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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251007T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251007T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250818T165506Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T192251Z
UID:4702-1759863600-1759863600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Donika Kelly: The Natural Order of Things
DESCRIPTION:What does a life look like on the other side of survival\, and can the one who survived come to recognize that she did? \nDonika 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 by joy and connection. It is an ode to companionship with people\, animals\, and our planet\, and reveals the reparative power of intimacy. In poems inventive\, playful\, and formally nimble\, Kelly pays homage to the voices and people she comes from\, the songs of her lineage. Other poems follow the early stirrings of love to erotic transcendence with the lover and the self. Throughout\, Kelly finds mirror and marvel in nature\, art\, and precious friendships. Though it once seemed impossible\, she realizes a surprising place for herself\, a rightness in the larger world. \nDonika Kelly is the author of Bestiary\, winner of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award\, and The Renunciations\, winner of the Anisfield Wolf Book Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. \nThis event will be livestreamed at the Iowa City Public Library’s YouTube channel.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/donika-kelly-the-natural-order-of-things/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-Natural-Order-of-Things.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250908T171436Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250908T171436Z
UID:4846-1759928400-1759928400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:The Making of a Book: A Conversation with Johanna Drucker
DESCRIPTION: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 publishing your book.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/the-making-of-a-book-a-conversation-with-johanna-drucker/
LOCATION:University of Iowa Main Library room 2032 (second floor)\, 125 W Washington St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52242\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/affluvia.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T180000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250818T170640Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T170640Z
UID:4704-1759946400-1759946400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Iowa Bibliophiles Presents: Artists’ Books: Critical Writing in the Field with Johanna Drucker
DESCRIPTION: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 Blake? The 20th century avant-garde?) can be problematic. Artists’ books have remained more marginalized in the mainstream art world than other forms like video or performance art\, in part because they are also difficult to exhibit in a way that lets them be read and experienced. The challenges for critical writing in the field are thus logistical as well as aesthetic. For a quarter of a century\, JAB: The Journal of Artists’ Books created a vital forum for critical writing. Literally hundreds of writers from dozens of countries contributed under the editorial vision of Brad Freeman. The University of Iowa Press recently issued The JAB Anthology\, a selection of works published from the journal. \nThis talk looks at the contributions of JAB\, relates these to other work in the field including my The Century of Artists’ Books (1994\, Granary Books)\, and includes a personal note on the dilemmas of producing one’s own artists’ books for decades. Brief interview clips with Brad Freeman will also be part of the talk. \nJohanna Drucker is an artist\, writer\, and scholar\, Emerita Breslauer and Distinguished Professor\, UCLA\, who has written and published widely on topics related to visual forms of knowledge production\, the historiography of the alphabet\, experimental visual poetry\, art history\, and other topics. Her recent titles include Affluvia: The Toxic Off-Gassing of Affluent Culture (Bridge Books\, 2025)\, Inventing the Alphabet (University of Chicago Press\, 2022)\, and Iliazd: Meta-Biography of a Modernist (Hopkins University Press (2020).
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/artists-books/
LOCATION:Shambaugh Auditorium\, University of Iowa Main Library\, 125 W Washington St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52242\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/JAB-Anthology.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250828T162721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T153308Z
UID:4766-1759950000-1759950000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:John Warner – Only Humans Write: Why You Shouldn’t Outsource Your Humanity to ChatGPT
DESCRIPTION:John Warner\, author of More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI believes there are important distinctions to be made between the writing of humans and the syntax generation of large language models like ChatGPT. These distinctions are at the root of what he believes we should value\, the fact that human communication comes from our “unique intelligences” and that humans are not reducible to patterns and predictions. In this presentation he will talk about how to navigate the tensions that generative AI has introduced into our schools\, workplaces\, and lives in order to preserve essential and meaningful experiences related to our deepest human selves. \nIn the book\, Warner argues that generative AI programs like ChatGPT not only can kill the student essay but should\, since these assignments don’t challenge students to do the real work of writing. To Warner\, writing is thinking—discovering your ideas while trying to capture them on a page—and feeling—grappling with what it fundamentally means to be human. The fact that we ask students to complete so many assignments that a machine could do is a sign that something has gone very wrong with writing instruction. More Than Words calls for us to use AI as an opportunity to reckon with how we work with words—and how all of us should rethink our relationship with writing. \nThis event will be livestreamed and archived at the Iowa City Public Library’s YouTube channel. \n  \nCo-Presented by the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication \n \n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/john-warner/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/More-than-Words.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251009
