The 16th annual North Words Writers Symposium will welcome Oregon novelist and musician Willy Vlautin as its 2026 keynote author. Vlautin is the author of seven novels and is the founder of the bands, Richmond Fontaine and the Delines. His new novel, The Left and the Lucky, will be released in April of 2026. Three of his novels have been adapted as films. He has received the Joyce Carol Oates literary prize, was a Pen/Faulkner finalist, and is in the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.
North Words is an intimate gathering that mixes panel discussions about various aspects of writing with workshops, faculty consultations, readings, and a variety of outdoor activities, culminating with a keynote banquet. Conference dates are May 26-29, 2026.
Registration is now open. Interested participants are encouraged to act soon as our limit is 40 participants, and accommodations fill up fast. The registration fee is $425, which includes all conference sessions, activities, and many meals.
North Words is also pleased to announce a continuation of its new scholarship for an Alaska university student. It will include a waived entry fee and a $500 travel stipend. For more information, visit the website. Scholarship applications are due March 1.
Joining Willy Vlautin on the 2026 faculty will be: Richard Chiappone (The Hunger of Crows), Corinna Cook (Leavetakings), Coll Thrush (Wrecked), Heather Lende (If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name), and Annie Wenstrup (The Museum of Unnatural Histories). Visit the Faculty Page for complete biographies and lists of their work.
The North Words organizing faculty is composed of : writer-editor Jeffery Brady of Skagway, librarian-publisher Katrina Woolford of Juneau, writer-educator Daniel Henry of Haines, artist-writer Katie Ione Craney of Fairbanks, teacher-writer Kent Fielding of Skagway, and Tlingit linguist-writer X’unei Lance Twitchell of Juneau.
For more information about North Words, please visit our website at https://nwwriterss.com/ or email northwordsinfo@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates.
Ya aaní káa yaa nas.áx̱ kei nas.áx̱ (On this land their stories are sounding off)
