idmaWinona State University will host the International Digital Media Arts Association 2016 Conference: Interface: The Digital and The Human, Oct. 5-8, at the Tau Center.

The event will include keynote speeches by leading figures in the field, President Olson kicking off the opening reception at the Laird Norton on Wednesday and a cruise on the Cal Fremling on Thursday.

Dene Grigar, professor and director of The Creative Media & Digital Culture Program at Washington State University Vancouver, is one of keynote speakers. Her research focuses on the creation, preservation, and criticism of electronic literature. Mainly, building multimedia environments and experiences for live performance, installations and curated spaces. She is the author of several media works and many scholarly articles.

Flourish Klink, prolific writer, transmedia storyteller, social media and fan strategy mastermind is another keynote speaker. Her background consists of co-founding FictionAlley, the largest Harry Potter fanfiction community online. She is the writer and programmer of Muggle Studies, a text adventure that critiques the morality of the Harry Potter universe. Also, founder and co-author of Alternity, a work of fiction based of Harry Potter. In Flourish’s free time she regularly lectures at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton and travels around the world sharing her knowledge.

Nick Montfort, develops computational art and poetry, is an author and on faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the final keynote speaker. He is the principal of the naming firm “Nomnym”. Montfort has participated in many of literary and academic collaborations. He has been involved in developing several new fields of study including platform studies, critical code studies, software studies and electronic literature.

Montfort will be offering a workshop on Saturday focused around his book “Exploratory Programming for the Arts and Humanities.” The workshop is for people with no programming experience and is open to WSU and the public. To register, visit http://idmaa.org/conferences/conference-workshop-exploratory-computing-for-the-arts-and-humanities/.

The University Theme, Our Digital Humanity, focuses around the impact technology has in our lives. Students and faculty are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn about digital humanities, arts and industry.

Registration for this conference is $349 and $150 for undergraduate students, to register visit the conference website http://idmaa.org/conferences/.

This fee includes membership, keynote luncheons and banquet.

Housing is available for $25 a night at the Tau Center.

For more information, email Davin Heckman at DHeckman@winona.edu.