57th Annual UND Writers Conference, "Fables & Futures"
Mystery. Whimsy. Tales yet to be told. Find out where your story leads in-person and online at the 57th Annual UND Writers Conference, "Fables & Futures," on March 25–27, 2026.
Conference Information & Registration
All UND Writers Conference events are free and open to all, both in-person and online. In-person registration is now open via the link below. Registration for online attendees via Zoom is also open, via the links below. Visit the conference schedule for the most up-to-date details about the "Fables & Futures" conference.
Register to Attend In-Person
The UND Writers Conference is free and open-to all, both in-person and online. We kindly ask that in-person attendees register in advance, as that helps us better support your time at the conference. Registration also lets you secure your seats in the community craft sessions offered on each day of the conference. That said, walk-ins are always welcome at all Writers Conference events!
Register to Attend Online Via Zoom
The UND Writers Conference is pleased to offer our friends, near and far, free and open access to the literary arts. All panel discussions, artist talks, and author readings from the Writers Conference main stage will be livestreamed via Zoom.
Online attendees: please note that you will need to sign up separately for each day's Zoom events. You will receive a reminder email with the Zoom access link approximately one hour before each event starts.
Featured Authors and Reading List
We are excited to share that the UND Writers Conference will feature George Saunders, Maria Dahvana Headley, Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, Anna Maria Hong, Ananda Lima, Amber Sparks, Roque Raquel Salas Rivera, and artist Beatriz Cortez during our "Fables & Futures" conference. Our lineup of authors and artists will also be joined by literary agent Penelope Burns, to provide our attendees with an inside look at the publishing industry.
Learn more about this spring's dazzling lineup of featured guests—and add their books to your reading list this spring!
Pre-Conference Events: Workshops and Book Discussions
Join the UND Writers Conference and the Grand Forks Public Library for a series of pre-conference events inspired by the work of this year's featured authors! In partnership with the Grand Forks Public Library, we will host a series of free and open-to-all writing workshops each Sunday in February, as well as a book discussion event on Saturday, March 21.
Conference Location and Accessibility
All events are free and open to the public. In-person events during the three-day literary festival will be held in UND's Memorial Union, an accessible facility. Live-captioning is provided during the live-streamed events. Read more about accessibility and accommodations at the UND Writers Conference.
Parking for the 57th Annual UND Writers Conference
The official parking location for the UND Writers Conference is the parking ramp at the intersection of University Avenue and Columbia Road.
The UND Writers Conference is pleased to provide parking for our community members, off-campus guests, and alumni for all three days of the conference, exclusively in the parking ramp. (UND faculty, students, and staff will need to park in their regularly designated lots.)
Conference Support, Sponsors, and Donors
The UND Writers Conference would like to express our gratitude to our sponsors, donors, supporters, and vendors for making this year's conference possible.
The 57th Annual UND Writers Conference is the proud recipient of grants from the North Dakota Council on the Arts Community Arts Access program and the City of Grand Forks Arts Regrant program. We are grateful to University Federal Credit Union for their sponsorship of the noon panel on Wednesday, March 25.
Additional support for the UND Writers Conference comes from the Estate of Alice Lillian Carlson, the Kemen/Randall Family Writers Conference Endowment, the John Little Memorial Endowment, the Jackie McElroy-Edwards and Tom Edwards Writers Conference Endowment, the Myers Foundation, and all our individual donors.
The UND Writers Conference is also grateful to the High Plains Reader for its promotion of the 2026 conference. We would also like to thank this year's vendors and exhibitors: the UND Bookstore (official bookseller of the UND Writers Conference) and North Dakota Quarterly.
Disclaimer
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed during the UND Writers Conference or on its website do not necessarily reflect those of the University of North Dakota or any of our sponsors/donors.