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251012
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250903T155458Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T155144Z
UID:4796-1759968000-1760227199@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Guild of Book Workers Showcase & Market
DESCRIPTION:Step into the world of book arts! The Guild of Book Workers is in Iowa City this week for their annual conference\, and their Showcase & Market is open to everyone. \n\nOctober 9\, noon – 5 p.m.\nOctober 10\, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.\nOctober 11\, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.\n\nBrowse bookbinding tools\, unique and decorative papers\, artisanal leather and parchment\, artist books\, and more. \nVendor List\n\nAbra Mueller Marbled Paper\nAmerican Academy of Bookbinding\nCampbell-Logan Bindery\nColophon Book Arts Supply\nCrowing Hens Bindery\nDaniel Mellis\nGabrielle Fox\nHiromi Paper\nHarmatan Leather\nHerramientas Grosso\nIslam Aly\nJim Croft\nJim Freely\nJ Hewit & Sons\nKerner Marbled\nMidwest Marbling\nWake Robin Paper & Books\nWashi Arts\n\n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/guild-of-book-workers-showcase-market/
LOCATION:Graduate by Hilton Iowa City\, 210 South Dubuque St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Guild-of-Book-Workers.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251009T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251009T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20240913T163814Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T165058Z
UID:3943-1760011200-1760011200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Tree Tour: Literary Grove at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop
DESCRIPTION: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.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/tree-tour/
LOCATION:Dey House\, 102 Dey House\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52242\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Tree-Tour.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251009T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251009T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250828T163355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250828T163355Z
UID:4774-1760036400-1760036400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Teresa Dzieglewicz: Something Small of How to See a River
DESCRIPTION: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 and our environment\, how whiteness fails to hold itself accountable\, how future generations and the land are being failed—and how\, in the face of all this\, the Standing Rock movement was not a failure. At the heart of this collection is the strength\, care\, and radical joy of the movement\, which shines through and against the violence. \nTeresa Dzieglewicz is a poet\, educator\, and lover of rivers and prairies. She is a fellow with Black Earth Institute\, a Poet-in-Residence at the Chicago Poetry Center\, and part of the founding team of Mni Wichoni Nakicizin Wounspe (Defenders of the Water School). She organizes “Watershed: Ways of Knowing the Chicago River” with poet/visual artist\, Natasha Mijares. Her first book of poetry\, Something Small of How to See a River was selected by Tyehimba Jess for the Dorset Prize. Her first children’s book\, co-written with Kimimila Locke\,  is forthcoming from Chronicle Books. She has won a Pushcart Prize\, Best New Poets\, the Gingko Prize\, the Auburn Witness Prize\, and the Palette Poetry Prize and has received fellowships from the Elizabeth George Foundation\, Community of Writers at Tahoe\, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center\, and Brooklyn Poets. Her poems appear in Beloit Poetry Journal\, Pleiades\, Ninth Letter\, and elsewhere. Teresa lives with her family in Chicago\, on Potawatomi land.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/teresa-dzieglewicz-something-small-of-how-to-see-a-river/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Something-Small-of-How-to-See-a-River.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251009T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251009T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250911T144208Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250915T184139Z
UID:4888-1760036400-1760036400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Waters of the United States: A Conversation with Royal C. Gardner and Silvia Secchi
DESCRIPTION: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 with University of Iowa Professor and Mississippi River Basin water research expert Silvia Secchi\, Royal will discuss the history and high-stakes future of the Clean Water Act\, the Supreme Court’s narrowing of WOTUS\, and what these decisions mean for our communities and environment. \nPresented in partnership with the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/royal-c-gardner/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Waters-of-the-United-States.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251010T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251010T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250828T163652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250908T171648Z
