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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260920T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260920T160000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T020516Z
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SUMMARY:PrairieLights: IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series
DESCRIPTION:Please join for their annual IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series! This week’s event features IWP Residents Nir Ratzkovsky (Israel) and Juan Carlos Reyes Vázquez (Mexico). They will be accompanied by University of Iowa Executive Director of the Office of Writing and Communication\, Daniel Khalastchi\, and Robert P. Dana Director of the Center for the Literary Arts at Cornell College\, Rebecca Entel. \nNir Ratzkovsky is an Israeli writer\, translator from French and English into Hebrew\, and scholar of translation and cultural studies. He is the author of the novel Beloved\, Daughter and the nonfiction book Adventures of Molière in the Holy Tongue. He has translated major writers including Marcel Proust\, Michel Houellebecq\, Emmanuel Carrère\, Albert Camus\, Simone de Beauvoir and Jonathan Littell. Nir teaches at the University of Haifa and Tel Aviv University. He is currently working on a new novel. \nJuan Carlos Reyes Vázquez (fiction writer\, screenwriter\, filmmaker; Mexico) is the author of five books of short fiction\, including Impala (2021)\, Para subir y caer (2015)\, Iktumbe (2014)\, Circo de pulgas (2010)\, and Imagínate lejos (2002). His fiction often explores memory\, loss\, violence\, childhood\, altered bodies\, and the fragile border between the intimate and the strange. His work has appeared in the literary journals Crítica and Blanco Móvil\, as well as in the anthologies Cuentistas de Tierra Adentro 2007–2017 and Cuerpos Rotos. He has also written and directed twelve short films\, including Silla eléctrica para moscas\, winner of Best Animated Short Film at the San Diego Latino Film Festival\, and Absoluto vacío ensordecedor\, winner of Best Experimental Short Film at the Dubai International Shortfilm Festival. He holds a PhD in Creation and Cultural Theories and is a Senior Research Professor at Universidad de las Américas Puebla\, where he has taught literature\, film\, narrative\, and screenwriting for more than fifteen years. He is a member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers. \nDaniel Khalastchi is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the author of four acclaimed books of poetry. His most recent collection\, The Story of Your Obstinate Survival\, received the National Jewish Book Award for Poetry and was longlisted for the PEN/Volecker Award for Poetry. A former visiting faculty member at UT Austin’s Michener Center for Writers\, Daniel currently lives in Iowa City where he is the executive director of the University of Iowa’s Office of Writing and Communication and the cofounder and managing editor of Rescue Press. His fifth book\, And the Tribulation Cometh Upon You\, is forthcoming from Tupelo Press. \nRebecca Entel is the author of two novels\, Fingerprints of Previous Owners and Boats Drawn by Children\, which is forthcoming from Simon and Schuster. Her stories and essays have appeared in such journals as Guernica and Literary Hub; and her flash in Hobart\, Copper Nickel\, and elsewhere. At Cornell College\, she is Professor of English and Creative Writing\, teaching creative writing\, U.S. and Caribbean literature\, and the literature of social justice; as Robert P. Dana Director of Cornell’s Center for the Literary Arts\, she oversees a visiting writers series\, workshops and events\, a literature and art magazine\, and an internship program. She also mentors in the PEN America Prison and Justice Writing program.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-iwp-sunday-afternoon-reading-series-3/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260920T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260920T173000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260831T001439Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260831T001439Z
UID:6030-1789925400-1789925400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: The Free Gen: Iowa City’s Original Generative Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Co-sponsored by PorchLight and Iowa City Poetry\, the Free Generative Writing Workshops provide a space for career writers\, curious beginners\, writers of all income levels and stages of life. Their goal is to make it easy to meet and learn from some of the most talented writer/teachers living in or passing through Iowa City. Every month a new writer leads a generative workshop\, presenting a prompt inspired by their own preoccupations\, passions\, or interests. The Free Generative Writing Workshops are offered in a hybrid format. \nRen Arcamone is an Australian writer living in Iowa City. She attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop\, and she’s a recipient of the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Her fiction has appeared in Gulf Coast\, the Washington Square Review\, Electric Literature\, and elsewhere. She’s at work on a short story collection and a novel.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-the-free-gen-iowa-citys-original-generative-workshop/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260921T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260921T103000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260714T160440Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260714T160440Z
UID:5685-1789986600-1789986600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Write Now - Community Supported Writing Group
