The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host national-bestselling author Morgan Talty as the next speaker in its 2026-2027 Libra Distinguished Lecture Series on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. in the Campus Center. His talk, “We Are Made of Place,” will draw from his books “Night of the Living Rez” and “Fire Exit,” and explore what it means to write a landscape that has always been speaking, rather than pretend he is the one in charge of it. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
Talty’s Libra lecture serves as the keynote for Voices in the North Country, UMPI’s biennial writers symposium. This year’s event, centered around the theme “Writing the Landscapes of Maine,” will be held Oct. 15 and include afternoon readings and a panel discussion, an evening public reception and book sales, and a book signing with Talty.
Designed for writers, literature lovers, and general enthusiasts, Voices in the North Country is an event that allows participants to drawn inspiration for their own writing, meet fellow writers, and celebrate good writing. Voices has been held six times since 1994, most recently in 2024. Its aim has been to serve as a forum for aspiring writers, published authors, students, teachers, and the general public of New England and Eastern Canada to discuss various topics related to creative writing. Funding for the symposium was provided by UMPI’s President’s Office and Libra Distinguished Lecture Series and from registration fees for a writing workshop led at UMPI in February by longtime Yankee Magazine editor Mel Allen. This year’s Voices in the North Country is part of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance’s statewide Maine Lit Fest.
Voices in the North Country begins on Oct. 15 in the Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room at 1:30 p.m. with readings from Talty, former Maine Poet Laureate Julia Bouwsma, local author Barry Wright, and UMPI students Damien Pearson and Chris Bouchard, who are published in UMPI’s student literary journal Upcountry. Following a break and book sales led by Neighborhood Books, there will be a panel discussion at 2:45 p.m., moderated by Voices in the North Country planning committee member, 2024 symposium panelist, and UMPI English program alum Belen Dougherty, centered on how various landscapes, be they cultural, natural, or personal, have shaped the panelists’ writing processes and careers.
At 5:30 p.m., events will resume in the Campus Center MPR with a public reception featuring refreshments and sales of Talty’s books led by Neighborhood Books. Talty will sign books beginning at 5:30 and will conclude just before his Libra lecture at 6 p.m. For more information on Talty’s Libra Lecture, contact Emma McNally, (207) 768-9525, emma.mcnally@maine.edu.
A citizen of the Penobscot Nation and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, Talty takes his place in the canon of great Native American literature while also interrogating our culture’s eagerness to categorize marginalized voices. His books include the best-selling short story collection “Night of the Living Rez” and his newest, the novel “Fire Exit,” which Harpers Bazaar said “cements his status as a writer to watch.” “Night of the Living Rez” was the winner of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, American Academy of Arts & Letters Sue Kaufman Prize, and the New England Book Award.
The winner of the 2021 Narrative Prize, Talty’s writing has appeared in The Georgia Review, Granta, Shenandoah, TriQuarterly, Narrative, Lit Hub, and elsewhere. He is an Assistant Professor of English in Creative Writing and Native American and Contemporary Literature at the University of Maine, Orono, and has served on the faculty at the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing as well as the Institute of American Indian Arts.
The University’s Libra Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 1999. Each year, the LDLS Committee sponsors four to six speakers who come from Maine and beyond, representing a range of disciplines and viewpoints. While the emphasis tends to be on featuring visiting academics, it is not exclusively so. The speakers typically spend two days at the University meeting with classes and presenting a community lecture.
The Voices in the North Country organizing committee partnered with several entities to make this year’s event happen, including: the UMPI’s President’s Office, UMPI Marketing & Communications Office, UMPI English program, UMPI Libra Distinguished Lecture Series, the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library and The Library House at 228 State St., Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, and Neighborhood Books.
UMPI welcomes the campus and community to attend all of the Voices in the North Country events. For more information about the symposium, contact Melissa Lizotte, (207) 768-9452, melissa.m.lizotte@maine.edu.