UID:4776-1760097600-1760097600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:International Writing Program Panel: Trials and Tribulations of Literary Translation
DESCRIPTION:A panel featuring International Writing Program participants Tomás Downey (Argentina) and Florencia del Campo (Spain)\, with guest author Kazim Ali.  \nThe 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 serving as a clearinghouse for literary news and a wealth of archival and pedagogical materials. Since 1967\, over 1\,600 writers from more than 160 countries have been in residence at the University of Iowa.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/international-writing-program-discussion-series/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IWP.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251010T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251010T173000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250908T172033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T155826Z
UID:4851-1760117400-1760117400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:SlamoVision Watch & Judge Party
DESCRIPTION: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 crown the next international SlamoVision champion.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/slamovision-watch-judge-party/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SlamOVision-1024x1024-1.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T100000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250909T145721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250909T145721Z
UID:4874-1760176800-1760176800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Laura Julier – Off Izaak Walton Road: The Grace That Comes Through Loss
DESCRIPTION: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 and snow\, with eagles\, owls\, and a host of other birds\, Julier finds solace and begins to emerge from the dark corners of grief. Over time\, she comes to understand she cannot bury grief or turn aside from loss but must walk in its presence\, awake and humble\, until\, at last\, she finds her own wholeness within it.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/laura-julier/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Off-Izaak-Walton-Road.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20230915T171850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250905T184020Z
UID:3177-1760176800-1760194800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Friends Foundation Pop-up Used Book Sale
DESCRIPTION:Stop by the lobby of the Iowa City Public Library between festival events to browse for a new (to you) book.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/friends-foundation-pop-up-used-book-sale/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Friends-Foundation.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20220823T184021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251010T173125Z
UID:1769-1760176800-1760198400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Book Fair
DESCRIPTION:A diverse collection of titles\, journals\, magazines\, and book arts from local and regional publishers and literary organizations. A unique opportunity for book lovers to discover new authors and genres. \n508 Press | Gray Hawks Writers | Guild Writers | Fools Magazine | Ice Cube Press | Porch Light Literary Arts Center | The Iowa Review | North American Review | Featherproof Books | ICON 49.5 | The Writers’ Rooms | Cave Writing Magazine | Catharsis | Translate Iowa Project | Horizon Magazine | Earthwords | The Broken Clock | Ink Lit Mag | Tree Huggers | Iowa City Poetry | IC Speaks | New Moon Magazine\n  \n\n \n\nThe Book Fair is sponsored by Greater Iowa City.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/book-fair/
LOCATION:MERGE\, 136 S Dubuque St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Book-Fair-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250904T144241Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250904T144842Z
UID:4809-1760180400-1760202000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:ICON Vendor Hall
DESCRIPTION:The ICON Science fiction convention returns to downtown Iowa City during the Iowa City Book Festival! \nBrowse booksellers\, authors\, and others at the ICON Vendor Hall\, Iowa City Masonic Lodge Social Hall\, 312 E College St. \nFree admission and open to the public.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/icon-vendor-hall/
LOCATION:Iowa City Masonic Building\, 312 E College St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ICON-logo-997x430-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T113000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250908T180037Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250909T152742Z
UID:4870-1760182200-1760182200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Ted Geltner: Flagrant\, Self-Destructive Gestures
DESCRIPTION:The year was 1988\, and Denis Johnson was at a low point. He caught malaria on a reporting trip into the jungles of the Philippines and was nearly pronounced dead. The disease left him unable to write. His second wife left him. He didn’t have enough money to pay his taxes. His publisher was waiting for a book that he hadn’t started. But in the life of Denis Johnson\, when things were at their bleakest\, something good was usually waiting around the next corner. This time\, what emerged from the chaos was his masterpiece Jesus’ Son\, a book that would tap into the zeitgeist of the 1990s and become a bible for Generation X and an American classic. \nFlagrant\, Self-Destructive Gestures tells the complete story of Johnson’s fascinating life\, his thrill-seeking trips into war zones as a magazine correspondent\, his battles with addiction\, his live-it-before-you-write-it style of fiction. It follows the arc of his tremendous body of work as a novelist\, journalist\, poet\, and playwright\, and in the process recovers the true stories from the hazy myths that one of our most beloved\, yet enigmatic\, writers left behind.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/ted-geltner-flagrant-self-destructive-gestures/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Flagrant-Self-Destructive-Gestures-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T113000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250909T152304Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250918T185301Z