DESCRIPTION:PorchLight’s Write Now Writer’s Group provides community\, and learning opportunities for beginning to intermediate writers. At their monthly meetings\, share short craft lessons\, generate writing from prompts\, and\, on occasion\, provide responses to participants’ work in progress. Writers working in any genre are welcome. \nThis is a great group for writers who have not had the time or opportunity to pursue a traditional MFA. \nRSVP one week in advance on their website!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-write-now-community-supported-writing-group/2026-09-21/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260921T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260921T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T020836Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T020836Z
UID:6069-1790017200-1790017200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: Peter Bognanni in conv with Daniel Khalastchi – How to Lose Yourself Completely
DESCRIPTION:Writers’ Workshop graduate Peter Bognanni will read from his new novel\, How to Lose Yourself Completely\, and will be joined in conversation with Daniel Khalastchi. Bognanni’s publisher offers this description of How to Lose Yourself Completely: “A teen grappling with grief and anxiety is sent to wilderness “adventure therapy\,” where he meets a group of friends—and a girl from his past—who will change his life forever. This captivating novel is perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and John Green.” It’s praised by Kirkus as “a gripping adventure and a deeply affecting exploration of grief and mental health\,” while Abdi Nazemian\, Stonewall and Lambda Award-winning author of Like a Love Story and Only This Beautiful Moment\, says: “Peter Bognanni’s How to Lose Yourself Completely is a book to lose yourself in\, completely. Through stunning prose\, this novel of uncommon depth and astounding empathy will take you on a powerful and hopeful adventure into the human heart that will leave you breathless.” \nPeter Bognanni’s first novel\, The House of Tomorrow\, won the L.A. Times Book Award for First Fiction and was adapted into a feature film starring Ellen Burstyn and Nick Offerman. His second novel\, Things I’m Seeing Without You\, was published in four countries and is currently in development for television. Peter teaches Creative Writing at Macalester College. \nDaniel Khalastchi is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the author of four acclaimed books of poetry. His most recent collection\, The Story of Your Obstinate Survival\, received the National Jewish Book Award for Poetry and was longlisted for the PEN/Volecker Award for Poetry. A former visiting faculty member at UT Austin’s Michener Center for Writers\, Daniel currently lives in Iowa City where he is the executive director of the University of Iowa’s Office of Writing and Communication and the cofounder and managing editor of Rescue Press. His fifth book\, And the Tribulation Cometh Upon You\, is forthcoming from Tupelo Press.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-peter-bognanni-in-conv-with-daniel-khalastchi-how-to-lose-yourself-completely/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260922T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260922T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260811T162715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T162715Z
UID:5855-1790103600-1790103600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Prairie Lights: Katie Bennett in conversation with Nina Lohman & Alisha Jeddeloh
DESCRIPTION:Katie Bennett will read from her new book\, She Was Wild Grass\, and will be joined in conversation with BRINK publisher and author Nina Lohman & BRINK editor Alisha Jeddeloh. \nBennett’s website offers this introduction: “She Was Wild Grass intertwines Bennett’s artistic coming-of-age with the story of Joan Vollmer\, the remarkable yet overlooked figure of the Beat Generation whose life was cut short when her husband\, William S. Burroughs\, shot her in 1951. Braiding past and present\, Bennett explores art\, ambition\, gender\, and freedom\, asking what it means to create in a world where women’s stories are so often silenced and forgotten” (katiepbennett.com/book). Sarah Manguso\, author of Liars\, praises She Was Wild Grass as “so dense with narrative\, and it goes down like spring water\,” while Rachel Yoder\, bestselling author of Nightbitch and University of Iowa professor\, says: “Highly recommend this new book by Katie Bennett which dignifies the life and death of Joan Vollmer\, the fascinating & flawed woman who was (sort of) married to William Burroughs and was ultimately murdered by him. The book also dignifies Katie’s own story of becoming. It feels amazing to read women give other women\, and themselves\, their due.” \nKatie Bennett is a writer based in Philadelphia. Her first book\, She Was Wild Grass\, will be released by BRINK Books September 2026. She’s published work in Lit Hub\, swamp pink\, and The Rumpus and received fellowships from Yaddo\, Hedgebrook\, and Monson Arts. She runs the reading series Personal Velocity. She also spent a decade touring North America and Europe with various bands and her songwriting has been featured in Pitchfork\, SPIN\, Rolling Stone\, and NPR. \nNina Lohman writes hybrid nonfiction that seeks to understand pain through the lenses of medicine\, theology\, and philosophy. Her memoir The Body Alone: A Lyrical Articulation of Chronic Pain\, was published by the University of Iowa Press in 2024. She is the Literary Programming Director for the Mission Creek Festival and the Nonfiction Editor of PromptPress\, an interdisciplinary book-arts journal that pairs writers and visual artists to create and publish new work. Her writing has appeared in The Huffington Post\, Paste Magazine\, The Rumpus\, Essay Daily\, The Other Journal\, Earth Island Journal\, and elsewhere. \nAlisha Jeddeloh is a writer and editor based in Iowa City. As a writer\, she explores community\, belonging\, and the fault lines in the stories we tell each other and ourselves. As an editor\, she enjoys being surprised by characters and prose.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairie-lights-katie-bennett-in-conversation-with-nina-lohman-alisha-jeddeloh/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260923T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260923T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T021126Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T021126Z
