Current Students Faculty/Staff
Apply Visit Give Now
The New Nature Writing Con is a project of 91传媒’s MFA Program in Creative Writing and its special concentration in Landscape, Ecology, and Community. The conference seeks to highlight books and authors that are pushing the boundaries of eco-writing, broadly construed, in the Northwest and beyond, and to help reclaim or reinvent “nature writing” by turning from traditional homestead or a-walk-in-the-woods narratives to stories and explorations that are more inclusive, more experimental and interdisciplinary, more forward-thinking. The annual conference will consists of two days of readings, conversations, and workshops, bringing together 91传媒 MFA faculty and visiting writers in Northeastern Oregon and connecting readers and writers especially along the I-84 corridor. A quarterly New Nature Writing Series runs during the academic year to continue the conversation. Both line ups regularly feature winners of the Oregon Book Awards, the Washington State Book Awards, and the Pacific Northwest Book Awards, as well as authors touring new or recent books. Most featured authors will be in conversation with 91传媒 MFA faculty after their readings.
We give thanks to our partners and sponsors, past and present. In 2022, provided a helpful seed grant for the initial La Grande Lit Week, which has now morphed into the New Nature Writing Conference to align with 91传媒 and MFA program’s place-based emphasis. Other local partners include Fishtrap, JaxDog Caf茅 and Books, Liberty Theatre Cafe, Side A Brewery, Cook Memorial Library, La Grande Parks and Recreation, hq, The Local, Elgin Opera House, and Art Center East. 91传媒’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and its staff provide critical help. And of course a special thanks to our students and faculty who are our biggest supporters.
We also humbly acknowledge the original inhabitants of the land that La Grande and 91传媒 are upon: the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Nez Perce people. We celebrate their traditions, languages, and stories. We acknowledge their continuing connection to this land, water, and community and pay our respects to these original stewards of northeastern Oregon.
All readings and conversations are FREE and open to the public. is required for the conference鈥檚 classes for $75. Those interested may also register for additional “pre-con” classes for a separate $75. All classes will be held on the 91传媒 campus. Any questions may be directed to 91传媒 MFA director Nick Neely, nneely@eou.edu.
An 91传媒 MFA program reading featuring second-year students and faculty members Megan Kruse, , and . FREE and open to the public.
Note: Emma Pattee’s class has been moved to Saturday at 9 am
Class: “‘Why?’ Intentional decisions as a craft tool” with . Registration required
Every writer can feel paralyzed by the decisions before them. What should a character do now? What is the point of this piece? Why does this scene start when it starts? Common writing advice often relies on a muse or some bolt of creative inspiration to push through this 鈥渟tuckness,” or recommends workshopping a piece to get outside advice. In this class, we are going to take a different approach: intentional decision-making as a craft tool. Through short readings, examination of student work, and a behind-the-scenes breakdown of my own drafting process, we will practice using a decision-making framework to move our writing pieces forward in a meaningful, cohesive way.
lives in Portland and is the author of the novel . She is also a climate journalist whose work has appeared in publications like The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She’ll be in conversation with Megan Kruse, author of the novel . Followed by a performance by the folk rock artist . FREE and open to the public
Class: “‘Why?’ Intentional decisions as a craft tool” with (moved from Friday). Registration required
Note: Unfortunately Charlie J. Stephen’s class is canceled due to unavoidable circumstances
Class: 鈥淩elational Landscapes: Place + Emotion in Writing鈥� with . Registration required
In this generative class, we will read short excerpts from Justin Torres, Toni Jensen, and Melinda Moustakis and explore how these writers use place and emotion to form relational landscapes among and between characters, as well as with the places they experience. How does place create not only a backdrop but an essential component for our more emotional written work? How can we use this to bring forth not only a structure for鈥攂ut a vital component of鈥� connectivity in our writing? We will use these texts and questions as the framework for short, generative writing exercises.
is the author of , which won the Ludwig Fleck Prize, the Julian Steward Award, and was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She teaches at the University of Washington Bothell and lives in the Snoqualmie Valley. She’ll be in conversation with 91传媒 MFA director , whose most recent book is . FREE and open to the public
Class: 鈥淓cology, Apocalypse and Solarpunk鈥� with . Registration required
It’s easy to be overwhelmed with bad news: climate change, nuclear pollution, space junk, water shortages 鈥� Is there a way to imagine past apocalypse to a space that’s better, safer, more aligned with the planet? We’ll talk about the idea of “solarpunk”–a subgenre of speculative work that envisions a more positive future where technology, humanity and nature coexist peacefully with each other–and try to write poems and short prose that demonstrate not only survival but thriving in an uncertain future.
Light conference luncheon. Registration required
is a writer with multiple sclerosis who served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington. She’s the author of six books of poetry including Field Guide to the End of the World, winner of the Moon City Book Prize, and most recently from BOA Editions, a finalist for the Washington State Book Awards. She’ll be in conversation with , author most recently of . FREE and open to the public
Class: 鈥淲riting the Body鈥� with . Registration required
What does it mean to write with and about the body? How does the human form comprise and exceed the stories we tell about it? What can we learn from an embodied perspective? In this workshop, we will consider the body as an idea, lived experience, and narrative frame. We will read excerpts from authors that center the body in their work and practice some generative writing of our own.
Note: Unfortunately Charlie J. Stephen’s reading/conversation is canceled due to unavoidable circumstances
is a queer, non-binary writer born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. They are the owner of Sea Wolf Books & Community Writing Center on Oregon’s south coast. Their debut novel, , was awarded the Leslie Feinberg Award for Gender-Variant and Trans Literature and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Awards in 2025. They will be in conversation with , author of . FREE and open to the public.
91传媒 MFA graduation reading and ceremony. FREE and open to the public.