UID:4876-1760182200-1760182200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Gregory Galloway: All We Trust and Scott Phillips: The Devil Raises His Own
DESCRIPTION:  \n \nIn All We Trust\, what starts out as a family squabble turns into an international battle between competing crime organizations\, moving from small town New England to San Francisco to Mexico. Along the way the brothers encounter betrayal\, double-dealing\, kidnapping\, and ultimately\, revenge. \nThe Devil Raises His Own\, meanwhile\, picks up the story of Bill Ogden\, protagonist in Phillips’s earlier novels Cottonwood and Hop Alley\, as he navigates the early days of the film industry in this bawdy tale. \nBoth authors are steeped in the history of noir fiction\, and will discuss their own work against that backdrop.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/gregory-galloway-all-we-trust/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Galloway-and-Phillips.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T113000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250909T153602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250909T153602Z
UID:4878-1760182200-1760182200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:John Scalzi: The Shattering Peace
DESCRIPTION:For a decade\, peace has reigned in interstellar space. A tripartite agreement between the Colonial Union\, the Earth\, and the alien Conclave has kept the forces of war at bay\, even when some would have preferred to return to the fighting and struggle of former times. For now\, more sensible heads have prevailed – and have even championed unity. \nBut now\, there is a new force that threatens the hard-maintained peace: The Consu\, the most advanced intelligent species humans have ever met\, are on the cusp of a species-defining civil war. This war is between Consu factions… but nothing the Consu ever do is just about them. The Colonial Union\, the Earth and the Conclave have been unwillingly dragged into the conflict\, in the most surprising of ways. \nGretchen Trujillo is a mid-level diplomat\, working in an unimportant part of the Colonial Union bureaucracy. But when she is called to take part in a secret mission involving representatives from every powerful faction in space\, what she finds there has the chance to redefine the destinies of humans and aliens alike… or destroy them forever.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/john-scalzi-the-shattering-peace/
LOCATION:Iowa City Masonic Building\, 312 E College St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-Shattering-Peace.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250908T172646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250923T143219Z
UID:4855-1760187600-1760187600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Jennifer Fawcett: Keep This For Me
DESCRIPTION:One hot August night in 1993\, a young couple go to a party. When their car breaks down\, they are picked up by a truck driver who attacks the man and abducts the woman. She is never seen again. \nThat woman was Fiona Green’s mother. \nWhen the trucker\, Eddie Ward\, is caught\, a mass grave of bodies is discovered in his backyard but Fiona’s mother isn’t there. Thirty years later\, on his prison deathbed\, Ward insists that he didn’t kill her\, so Fiona finds herself back in the small town where her mother disappeared. Fighting demons of her own\, she’s shocked when history repeats itself: another woman\, another roadside breakdown\, and another disappearance. Only this time the primary suspect is Jason Ward\, Eddie’s son. Desperate\, Fiona hunts down answers\, unaware that she is being drawn into a dangerous trap. \nFawcett will be joined in conversation by Tim Budd.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/jennifer-fawcett-keep-this-for-me/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Keep-This-For-Me.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250908T175748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250909T152639Z
UID:4868-1760187600-1760187600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Art Cullen: We Crapped In Our Nest
DESCRIPTION:We have fouled our nest over the past half century in a way that was almost unavoidable\, given our history of seeking domination — first over the Indigenous people of the Western World\, then over their land. Native people for millennia lived with the land in a vital relationship. Europeans set out to transform that relationship brutally\, and this destruction has reached a head. We simply cannot go on like this\, washing our soil down the river while the planet bakes\, ignoring our own immigration story. \nAs Art writes\, “Fifty years around a small town amid the teeming waves of golden corn\, a lot has changed\, but corn remains king\, just like when we were in school. But the place we knew is gone\, that world of family farms and the Saturday livestock auction. We are the poorer for it. This is how it went down\, or at least how I put it down\, in notes compiled over this strange time from Irving Street just up from the lake in the small town we called home.”
