Join us from March 25–27, 2026, for this year's UND Writers Conference, "Fables & Futures." All events at the UND Writers Conference are free and open to all.

Mystery. Whimsy. Tales yet to be told. What future will your fantastic story lead to? Discover all this and more at this spring's UND Writers Conference!

This year's UND Writers Conference features three exciting days of author panels, readings, community workshops, open mics, student showcases, and more. Events at the Writers Conference are for everyone—whether you're a reader, a writer, or someone who wants to learn more about fables and what they say about our world.

We're thrilled to welcome a stellar crew of award-winning and critically acclaimed writers and artists to meet with our UND community. Our featured authors include Booker Prize- and Story Prize-winning author George Saunders, Maria Dahvana Headley, Anna Maria Hong, Megan Kamalei Kakimoto, Ananda Lima, Roque Raquel Salas Rivera, and Amber Sparks. This year's featured artist is sculptor Beatriz Cortez. Joining our lineup, as well, is featured literary agent Penelope Burns. Learn more about this year's featured Writers Conference guests.

The complete conference schedule is available on the Writers Conference website. Unless noted otherwise, events will be in the main ballroom of the Memorial Union or the Memorial Union meeting rooms. Below is the general schedule for each day of the conference:

• 10:00 a.m. Featured Author Reading or Panel Discussion. In-person & online.
• 11:15 a.m. Coffee Break (Courtesy of the Writers Conference). In-person only.
• 12:00 p.m. Panel Discussion. In-person & online.
• 2:15 p.m. Community Craft Sessions—advanced registration required. In-person only.
• 3:15 p.m. Coffee Break (Courtesy of the Writers Conference). In-person only.
• 4:00 p.m. Artist's Talk or Featured Author Reading. In-person & online.
• 6:00 p.m. Community Open Mic or UND Student Showcase Event. In-person only.
• 8:00 p.m. Featured Author Reading. In-person & online.
• 9:30 p.m. Reception at the ND Museum of Art. In-person only.

Registration for in-person and online attendees is now open through the Writers Conference website. Books by this year's featured authors are available to borrow through the Chester Fritz Library or for purchase through the UND Bookstore (or anywhere books are sold).

For any questions or issues with registration, please contact the Writers Conference directly at writersconference@UND.edu.