UID:6072-1790190000-1790190000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: Book Matters Event: Kathy Lavezzo & William Rhodes in conv with Sarah Bond – Bad Medievalism & Work of Reform
DESCRIPTION:Join them for a special University of Iowa Book Matters event! University of Iowa Professor Kathy Lavezzo will read from her new book\, Bad Medievalism and the Modernity Problem\, and Iowa Assistant Professor William Rhodes will read from his newest book\, The Work of Reform: Literature and Political Ecology from Langland to Spenser. They will be joined in conversation with Associate Professor\, Sarah E. Bond. \nKathy Lavezzo regularly teaches the English Department’s large introductory lecture course\, Foundations of the English Major\, with an eye toward the centrality of narrative to the human experience and the capacity of literary texts to move readers and solicit passionate attachment. She was trained as a medievalist and offers courses on medieval romance\, Arthurian lore\, the author known alternately as the Pearl-poet or the Gawain-poet\, The Book of Margery Kempe (the first autobiography in English)\, and Geoffrey Chaucer’s masterpiece\, the Canterbury Tales.  Of late\, her research has moved into more contemporary eras\, a shift that has inspired her to teach classes about authors including Paule Marshall\, Stuart Hall\, W.E.B. Du Bois\, and Kazuo Ishiguro. \nWilliam Rhodes’ work focuses on the connections among medieval/Renaissance poetry\, economics\, and the environment. His book\, The Work of Reform: Literature and Political Ecology from Langland to Spenser (Cornell 2025)\, considers how medieval poetry about agrarian work informed early colonial ideologies in the sixteenth century. His current research project is on apocalypticism\, literary form\, and economic crisis in late medieval and early modern literature. He teaches classes on medieval and early modern poetry and drama\, as well as courses on critical theory and environmental literature. \nSarah E. Bond is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Iowa. She is interested in late Roman history\, epigraphy\, late antique law\, Roman topography and GIS\, Digital Humanities\, and the socio-legal experience of ancient marginal peoples. She earned a PhD in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011) and obtained a BA in Classics and History with a minor in Classical Archaeology from the University of Virginia (2005). Her book\, Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professionals in the Roman Mediterranean\, was published with the University of Michigan Press in 2016.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-book-matters-event-kathy-lavezzo-william-rhodes-in-conv-with-sarah-bond-bad-medievalism-work-of-reform/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260924T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260924T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260714T171815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260714T171815Z
UID:5693-1790276400-1790276400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Sidekick: Conversation and signing with author Grant Faulkner
DESCRIPTION:Join Sidekick Coffee and Books for an evening with author Grant Faulkner in conversation with Yasmina Din Madden for his new book Something Out There in the Distance on September 24th at 7 pm. \nOne book purchase admits two people. \nAbout the book: Flash-fiction master Grant Faulkner and photographer Gail Butensky have partnered to create this unique narrative made up of stories alongside edge-of-the-world photography. The book tells of two lovers taking a reckless\, searching road trip through the American West. Dawn is a photographer who captures desert landscapes. Jonny drives just to drive\, running away from the end of time or running toward the end of time\, looking for a home even as his restlessness overtakes him. By turns funny\, poignant\, and heartbreaking\, something out there is in the distance is big in emotions while brief in words. An extraordinary collaboration between word and image\, Dawn and Jonny’s journey transports us to a place\, achingly familial\, populated by love\, loss\, and wonder. \nAbout Yasmina Din Madden: \nYasmina Din Madden is the author of the story collection You Know Nothing\, Northwestern University Press (2026)\, and her fiction and nonfiction have been published in Electric Literature\, The Idaho Review\, The Fairy Tale Review\, and other journals. She is the winner of the Oxford Flash Prize and was a finalist for the Iowa Review Award. She teaches creative writing and literature at Drake University. \n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/sidekick-conversation-and-signing-with-author-grant-faulkner/
LOCATION:Sidekick Coffee & Books\, 1310 1/2 Melrose Avenue\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52242\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260927T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260927T153000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260811T152941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T152941Z
