Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series

The Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series is an annual program in which local and nationally renowned writers visit UAF to present craft lectures and public readings. The first events were held in the early 1970s, and over the years, many of the most prestigious names in literature—Robert Pinsky, Lucille Clifton, Scott Russell Sanders, Mark Doty, Camille Dungy, and Terry Tempest Williams, to name a few—have made appearances in Fairbanks. All events are free, and they're open to university students, stakeholders and community members.

The series also hosts the Dead Writers reading during the Halloween season, a longstanding beloved MFA event—originating in 1990—that raises additional funds to bring our writers to Fairbanks. Readers from all over Fairbanks don costumes and perform the works of their favorite deceased authors.  In 2020, we will continue the Dead Writers tradition in a virtual format.

Due to the global pandemic, we have suspended in-person readings for the 2020–21 academic year. However, we will be hosting several virtual events, which we'll announce on this webpage once they're scheduled. You can also visit the MFA Community page to view our partial archive of past Midnight Sun Visiting Writers.