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. Due to the global pandemic, most of our events for the 2021–22 academic year will
take place virtually. You can visit the MFA Community page to view our partial archive of past Midnight Sun Visiting Writers.
September 24
Nicole Stellon O'Donnell is the author of three collections of poetry, including Everything Never Comes Your Way (2021, Boreal Books). Her second book, You Are No Longer in Trouble, was the 2019 open submission winner of the Marie Alexander Series in Prose Poetry.
Her writing has won an Alaska Literary Award, a Boochever Fellowship, and an Artist
Fellowship from the Rasmuson Foundation. Her poems have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Beloit Poetry Journal, Zyzzyva, Redivider, and other literary journals. Her work as a teacher has been recognized with a Fulbright
Distinguished Award in Teaching.


October 29
Dead Writers is an annual fundraiser that benefits the Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series. Particpants deliver readings excerpted from, inspired by, or based on the work of their favorite dead writers. This year's event will take place online, featuring prizes for Best Performance and the Best Dressed, as well as raffle prizes. Participants are requested to sign up beforehand. Please consider making a donation to benefit Dead Writers. You can email event organizer Michael Kay with any questions.