Luther College Writers Festival

09/30/2025

Congrats to LCWF presenter Mike Bazzett, who was awarded The Stern Prize from American Poetry Review for his collection Cloudwatcher, which will be published December 2025. Mike gave a presentation on translation earlier this month at the writers fest. Congrats, Mike!

09/14/2025

This morning is a mix of exhaustion, invigoration, and profound gratitude. Thanks to everyone for coming out to the festival. What a weekend! Topics and conversations included: bigfoot, floating heads, motherhood, canines, movement, spoken word, spam, translation, incarceration, research, awe, fireflies, ecology, and so much more. Writing is, indeed, magic. Thank you for being a part of it all. We're already excited for the next festival!

09/11/2025

Schedule for the weekend. And last day to register!

Unless otherwise indicated, registration and all events will take place in and just outside the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall on Luther's campus.

Friday, September 12 (All times Central)

1:00-2:00 p.m.: Registration.

2:00-3:30 p.m. The magic of translation: Mike Bazzett, William Russell, and Nancy Gates Madsen.

3:00-4:00 p.m. Registration reopens and book fair opens (Qualley Lounge).

4:00-5:30 p.m. Opening plenary: Rachel Yoder (with audience q&a following)

5:30-7:00 p.m. Dinner on your own (On-campus and nearby downtown eateries available.)

7:00-9:00 p.m. Farwell Distinguished Lecture: Megan Mayhew Bergman (book signing to follow): Center for Faith and Life Main Hall

9:00-10:00 Reception: pizza and drinks in Dahl Centennial Union (2nd floor).

Saturday, September 13

8:00-9:00 a.m. Registration and coffee. Book fair will be available in Qualley Lounge.

9:15-10:30 a.m. Opening session: Speculative elements in fiction and nonfiction: Rachel Swearingen, Giano Cromley, Jennifer Case.

10:45-12:00 p.m. Second session: The magic of the local: Jim Reese, Patrick Hicks, Tamara Dean.

12:00-1:15 p.m. lunch on your own (On-campus and nearby downtown eateries available.)

1:30-2:45 p.m. Third session: Writing in motion: Akwi Nji, LD Kidd, and Chuy Renteria.

3:00-4:15 p.m. Fourth session: Research as alchemy: Katherine Hannigan and Amy Weldon.

4:30-6:00 p.m. Closing session: Generative writing with Megan Mayhew Bergman.

09/10/2025

We're getting ready for the Luther Writers Fest this weekend (Sept 12-13)! Here's how:

-ordering coffee
-checking on technology
-assembling nametags
-printing programs
-ordering more coffee
-ordering pizza
-purchasing beer and wine
-more coffee
-tables/chairs/mic check
-coffee, coffee, pastries, coffee
-books

If you haven't done so, please register today. Free and open to the public. See you Friday!

Celebrating the rich diversity of contemporary writing, Luther College is hosting the eighth biennial Luther College Writers Festival Friday and […]

09/05/2025

One week until the writers festival! Check out our schedule, registration page, and our wonderful lineup of authors. Free and open to the public!

Celebrating the rich diversity of contemporary writing, Luther College is hosting the eighth biennial Luther College Writers Festival Friday and […]

09/02/2025

We're so excited that Megan Mayhew Bergman will be our Distinguished Lecturer on Friday, Sept 12, AND she'll conclude the festival on Saturday afternoon when she'll lead us in a generative writing session.

Sign up is free and open to the public: https://www.luther.edu/event/luther-college-writers-festival

Megan Mayhew Bergman is an author, speaker, and teacher who writes about the natural world and remarkable women in a science- and art-forward way - and likes to help others do the same. She is the author of three books, Birds of a Lesser Paradise, Almost Famous Women, and How Strange a Season. As a journalist, essayist, and critic, she has written columns on climate change and the natural world for The Guardian and The Paris Review. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s Bazaar, and elsewhere. Her short fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2011 and 2015, and on NPR’s Selected Shorts. Currently, Megan serves as Director of Middlebury College’s Creative Writing Program and the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference.

08/25/2025

Saturday, Sept 13, as part of the Writers Festival, Jennifer Case, Giano Cromley, and Rachel Swearingen will discuss how best to incorporate various genre elements into their literary works. Their panel kicks off the morning at 9:15 a.m. (yes, we will have plenty of coffee!).

Info and (free) registration: https://www.luther.edu/event/luther-college-writers-festival

08/20/2025

An article about the Writers Fest. Sign up is free and open to the public!

The Luther College Writers Festival examines the diverse ways in which highly crafted literature explores the human condition.

08/18/2025

On Saturday, Sept 13, as part of the Writers Festival, Tamara Dean, Patrick Hicks, and Jim Reese will talk about the "magic of the local" which translates to how best to effectively write about place/setting/natural world.

Registration is free and open to the public: https://www.luther.edu/event/luther-college-writers-festival

08/06/2025

2025 LCWF featured authors! Registration and schedule will be available later this week.

Top row L-R: Mike Bazzett, Megan Mayhew-Bergman, Jennifer Case, Giano Cromley, Tamara Dean.

Middle row: Katherine Hannigan, Patrick Hicks, Lovar David Kidd, Akwi Nji, Jim Reese.

Bottom row: Chuy Renteria, William Russell, Rachel Swearingen, Amy Weldon, Rachel Yoder.