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/art-cullen-we-crapped-in-our-nest/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dear-Marty-We-Crapped-in-Our-Nest.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250916T191926Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250917T173032Z
UID:4902-1760187600-1760187600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Joe Haldeman and The Forever War
DESCRIPTION:The Forever War\, Joe Haldeman’s 1974 novel and the first sci-fi work shaped by the Vietnam War\, continues to resonate decades later. Haldeman\, a Vietnam veteran and Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum\, crafted a story that John Scalzi calls “timeless\, because what’s in the book touches on something that never goes away.” Join Haldeman\, his wife Gay\, Scalzi\, and Haldeman’s former student Mike Miller as they discuss this landmark novel and ICON\, Iowa’s beloved science fiction and fantasy convention\, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. \nModerated by Pete Balestrieri
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/joe-haldeman-and-the-forever-war/
LOCATION:Iowa City Masonic Building\, 312 E College St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/The-Forever-War.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250924T170915Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T164049Z
UID:4967-1760191200-1760191200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Incognito Lounge: Celebrating the work of Denis Johnson
DESCRIPTION:Denis and Cindy Johnson\nFriends and admirers of the late Denis Johnson read from and discuss his work at this special event co-presented with FilmScene’s Refocus Film Festival and the University of Iowa Office for Writing and Communication. Participants include Chris Offutt\, Cindy Lee Johnson\, Will Patton\, Rachel Yoder\, Red Danielson\, and James Galvin.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/incognito-lounge-celebrating-the-work-of-denis-johnson/
LOCATION:Riverside Theatre\, 119 E College St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/fs-denis-cindy-johnson-1200.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20240919T160616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250912T145537Z
UID:3998-1760191200-1760198400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Candle Light Press 30th Anniversary signing
DESCRIPTION: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\, Ectyron V. Rojo Gallo\, the Twells/Hamblin Collection\, Savage Dirt Axes\, and Zoo Force: The Works! \nPresented in partnership with Daydreams Comics. \n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/candle-light-press/
LOCATION:Daydreams Comics\, 229 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_0881.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20240919T153211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T172457Z
UID:3980-1760193000-1760193000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Panel Discussion: Sense of Place
DESCRIPTION:In this panel\, writers will discuss place and setting as key in many kinds of writing. They will explore the following questions: How do you convey a sense of place or paint a unique landscape? In what ways does location contribute to your writing? Can a literary work truly be ‘universal\,’ or will place always determine how a piece is understood? \nFeaturing: Agnes Chew\, Siddharth Dasgupta\, Jennifer Fawcett\, Vlora Konushevci\, and Ndongolera C. Mwangupili. Moderated by Derek Nnuro. \n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/panel-discussion-sense-of-place/
LOCATION:Iowa City Masonic Building\, 312 E College St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Sense-of-Place-2025-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250908T172307Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T150930Z
UID:4853-1760193000-1760193000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Tatiana Schlote-Bonne: The Mean Ones
DESCRIPTION:So what if Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange\, comforting male voice in her head? The therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. It makes sense considering that she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered. \nBut the murders were seventeen years ago\, back when her name was Sabrina. Now\, she’s Sadie: a perfectly normal 29-year-old. She works as a physical therapist assistant and lifts weights with her boyfriend\, Lucas\, who’s the sweetest\, most considerate man—as long as he’s not angry. But when Lucas spontaneously agrees to join a couples trip to a cabin in the woods\, the visions get worse\, a strange figure stalks her during the night\, and that male voice in Sadie’s head keeps calling\, asking her to do things she’s never fathomed. \nSadie’s not sure if it’s her paranoia or something else entirely . . . But she is sure of one thing—this time\, she’s not going to sit idly by as everything starts to unravel. \nTatiana will be joined in conversation with Carey Dunne.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/tatiana-schlote-bonne-the-mean-ones/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-Mean-Ones.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250919T185449Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250924T200554Z
UID:4945-1760193000-1760193000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Christina Ward: Holy Food
DESCRIPTION:Does God have a recipe? Christina Ward’s Holy Food:  How Cults\, Communes\, and Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat – An American History investigates the explosion of religious movements since the Great Awakenings that birthed a cottage industry of food fads and cookbooks.  Ward uncovers the interconnectivity between obscure sects and communities of the 20th Century who dabbled in vague spirituality and used food to both entice and control followers. Holy Food draws on a range of sources\, including academic studies\, interviews\, cookbooks\, and religious texts\, to offer sharp insights into American history in this highly readable journey through the American kitchen. \n“Looks yummy!”\n— John Waters \n“Holy Food is a titanic feat of research and a fascinating exploration of American faith and culinary rites. Christina Ward is the perfect guide – generous\, wise\, and ecumenical.” — Adam Chandler\, author of Drive-Thru Dreams
