Author Chris Pio, from Cedar Rapids discusses his "Nicknames and Mascots" series which describes the origins, evolution and relevant meaning of collegiate athletic team nicknames and the colorful, physical mascot characters that represent the schools.

Join co-curators Giselle Simón, Elizabeth Yale, and Damien Ihrig for a special guided tour of the current University of Iowa Libraries Main Library Gallery exhibition, Paper Engineering in Art, Science, and Education. All are welcome to attend this free event, which is being held in partnership with the Iowa City Book Festival. About the exhibit: Paper Engineering

America’s national parks are facing unprecedented challenges. With visitation pressures mounting and the National Park Service struggling to keep up, author and former park ranger Steve Kemp looks toward one exceptionally effective historical example of conservation philanthropy and park building—the collaboration between John D. Rockefeller Jr. and NPS legends Stephen Mather, Horace Albright, and Arno

What does a life look like on the other side of survival, and can the one who survived come to recognize that she did? Donika Kelly’s poetry is known for its resonant, unflinching confrontations with trauma and inheritance, translated through myth and nature. The Natural Order of Things expands these explorations into a new realm: one defined

Join the University of Iowa Libraries for an intimate conversation with author, artist, and scholar Johanna Drucker about her new book, Affluvia: The toxic off-gassing of affluent culture. In this talk, Drucker will discuss her book, along with its development , and publication. It’s your chance to learn the ins and outs of writing and

Artists’ books continue to be a hard-to-define and multifaceted field of works made at the intersections of conceptual art, the craft of the book, independent publishing, alternative culture and other aesthetic motivations. No simple single lineage is shared by these works, and even tracking them to an origin point (Illuminated manuscripts? The books of William

In the age of artificial intelligence, drafting an essay is as simple as typing a prompt and pressing enter. What does this mean for the art of writing? According to longtime writing teacher John Warner: not very much. More Than Words argues that generative AI programs like ChatGPT not only can kill the student essay

Explore the Literary Grove with University of Iowa Arborist Andy DahlTake a guided stroll through the Literary Grove, where each tree has a story to tell. Arborist Andy Dahl will share the unique histories and literary connections of these remarkable trees, many linked to celebrated authors from the world-renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Join author Royal C. Gardner, Professor of Law, Hugh F. Culverhouse Chair, and Director of the Stetson Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson Law, at Prairie Lights for a reading from Waters of the United States, his groundbreaking exploration of the legal and political battles that have shaped water protection in America. In conversation

Something Small of How to See a River interrogates the idea of narrative. Who gets to tell a story and what does it mean when the official story, the story told by the governor, the police, or the local media, is a fundamentally dishonest one? The poems collected here meditate on failure: how systems fail us

A panel featuring International Writing Program participants Tomás Downey (Argentina) and Florencia del Campo (Spain), with guest author Kazim Ali.  The International Writing Program (IWP) is a unique conduit for the world’s literatures, connecting well-established writers from around the globe, bringing international literature into classrooms, introducing American writers to other cultures through reading tours, and

Join us for a special SlamoVision judging night! Attendees will watch performances from slam poets representing 17 UNESCO Cities of Literature around the world and help decide the outcome by scoring each one. Enjoy free pizza while you cast your votes—the scores from Iowa City will be combined with those from other cities to help

Loss and sorrow can overwhelm even the strongest person, forcing them to reckon with their emotions whether they want to or not. In this extraordinary debut, Laura Julier recounts her reckoning, which took place in an old cabin tucked away on a hidden and forgotten gravel road along the Iowa River. In company with silence

Come celebrate the 30th anniversary of Iowa City's own Candle Light Press! Carter Allen, Austin Allen Hamblin, and John Ira Thomas will be signing books at Daydreams on Saturday, October 11th at 200p-400p. It's been a big year for the press, so there's lots of new books--Zoo Force: Blue Route and Stops Along the Way,

A lively conversation with writers exploring how genre shapes stories, readers, and the writing process. Featuring: Anna Bruno, Gregory Galloway, Scott Phillips, and Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

Local Author Book Fair! Join us as local authors present their latest works, answer questions, and sign books. Browse each author's table where various books will be available for purchase. The Local Author Book Fair is sponsored by Greater Iowa City.

Poetry in Public celebrates our community’s rich literary tradition and local writing talent by displaying poems by writers of all ages. Hear from some of the 2025 Selected Poets. This event is live and in-person, and will be streamed live at: https://www.youtube.com/thelibrarychannel Featuring special guest, Daniel Somotochukwu Umemezie, the 2025–26 Iowa Student Poet Ambassador. Participating

Panelists will discuss this new anthology, The Black Superwoman & Mental Health: Power & Pain by Venise Berry and Janette Taylor. It is not easy to reveal oneself and to be vulnerable in a public way as the authors in this book have done. This is the act of resisting the voices and social scripts