The 40th annual National Undergraduate Literature Conference was held at Weber State University on April 3-5, featuring the literary works of student writers worldwide. This year’s conference also hosted author Bret Anthony Johnston for students to connect with.
Sarah Vause, an American literature and writing professor at Weber State and the co-director for the 2025 NULC conference, said that the conference’s founding was intended to highlight Weber State students. The conference originally began 40 years ago with Sarah Vause’s father, Mikel Vause, a tenured English professor at Weber State until he retired in 2023.
“The National Undergraduate Literature Conference was set up because my dad believed that Weber State students were some of the best writers anywhere,” Sarah Vause said. “He wanted Weber State students to have opportunities to meet important writers, to be able to workshop with writers and to be able to workshop with each other for graduate students.”
Sarah Vause said that the conference helps students recognize that their voice matters.
“You’ve got small classes at Weber, and so to bring something like this that has national acclaim really is not only a bright spot for the university, but it also tells our students that what they have to write, and the stories that they’re telling, do matter as much as anybody else,” Sarah Vause said.
The NULC featured guest author who attends the conference gives talks, takes questions and works one on one with some of the students. Some featured authors from past NULC conferences include Jamaica Kincaid, Norman Mailer and Tess Gallagher.
Johnston gave an hour-long talk, worked with students individually and answered various questions during an hour-long Q-and-A with students. One piece of insight Johnston gave to students was that hard work was important if they wanted to achieve success.
“I think grit and patience and dedication matter far more than talent,” Johnston said. “The writers that I see most often succeeding are the writers who don’t wait around for the muse. They get to the desk, and the muse shows up because the writer is already there.”
Johnston also said that the conference helps students realize how much their voice matters and understand the importance of other perspectives.
“It challenges the ways that we think about the world to encounter other incredibly intelligent, dedicated scholars and writers who are going to expand the boundaries of what we read and what we feel and what we think,” Johnston said. “You come to a conference like the National Undergraduate Literature Conference, and you feel that your voice matters. You’re exposed to other visions that matter, and it changes us for the better, and you leave feeling less alone in the world.”
Rachel Rushforth, an English major from Brigham Young University-Idaho, said she enjoyed Johnston’s talks with the students.
“I enjoyed some of the variety of comments that we had,” Rushforth said. “Like the variety of insights that we had both about the writing process and getting to know your characters as you write.”
Students who attend the conference get to present their own writing to an audience during the conference’s breakout sessions. Dylan Watts, a Weber State student, said he liked presenting his poetry to his room.
“It was awesome,” Watts said. “It was really fun to be a part of the space in the room. Everyone was very inviting, and it was awesome to share some camaraderie.”
Maddie Maschger, an English major from BYU-Idaho, said that students thinking of applying for NULC should go for it.
“I would say give it a shot because the experience is worth it,” Maschger said. “Even if you’re not good at public speaking, and you don’t like public speaking, you can still say that you’ve done it. You can put it on your resume. You can brag about it to your parents, to your grandparents and so on and so forth.”
For more information on the next NULC, you can sign up for emails at weber.edu/nulc.
