experience level through a creative writing activity and craft conversation inspired by the work of short story writer and novelist George Saunders.
About the Instructor: Patrick Thomas Henry is the Director of the UND Writers Conference and the author of Practice for Becoming a Ghost (Susquehanna UP, 2024), which was longlisted for the Story Prize and named as a finalist for the High Plains International Book Award. Learn more about his work on his website.
Time: 2:00–3:00 PM (In-person)
Location: Conference room, Grand Forks Public Library
Workshop Instructor: Courtney Kersten
About This Workshop: This workshop will guide writers of any experience level through a creative writing activity and craft conversation inspired by the work of poet Anna Maria Hong.
About the Instructor: Courtney Kersten is an Assistant Professor of English at the University of North Dakota. She is the author of the memoir Daughter in Retrograde (U of Wisconsin P, 2018) and the forthcoming book Follow the Signs: Searching for Linda Goodman, America's Forgotten Astrology Queen (U of Iowa P, 2026). Learn more about her work on her website.
Time: 2:00–3:00 PM (In-person)
Location: Conference room, Grand Forks Public Library
Workshop Instructor: Charles Henry
About This Workshop: This workshop will guide writers of any experience level through a creative writing activity and craft conversation inspired by the work of novelist and translator Maria Dahvana Headley.
About the Instructor: Charles Henry is a PhD student in the University of North Dakota English Department. His teaching centers writing as an ongoing process of discovery, and his scholarship focuses on the intersections of culture, language, and society.
Time: 2:00–3:00 PM (In-person)
Location: Conference room, Grand Forks Public Library
Workshop Instructor: Anna Kinney
About This Workshop: This workshop will guide writers of any experience level through a creative writing activity and craft conversation inspired by the work of short story writer and novelist Amber Sparks.
About the Instructor: Anna Kinney is the Coordinator of the University Writing Program at the University of North Dakota.