Amy Whitney Director | University of North Dakota
Amy Whitney Director | University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is set to host its 56th Annual Writers Conference from March 19 to 21 at the Memorial Union. This year's theme, "Makers & Machines," focuses on how authors and artists incorporate technologies such as 3D printing and AI into their work. The conference, founded in 1970 by Professor John Little, is known for its national reputation and is organized annually by UND faculty, staff, and students.
Conference director Patrick Henry stated, "In the twenty-first century, the rapid transformation of technology has opened artistry and craftwork to new generations of writers, artists, sculptors, and creators." He added that the event will explore "how writers and artists make use of old and new technologies alike."
Among the featured participants are six authors and artists who will engage in workshops, panels, and readings over three days. Notable figures include novelist Lisa Ko, memoirist Kristen Radtke, poet Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, novelist Eugene Lim, Haudenosaunee poet Kenzie Allen, and new media artist KT Duffy.
Ko's works have been recognized nationally; her novel "The Leavers" was a finalist for both the National Book Award for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award. Radtke serves as creative director at The Verge and has received a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant. Bertram directs the MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Maryland. Lim is a librarian at Hunter College High School with several published novels. Allen's research involves documentary poetics related to Indigenous sovereignties. Duffy is an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma focusing on art technology.
The conference schedule includes various panels moderated by experts like Vitoria Faccin-Herman and Anna Kinney. There will be sessions on creative coding led by KT Duffy and poetry by Casey Fuller among others. Community events include open mic nights and a showcase hosted by Floodwall, UND’s student-run literary magazine.
Events are free to attend with virtual options available for certain sessions via Zoom registration on the conference’s website.
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