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/christina-ward-holy-food/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Holy-Food.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250908T172953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250924T201540Z
UID:4857-1760198400-1760198400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Anna Barker: 13 Notes from Napoleon\, Iowa: Musings on the Edge of the French Empire
DESCRIPTION:Born on August 15\, 1769\, in Ajaccio\, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica\, Napoleon was the ruler of Iowa between 1800 and 1803 when he served as the First Consul of the French Republic. Iowa City\, Iowa\, evolved out of the 1838 settlement named after him — Napoleon\, Iowa — the location marked today by Napoleon Park\, off Napoleon Lane\, just south of Iowa City. The book illuminates aspects of Iowa’s French past\, such as cities named after the Napoleonic battles of Marengo and Waterloo\, and explains the mystery of Iowa’s distinctly French-looking flag. Along the way\, the author muses on other Napoleon-related matters\, such as Empire waist gowns\, Goethe’s and Byron’s Bonapartism\, the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo\, the Congress of Vienna\, and to what extent Europe’s current internal contradictions have been impacted by its Napoleonic past.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/anna-barker-13-notes-from-napoleon-iowa-musings-on-the-edge-of-the-french-empire/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Anna-Barker-cover.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250908T173311Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250908T173311Z
UID:4860-1760198400-1760198400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Patricia Lockwood: Will There Ever Be Another You
DESCRIPTION:Amid a global pandemic\, one young woman is trying to keep the pieces together – of her family\, stunned by a devastating loss\, and of her mind\, left mangled and misfiring from a mystifying disease. She’s afraid of her own floorboards\, and “WHAT IS LOVE? BABY DON’T HURT ME” plays over and over in her ears. She hates her friends\, or more accurately\, she doesn’t know who they are. \nHas the illness stolen her old mind and given her a new one? Does it mean she’ll get to start over from scratch\, a chance afforded to very few people? The very weave of herself seems to have loosened: time and memories pass straight through her body. “I’m sorry not to respond to your email\,” she writes\, “but I live completely in the present\nnow.” \nWill There Ever Be Another You is the brain-shredding\, phosphorescent story of one woman’s dissolution and her attempt to create a new way of thinking\, as well as a profound investigation into what keeps us alive in times of unprecedented disorientation and loss\, from one of our most original writers.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/patricia-lockwood-will-there-ever-be-another-you/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Will-There-Ever-Be-Another-You.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250919T163103Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T165209Z
UID:4928-1760198400-1760198400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Panel Discussion: Importance of Genre
DESCRIPTION:A lively conversation with writers exploring how genre shapes stories\, readers\, and the writing process. \nFeaturing: \nAnna Bruno\, Gregory Galloway\, Scott Phillips\, and Tatiana Schlote-Bonne. Moderated by Nina Lohman.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/panel-discussion-importance-of-genre/
LOCATION:Iowa City Masonic Building\, 312 E College St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Importance-of-Genre-2025-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T173000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250912T145723Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250912T145723Z
UID:4896-1760200200-1760203800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:John Ira Thomas: Tire Magazine
DESCRIPTION:Join John Ira Thomas for a journey through the mystical and the mundane through the metafictional series of Tire magazine! John will read from Tire June 2000\, Tire Annual 2021\, Tire May 2038\, and work in progress from The Best of Tire Classifieds. Alternate timeline John’s life may have been ruined by a New Age boomlet fixated on something he drew when he was nine\, but the John of this universe is happy to share and laugh along.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/john-ira-thomas-tire-magazine/
LOCATION:Daydreams Comics\, 229 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Tire-Magazine.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T145505
CREATED:20250923T185717Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250923T185738Z
UID:4963-1760205600-1760216400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Sidekick Coffee and Books Presents: It’s Getting Plot in Here A Romance Book Festival
DESCRIPTION:Join Sidekick Coffee and Books for the Romance Book Festival\, a night of romance\, creativity\, and community. \n $35 — available now! bit.ly/Sidekick_Romance_Book_Festival \n Author Meet & Greet Line-Up: \n\nChloe Angyal – Pointe of Pride\, Pas de Don’t\, Barre Fight\nKelly Farmer – Fanning the Flames\, Secret Spark\, It’s a Fabulous Life\nGin Griffith – Holy Smoke\, Cat Fight\nMegan Murphy – Fake It Like You Mean It\, Heart Racer\nEsha Patel – Offtrack\, Overdrive\nElise Wayland – Rivals to Lovers\nDenise Williams – Just Our Luck\, Do You Take This Man\n\n What’s included with your ticket:\n Meet & Greets with incredible romance authors\n Blind Date with a Book (free book included!)\n Champagne shooters\n Book embellishment station – bedazzle your book and get creative!\n Flirty photo ops & cozy fall vibes
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/sidekick-coffee-and-books-presents-its-getting-plot-in-here-a-romance-book-festival/
LOCATION:Sidekick Coffee & Books\, 1310 1/2 Melrose Avenue\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52242\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Its-getting-plot-in-here.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR