The English Department and Beyond: the UND Writers Conference

Teaching Thursday has invited Crystal Alberts and Deena Larsen, a world renown “hypertext / electronic literature / new media / electronic expression addict” to discuss how to use the University of North Dakota’s Writers Conference in classes across the UND Campus.  Over the next week, we will roll out a series of posts on lesson planning the Writers Conference.  So check back regularly because for the next couple of weeks, Teaching Thursday isn’t just for Thursday’s anymore.

Crystal Alberts, Department of English, University of North Dakota 

In 1970, Professor John Little, a member of the English Department, had an idea: he wanted to bring some of his friends to University of North Dakota for a “Southern Writers Conference on the Arts.” He hoped to create an opportunity for a rigorous exploration of literature, as well as provided a forum for a local and regional conversation about the arts as tied to our everyday lives. In order to achieve this goal, all events were (and continue to be) free and open to the public. His experiment was a success, and so he decided to try it again in 1971. Forty-one years later, the UND Writers Conference has become an institutional tradition, one that has a national reputation for being a unique and engaging experience for authors and audience alike.

At one point in time, at least in the English department, most if not all classes were cancelled during the Conference, and students were instructed to attend as many events as they could. The idea being that whatever one’s major or specialty, EVERYONE could learn something from the visiting authors. Considering that, over the years, approximately 269 authors have graced the halls of UND, including four Nobel laureates, twenty-seven (Art Spiegelman makes twenty-eight) Pulitzer Prize winners, Oscar recipients, and numerous MacArthur Geniuses, this assumption seems quite valid. In fact, talking to people around town and UND alumni, it seems that everyone has a story to share, ranging from “I had dinner with Truman Capote” to “when I was a student, I never missed a Conference,” to “it’s one of the best things about having gone to school at UND.”

However, something seems to have changed. Canceling classes during the Conference is now the exception, not the rule, even in the English Department. Am I advocating that every department on campus cancel classes and make attending the UND Writers Conference mandatory? While a part of me says, “well, actually, yes,” I realize that this isn’t practical or fair. We all have a large amount of material to teach in a short period of time, and so I understand when faculty members are not able to give up class time for the Conference. But, what I ask is that faculty members be willing to consider how the UND Writers Conference might enhance or intersect with their fields.

The UND Writers Conference is committed to fostering interdisciplinary discussion and each year selects a different theme to further that goal, such as “Art & Science” (2003), “The Use of History” (1999), “International Writers” (1982), and this year’s topic “Mind the Gap: Print, New Media, Art.” For example, in 2003, Dr. Rafael Campo, who practices internal medicine at Harvard Medical School, joined Dr. Devra Davis, professor of epidemiology and part of a Nobel prize winning team for her work on the Panel on Climate Change (shared with Al Gore, among others), so that the community could discuss poetry and writing; hence, Art AND Science. Meanwhile, this year’s conference includes graphic artists, a film director, a “new music” group, and professors of computer science whose work uses 3D virtual environments. As such, historically, the intellectual content of UND Writers Conference goes beyond the English department and includes, among others, the School of Medicine, Computer Science, Geology, Biology, Music, as well as Art & Design.

The question becomes “how could I include the Writers Conference in my class?” Well, here are some options:

1. Announce the scheduled events in class and encourage students to attend.

The schedule is available at http://www.undwritersconference.org/wc-schedule.htm.

2. Incorporate readings by visiting authors into your course schedule.

The UND Writers Conference generally knows which authors will be participating before the start of spring semester, giving instructors time to incorporate them into classes. However, sometimes the current year’s writers don’t seem to be a good fit, but that doesn’t mean that faculty members couldn’t include past participants in their classrooms, because what many do not know is that, since 1974, Conference events have been recorded, as such, past footage is available for on campus use.

3. Encourage students to check out the Cecelia Condit exhibit at the North Dakota Museum of Art.

While Gregory Corso (part of the Beat Generation) lamented our lack of an art museum at the 5th Annual UND Writers Conference: “City Lights in North Dakota” in 1974, we most certainly have an art museum now. And, this year’s conference has once again been able to collaborate with the North Dakota Museum of Art. Specifically, Cecelia Condit will not only participate in the 41st nnual UND Writers Conference, but her work will also be on display at the NDMOA from now through the conference. The staff at the Museum is always happy to talk about what they have going on, and we should take advantage of their programming.

4. Offer extra credit to students for attending events.

This could be as simple as asking students to write a paragraph or two about their experiences. Alternatively, it could be a more directed prompt either specific to particular authors or how students think the Writers Conference event has (or hasn’t) enhanced their course of study. Or, one could use the extra credit options that Deena Larsen, one of this year’s visiting authors will provide over the course of the next couple weeks right here on Teaching Thursday.

That said, UND has a national (and international) reputation for a number of things. Generally speaking, at the top of that list are aviation/aerospace and hockey. Yet, many tend to forget “the literary festival on the prairie.” We shouldn’t, because, while we never know exactly what will happen at the UND Writers Conference, whatever it is will be a chance for all of us (faculty, staff, students, and community members) to be a part of history. And, really, don’t we all, at least some part of us, want that?

The 41^st Annual UND Writers Conference “Mind the Gap: Print, New Media, Art” will take place from March 23-27, 2010. Most events are in the Memorial Union; all events are free and open to the public. For more information go to www.undwritersconference.org.