State guide
North Dakota
The University of North Dakota Writers Conference is the literary gathering verified for this state, and the university’s own page calls the annual three-day meeting a literary festival. It says the conference was founded in 1970, has been held every year since, and features six to eight authors, with public workshops and recordings. Past authors named on the page include Gwendolyn Brooks, August Wilson, Salman Rushdie, Tommy Orange, and Colson Whitehead. All events are free and open to the public. The page says the 2027 conference, “Who Tells the Story,” runs Monday, March 22, through Wednesday, March 24, 2027. The North Dakota State Library in Bismarck is the state library agency and offers library cards and research help.
Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- State library or arts office
- North Dakota State Library
- Festivals we verified
- UND Writers Conference
- Official program page
- Official page →
The conference is a university literary festival, not a street fair of booksellers. The page emphasizes invited authors, workshops, outreach, and a digital collection of recordings so people who cannot attend can still hear the programs. The mission statement says it gives the Upper Plains a forum on how the arts affect daily life. The 2027 theme and dates are the forward-looking facts. This guide does not copy a past author schedule.
Free admission is explicit. The page says conference events are free and open to the public. That is different from a ticketed headliner weekend. Visitors should still read the university’s visitor information for rooms on the Grand Forks campus, because the homepage used here states the dates and the host, not every building name. Recordings are the backup if travel does not work. If North Dakota State Library updates hours, a venue, or a deadline, the live page replaces this North Dakota summary.
The State Library is a separate agency at 604 East Boulevard Avenue, Department 250, Bismarck, ND 58505, with hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and phone 701-328-2492 on the page. It points residents to library cards and research guides. Use it for state library service and the university page for the March conference. No additional statewide book festival was verified. This North Dakota note adds no crowd estimate, ticket price, or street address beyond the pages that were fetched.
Official resources in North Dakota
University page describing the free annual literary conference and the March 2027 dates.
State library in Bismarck offering cards and research help.
The conference page lists past authors and says events are free and recorded.
Key facts for North Dakota
- The UND Writers Conference page says the event was founded in 1970 and has been held every year since.
- It says the conference features six to eight authors and calls the March meeting a literary festival.
- The page says all conference events are free and open to the public and that recordings are posted.
- It lists the 2027 conference, “Who Tells the Story,” for March 22–24, 2027.
- Past authors named include Gwendolyn Brooks, August Wilson, Salman Rushdie, Tommy Orange, and Colson Whitehead.
- The North Dakota State Library lists 604 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, and weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Verified festivals and programs in North Dakota
| Festival | city | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UND Writers Conference | Grand Forks | Free three-day literary conference at the University of North Dakota. The 2027 dates on the page are March 22–24. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- Use the university page for the March dates and the recording archive.
- Do not buy a ticket; the page says conference events are free.
- Read campus visitor notes before you assume a building name that the homepage did not print.
- Use the State Library in Bismarck for cards and research, not for the conference roster.
Not seeing your festival or county?
We list a festival only when an official government page publishes its rules. If yours isn't in the table above, it may not publish them online yet. Here's what to use instead, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across North Dakota, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from North Dakota's population center, for comparison only):
- South Dakota Festival of Books, South Dakota · about 234 miles
- Twin Cities Book Festival, Minnesota · about 320 miles
- Nebraska Celebration of Books, Nebraska · about 475 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.North Dakota State Library
Website →Phone not shown: use the contact page on the official website above.Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the North Dakota page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.
Helpful guides
- How to use a state book festival guide
- What a book festival typically includes
- The National Book Festival
- Finding author events at the state library