The UND Writers Conference has become increasingly successful over the past decade and now stands as one of the best literary events in the United States. Writers from around the world are honored to be invited to participate because they have heard of our conference and know its stellar reputation. Because of the conference’s success, between 600 and 1,000 people attend conference events every day for four days. Hundreds of these people travel to Grand Forks exclusively to attend the conference, making use of the town’s amenities and contributing to its economic growth.

Of course, we are unique because we are free and open to the public. Most conferences of our stature require heavy registration fees and are thus limited to those who can afford such a luxury. We are quite proud of the fact that we have never allowed that to happen with our conference – that we remain completely available to anyone who wants to come. The university does help fund the conference, providing us with about $35,000 of our $60,000 budget. However, as writers’ fees and transportation costs increase, so do the expenses of the conference. It takes between $8,000 and $20,000 now to bring in the excellent authors we are used to hosting, and emerging authors require between $3,000 and $5,000 plus expenses.

Given these increases and the conference’s goal of offering its audiences the opportunity to hear widely acclaimed authors, we need to raise $25,000- $35,000 annually to supplement university funding and to add to our growing endowment (which also helps fund the conference). It is our hope that those who support the conference and who enjoy the recognition and economic benefits it brings to the community will be willing to help us meet this goal.

By joining others in supporting the UND Writers Conference, you will be investing in an event that has proven its value for over 38 years, and you will be helping to ensure that the conference remains as one of the university’s, the city’s and the state’s major cultural events.

To make a donation, click on the PDF file below or contact one of the conference co-directors: eharrisbehling@und.nodak.edu / heidi.czerwiec@und.nodak.edu

UND Writers Conference donation form - PDF Version