Prairie Gate Literary Festival

The Prairie Gate Literary Festival (PGLF) is a biennial celebration of writing that occurs on the campus of the University of Minnesota Morris. The mission of PGLF is to provide the University of Minnesota, Morris and Lake Region of Minnesota unique opportunities to learn from and interact with published writers and other professionals in the field of literary arts through such activities as readings, workshops, and panel discussions. Invited authors are chosen partly for the diversity of their backgrounds and styles, and are meant to appeal to a wide variety of audience members.

The Prairie Gate Literary Festival (PGLF) will be held October 6-8 2022 on the campus of the University of Minnesota Morris. The focus will be on Native North American and indigenous culture as seen through first peoples writing. Featured indigenous authors include Walter LaBatte, Teresa Peterson, and Gwen Nell Westerman. All will be participating in public readings, panel discussions and free Craft Talk Workshops. Gwen Nell Westerman is the current poet laureate of Minnesota. Teresa Peterson and Walter LaBatte are co-authors of Voices from Pejuhutazizi: Dakota Stories and Storytellers. Peterson is an alum of UMN Morris.

The Prairie Gate Literary Festival is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Additional support comes from the Rodney A. Briggs Library Associates, the Commission on Women, the World Touch Cultural Heritage fund/EDI, the Native American Student Success Program, Briggs Library, and the Prairie Island Indian Community. NASS Programs and functions are supported wholly or in part by the Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions grand funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Information can be found at z.umn.edu/nass.