57th Annual UND Writers Conference

(Photo by Anna Kinney for UND Today)

(By Walter Criswell. UND Today) -Three days each year, UND’s Department of English invites world renowned authors to Grand Forks for the annual UND Writers  Conference.

This year, lessons of yesterday, today and tomorrow took center stage at the 2026 UND Writers Conference. But just as often, these lessons unfolded in classrooms, hallways and book signings, where conversations between writers and readers take literature beyond the page.

Now in its 57th year, the conference continues a long-standing tradition of bringing nationally recognized authors to Grand Forks. Just as important, it creates opportunities for those encounters to feel personal and human.

This year’s theme, “Fables& Futures,” explored how storytelling connects the world we live in to the world we imagine. But across the conference, another theme emerged: writing is not just for a select few. It’s for everyone.