2026 Loon Writers Festival
October 9-11, 2026 in Detroit Lakes, MN
A writing festival for all writers: published writers, unpublished writers,
soon-to-be writers, and reader-writers.
If you love words, this festival is for you.
Guest Authors
Set in the beautiful lakes country of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, the 2026 Loon Writers Festival will bring together authors, readers, and writers for a weekend devoted to those who string words together. If you are published, unpublished, or just curious about writing, we hope you'll join in the fun.
Workshops will focus on adult fiction, adult nonfiction, poetry, and cross-genre crafts.
Let's write, listen, support, eat, and drink together as a community.
Limited tickets available to maintain intimacy and quality of workshops.
Check out all event details below, including:
Loon Writers Festival Sponsors
What's Included in the Festival
Tickets include a Loon Writers tote bag, author readings, writing workshops, Friday evening appetizers, Saturday lunch, Saturday evening appetizers, and a light Sunday breakfast as we say farewell.
The weekend is designed to build community, so we hope you'll leave with a lifetime of writer friends.
See schedule and guest authors below!
Guest Authors
Lori O’Dea is a fiction writer, literary critic, and gallerist living in Chicago and northern Minnesota. She is the author of the literary novella Little Cavendish (August 2026). Her work appears in The Massachusetts Review, The Gay & Lesbian Review, LIBER, Bridge, and other publications. She is a graduate of St. John’s College, Santa Fe and holds an M.A. in English literature & creative writing from City College of New York, where she twice received the Stark Short Fiction Prize and was a nominee for Best New American Voices.
Dr. Anthony Albright is a Choctaw Veteran and writer living on the shores of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. His work has appeared in North Dakota Quarterly, Comstock Review, and Laurel Review. His forthcoming chapbook “The Distance that Isn’t Miles” has been selected as the winner of the Poetry of the Plains and Prairies Award and he recently won the John Cauble Award for his play, “Between Two Worlds.” He currently teaches Veteran Voices at University of California, Irvine and is the media editor for The Journal of Veterans Studies.
Jamie Parsely: is the author of 16 poems, most recently S/O/M/A (2025), a book of poems accompanied by paintings by artist Marjorie Schlossman. He has an MFA from Vermont College. He has served as an Associate Poet Laureate for the state of North Dakota, and currently serves as Resident Poet at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. He is also the author of a collection of short stories and recently edited the poems of poet Prudence Gearey Sand (1908-1984), Where All the Unremembered Shadows Die. Also, an Episcopal priest, he serves as Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Fargo.
Jamie Parsley: is the author of 16 poems, most recently S/O/M/A (2025), a book of poems accompanied by paintings by artist Marjorie Schlossman. He has an MFA from Vermont College. He has served as an Associate Poet Laureate for the state of North Dakota, and currently serves as Resident Poet at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. He is also the author of a collection of short stories and recently edited the poems of poet Prudence Gearey Sand (1908-1984), Where All the Unremembered Shadows Die. Also, an Episcopal priest, he serves as Rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Fargo.
Randi Olsen Heinold Randi Olsen Heinold is a writer, TEDx speaker, and holistic wellness practitioner whose work explores how the rhythms of the natural world can inspire self-discovery, creativity, and wellbeing. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Utah State University and is the founder of Hemma Wellbeing. Through workshops and The Home Practice essays and podcast, she writes and teaches about living in alignment with your season of life and the seasons of nature. Randi lives in Fargo, ND, where she hosts in person and virtual gatherings that guide people in lifestyle and writing practices rooted in inner connection, compassion, and curiosity.
Whitney (Walters) Jacobson serves as an assistant editor of and book reviewer for Split Rock Review and teaches at Minnesota State University Moorhead. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University Moorhead. She is working on a collection of essays exploring skills, objects, and traits passed on (or not) from generation to generation and the grief that may accompany that inheritance. Her writing can be found in The Linden Review, Months to Years, Dipity Literary Magazine, and other publications.
Festival Schedule
*Workshop details can be found here. All workshops will be led by our guest authors.
Friday October 9
4:00-5:00pm: Check in at Bluebird Books
-
813 Washington Ave, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
5:30-7:00pm: Kick-off and Guest Author Readings at Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF)*
-
118 Holmes W, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501
-
*This is our main venue and 'home base' for the festival.
Saturday October 10
7:30-9:00am: Optional co-writing
-
Location TBD (downtown Detroit Lakes)
9:30-11:00am: Workshop #1
-
Option 1: Writing In the Wild, with Randi Olsen Heinold (Location: Ortenstone Gardens -- **Sculpture park, approx. 2 miles from downtown)
-
Option 2: The Ghosts In Our Lives, with Jamie Parsley (Location TBD; downtown)
-
Option 3: (Un)Intentional Legacies, with Whitney (Walters) Jacobson (Location TBD, downtown)
11:30am-12:30pm: Group Lunch
-
Location: IOOF
-
Lunch included with your ticket
1:00-2:30pm: Workshop #2
-
Option 1: Scandal, Crime, and True Stories, with Jamie Parsley (Location TBD, downtown)
-
Option 2: Biographical Poetry, with Anthony Albright (Location: IOOF)
3:00-4:30pm: Workshop #3
-
Option 1: What We Talk About When We Talk About Dialogue, with Lori O'Dea (Location TBD, downtown)
-
Option 2: Writing The Moment: Transforming Strange Memories, with Anthony Albright (Location: IOOF)
6:00-7:30pm: Open Mic Readings
-
Location: IOOF
-
Appetizers included in ticket
Sunday October 11
8:00-9:00am: Pastries + Coffee
-
Location: IOOF
-
Included in your ticket
9:30-11:00am: Workshop #4
-
Writing While Processing WTF Is Happening Right Now, with Jenny Sheets (Location: IOOF)
11:30am-12:00pm: Send-Off
-
Location: IOOF
Festival "Need to Know" / FAQ
Who can attend the festival?
Any and all writers, or those interested in writing, who are at least 18 years old. The venue is up a flight of stairs, but we have a mobile chair that can be used if needed.
What's included in the festival?
Your ticket includes all workshops and readings from Friday evening through Sunday morning, as well as a Loon Writers tote bag, Friday appetizers, Saturday lunch, Saturday evening appetizers, and a light Sunday breakfast. We'll have coffee and tea throughout the weekend.
Where should I stay?
The venue is in downtown Detroit Lakes (118 W Holmes St, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501) so we recommend looking for an Airbnb or Vrbo downtown, or booking at one of the hotels on the lake, such as Beachfront Haven, Lakes Inn, or Fairfield by Marriot. Those are all a 15 minute (very safe and beautiful) walk to downtown. (*Fairfield by Marriot is now offering a discounted rate of $138 (+ tax) for ticket holders. An email will go out with a link to book after you register.)
There are other options further away, such as the Holiday Inn or Best Western on the east side of the lake, but those may require vehicles or bikes.
What should I bring?
An open mind and heart, ready to write, listen, and meet new friends! Besides that, we recommend a notebook, something warm in case the venue is a little chilly, a reusable water bottle, and whatever snacks you need to keep you fueled to write. Also, bring good walking shoes if you'd like to stroll to the lake or participate in the Writing in Wild workshop at Ortenstone Garden. (Workshop schedule updated soon.)
What is there to do in Detroit Lakes?
So much! Enjoy the cute shops downtown, visit our local bookstore (Bluebird Books), hike at Ortenstone Gardens or Detroit Mountain, mountain bike at Detroit Mountain, road bike around the lake (10 miles), and read and write on the mile-long beach.