The University of North Dakota Writers Conference, a literary festival on the prairie, held its 56th annual assembly through a series of panel discussions, community craft sessions, readings, museum tours, and more last week, Mar. 19 to Mar. 21, at the Memorial Union.
The UND Writers Conference was initiated by Professor John Little in 1970. Although the first conference was small program, being funded by the College of Arts & Sciences and some of the attending writers, the successful event became an annual affair after its first edition.
As the conference developed, it became organized by faculty, staff, and students of the English Department. Since the conference’s fruition, it has become a nationally renowned event that invites the public free of charge.
This year’s conference, titled “Makers & Machines,” explores how artists and writers utilize both established and emerging technologies.
“In the twenty-first century, the rapid transformation of technology has opened artistry and craftwork to new generations of writers, artists, sculptors, and creators,” UND Writers Conference Director and Assistant Professor of English Patrick Henry said. “YouTube channels and TikTok feeds allow anyone with a smartphone to watch projects unfold (Murphy, 2025).”
Each day of the conference began with panel discussions of makers and machines. The conversations were held amongst panelists: Lisa Ko, Kristen Radtke, llian-Yvonne Bertram, KT Duffy, Kenzie Allen, and Eugene Lim; and moderators: Vitoria Faccin-Herman, Anna Kinney, and Lucian Stone.
Then, the conference progressed with community craft sessions. These sessions were concerned with creative coding, poetry, microfiction, fiction, creative nonfiction, and writing the self.
Additionally, attendees had the opportunity to a tour of the North Dakota Museum of Art led by Anna Arnar, the museum’s curator, on Wednesday, Mar. 19, and Thursday, March 20. On Friday, Mar. 21, participants could engage in a print-making workshop.
After a community craft session, museum tour, or workshop, conference goers were treated to a coffee break.
As the conference continued, attendees were invited to listen to an artist’s talk by KT Duffy, a new media artist, designer, developer, arts organizer, and an assistant professor in art, technology, and culture at the University of Oklahoma on Wednesday, Mar. 19.
Throughout the programming, participants could listen to readings from Lisa Ko, a novelist and essayist, Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, a poet, artist, and an associate professor of English at the University of Maryland, Kristen Radtke, a memoirist, graphic novelist, and artist, Kenzie Allen, a Haudenosaunee poet, literary cartographer, multimodal artist, and an assistant professor of English at York University, and Eugene Lim, a novelist, librarian, and publisher of Ellipsis Press.
Lastly, the conference featured community open-mic nights and a UND writing, editing, and publishing showcase.
“That’s true for storytellers and poets, craftspeople have always found ways to blend art forms through setting words to music, images, sculptures, and more,” Henry said. “Indeed, the maker spirit has always been an intrinsic part of the literary arts (Murphy, 2025).”
Murphy, C. (2025, March 17). 56th Annual UND Writers Conference is March 19-21 at Memorial Union – Press Releases. Press Releases. https://blogs.und.edu/press-releases/2025/03/56th-annual-und-writers-conference-is-march-19-21-at-memorial-union/
Dylan Campbell is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at dylan.campbell@und.edu.