UID:5825-1790523000-1790523000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: The Prose Exchange
DESCRIPTION:Ready to get some eyes on your work? This group provides careful readings and positive\, descriptive feedback on works-in-progress. They meet twice a month and workshop two submissions of up to 20 pages at each meeting.  \nThey are currently open to adding one or two more members.  \nThey advise sitting in on a session to determine if this is the workshop for you.  \nFor more information on how to join\, visit their website!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-the-prose-exchange-2/2026-09-27/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260927T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260927T160000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T021511Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T021511Z
UID:6074-1790524800-1790524800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series
DESCRIPTION:Join them for their annual IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series! This week’s event features IWP Residents Monique Malcher (Brazil)\, Wame M. Molefhe (Botswana)\, and Lien Ming-wei (Taiwan). They will be joined by Iowa Writers’ Workshop Poetry candidate\, Aditya Menon. \nMonique Malcher is a writer\, journalist\, and visual artist born in Santarém\, in western Pará\, Brazil. She holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology (UFPA) and an Interdisciplinary PhD in Human Sciences with a focus on gender studies (UFSC). She currently resides in São Paulo. Her first book\, Flor de Gume (Moinhos Publishing)\, won the Jabuti Literature Prize in 2021 in the short story category. Malcher is the second woman from northern Brazil to win a Jabuti in the literature category. Flor de Gume was also published under the title Flor de Filo by Fondo de Cultura Económica in Mexico (2025). Her first novel\, Degola (2025)\, was released by Companhia das Letras (1st edition) and is already in its second reprint. \nWame M. Molefhe is a Botswana-born writer based in Gaborone. She writes across fiction\, film\, and television. Her published works include two short story collections and a debut novel shortlisted for the Island Prize for a Debut Novel (2025). She is a Civitella Ranieri fellow (2016). She is the founder of AgaMotse\, a Centre for the Arts. \nLien Ming-wei (fiction writer\, nonfiction writer; Taiwan) is the author of one work of reportage and four novels. His writing primarily focuses on fiction and has earned him several literary awards. He has published books such as Tomato Avenue and Other Coming-of-Age Stories (番茄街游擊戰)\, Son of the Green Cicadidae (青蚨子)\, The Confession of Blueberry Nights (藍莓夜的告白)\, Duty Officers of the Mountain and Sea: A Record of Toucheng Professionals (山與海的職日生：頭城職人誌)\, and Gunner\, Snatcher\, Robber\, and Provoker (槍強搶嗆). \nAditya Menon is from Kodaikanal\, India. His work has appeared in Peripheries\, Colorado Review\, Dialogist and elsewhere.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-iwp-sunday-afternoon-reading-series-4/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260930T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260930T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T021737Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T021737Z
UID:6076-1790794800-1790794800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: Kyle McCarthy in conv with Kevin Brockmeier – Immersions
DESCRIPTION:Kyle McCarthy will read from his new novel\, Immersions\, and will be joined in conversation with Iowa Writers’ Workshop Associate Professor\, Kevin Brockmeier. Publisher Tin House (Zando) describes Immersions as “Black Swan meets Bluebeard in this novel of sisterly rivalry and obsessive love set in the New York City dance scene.” Immersions is praised by bestselling author Leslie Jamison as “[moving] with the stylish swagger of the contemporary even as it sounds the deepest trenches of myth\,” while The Brooklyn Rail says: “Packed with sensuality…McCarthy’s elegant and lyrical prose expertly weaves together the strands of the story\, from Frances’s burgeoning sexuality\, to the chaos and glamour of the New York dance world.” \nKyle McCarthy is the author of the novels Immersions (a Lit Hub Most Anticipated Book of 2026) and Everyone Knows How Much I Love You (an Amazon Book of the Month and one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of Summer). Her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories\, n+1\, on NPR’s Selected Shorts\, and elsewhere. She lives in Brooklyn\, New York (brooklynrail.org). \nIn addition to his latest book\, The Ghost Variations: One Hundred Stories\, Kevin Brockmeier is the author of the novels The Illumination\, The Brief History of the Dead\, and The Truth About Celia; the story collections Things That Fall from the Sky and The View from the Seventh Layer; the children’s novels City of Names and Grooves: A Kind of Mystery; and a memoir of his seventh-grade year called A Few Seconds of Radiant Filmstrip. His work has been translated into eighteen languages. He has published his stories in such venues as The New Yorker\, The Georgia Review\, McSweeney’s\, Zoetrope\, Tin House\, The Oxford American\, The Best American Short Stories\, The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror\, and New Stories from the South. He has received the Borders Original Voices Award\, three O. Henry Awards (one\, a first prize)\, the PEN USA Award\, a Guggenheim Fellowship\, and an NEA Grant. In 2007\, he was named one of Granta‘s Best Young American Novelists (writersworkshop.uiowa.edu).
