Novelist Sinclair Lewis, perched on a balcony of his room overlooking Unter Den Linden, in Berlin, on Jan. 3, 1931. Lewis lived in Berlin while a foreign correspondent there. The 35th Sinclair Lewis writers conference will be held Oct. 4, 2025, in Sauk Centre, Minn. (Associated Press)
The 35th annual Sinclair Lewis writers conference Saturday in Sauk Centre, home of the first American author to win the Nobel Prize, will be bittersweet. Jim Umhoefer, who’s organized and facilitated the event since 1990, is stepping down after moving to Iowa.
The happy news is that this year’s event honoring the author of “Babbitt,” “Main Street,” “Arrowsmith” and more than 50 other books will feature poet/bread baker Danny Klecko as keynote speaker. He will be joined by Leif Enger discussing the joys and need for writing revision, Brenda Hudson explaining how writers can tell their own story, and Lillie Gardner with tips on writing dialogue. Klecko, author of 16 books of poetry, will talk about “Arrowsmith” vs. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” tracing the trajectory of the two novels celebrating their centennial year.
Umhoefer, a travel writer and photographer who has written more than 350 travel pieces published in a wide variety of publications, is proud of the work he’s done as founder of this long-running writers conference and as former president of the Sinclair Lewis Foundation.
“I have gained as much out of the event over the years as anyone,” said Umhoefer, who notes that the conference has hosted some of Minnesota’s best authors. Its aim is to mentor writers, as Lewis did.
“Sinclair Lewis was a mentor and inspiration to many novelists, such as Frederick Manfred and Jack London. His realistic satirical writing style influenced a generation of writers, including Kurt Vonnegut, John Updike and Tom Wolfe,” Umhoefer wrote to the Pioneer Press. He quotes Lewis, who did not view writing as a mysterious or elite process, but rather as hard work: “It is impossible to discourage the real writers — they don’t give a damn what you say, they’re going to write.”
The conference at Sauk Centre high school costs $85, including lunch and breaks. Seniors and college students get in for $80 and high school students attend free. For details, go to sinclairlewisfoundation.org.
Related Articles
Readers and writers: Mary Lucia’s memoir leads list of thought-provoking nonfiction
Literary calendar for week of Sept. 28
Don’t be scared to say the wrong thing (or nothing) at a funeral
Hard pass. Cold brew. Dad bod. Merriam-Webster adds over 5,000 words to ‘Collegiate’ dictionary
Five things to know about the Julia Child exhibit at the MN History Center
Leave a Reply