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-kyle-mccarthy-in-conv-with-kevin-brockmeier-immersions/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261002T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261002T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T022233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T022233Z
UID:6079-1790967600-1790967600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: Nicholas Russell in conv with Tony Tulathimutte – Observer
DESCRIPTION:Nicholas Russell will read from his new novel\, Observer\, and will be joined in conversation with 2026 Iowa Writers’ Workshop Visiting Associate Professor (and Writers’ Workshop graduate) Tony Tulathimutte. Publisher Ecco Press describes Observer as “A disquieting\, atmospheric debut horror novel about a young woman investigating her mother’s disappearance at an abandoned Nevada observatory\, for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Mariana Enriquez\,” and it’s praised by Danzy Senna\, author of New People and Colored Television\, as “coiled\, restrained\, beautiful\, and haunting…The result is deeply unsettling\, urgent\, dark\, and wry.” \nNicholas Russell is a writer and editor from Las Vegas. His work has been featured in The Believer\, McSweeney’s\, The Yale Review\, Reverse Shot\,The Point\, The Baffler\, The Nation\, and Dirt\, among other publications. He’s attended Short Fiction workshops at VQR and Tin House\, as well as the Critics Academy for the New York Film Festival and the Press Inclusion Initiative at the Sundance Film Festival. He’s also received support from MacDowell and the Nes Artist Residency (adapted from nicholasrussell.me/about). \nTony Tulathimutte’s novel Private Citizens was called “the first great millennial novel” by New York Magazine. A graduate of Stanford University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop\, he has written for The New York Times\, VICE\, WIRED\, The New Yorker\, The Atlantic\, The New Republic\, N+1\, Playboy\, The Paris Review\, and many others. He has received a 2017 Whiting Award\, an O. Henry Award\, and a MacDowell Fellowship\, and appeared as a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers (writersworkshop.uiowa.edu).
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-nicholas-russell-in-conv-with-tony-tulathimutte-observer/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261003T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261003T130000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260811T154540Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T154540Z
UID:5840-1791032400-1791032400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Flash Forward
DESCRIPTION:Flash Forward is PorchLight’s monthly studio session for writers interested in short form writing: flash fiction\, micro essays\, prose poetry\, and more. Join them and learn more about these miniature marvels. Each session includes a discussion of short form works we love\, a generative writing prompt\, optional sharing\, and light positive feedback. \nWhether you’re new to these very short forms or an old hand\, they would love to have you! \nFirst meeting is free!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-flash-forward/2026-10-03/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/82ce62_15977cbd84104d329b0338a9257e9979mv2.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261004T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261004T100000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260708T155437Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T155437Z
UID:5674-1791108000-1791108000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Writing Grief
DESCRIPTION:Grief Writing – A monthly exploration of loss and heartbreak \nJennifer New leads this monthly group that uses writing as a reflective tool to explore loss. Francis Weller’s Five Gates of Grief provides a backbone to consider grief from multiple angles\, e.g.\, death of loved ones\, loss of health or ability\, grief for the world. This is an ongoing group; you’re welcome to attend once or each time. No writing experience is needed.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-writing-grief/2026-10-04/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Porch3.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261004T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261004T160000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T022515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T022515Z
UID:6082-1791129600-1791129600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series
DESCRIPTION:Join them for their annual IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series! This week’s event features IWP Residents Sang Young Park (South Korea) and Yaiza Berrocal Guevara (Spain). They will be joined by Iowa Writers’ Workshop Fiction candidate\, Toye Oladinni\, and Associate Director of Writing Education for the Office of Writing and Communication at the University of Iowa\, Danielle Wheeler. \nSangyoung Park is a prominent South Korean novelist and screenwriter\, internationally recognized for his sharp emotional insight\, wit\, and nuanced exploration of urban life\, intimacy\, and identity. His bestselling novel\, Love in the Big City\, has been translated into more than twenty languages and was longlisted for the International Booker Prize\, the Dublin Literary Award\, and the Prix Médicis étranger. Beyond the page\, Park has established himself as a versatile creator\, serving as the writer and creator for the global television adaptation of his own work. \nYaiza Berrocal Guevara (playwright\, fiction writer\, screenwriter; Spain) is the author of a novel\, several plays and a screenplay. Her literary work includes Curling (2022)\, published in the UK in 2025 and forthcoming in Greek in 2026. She is currently working on her second novel\, Las promesas. As a playwright\, she received Spain’s Calderón de la Barca National Prize for La cadena del frío\, later staged in Sala Beckett\, Barcelona. Her other plays include Intenta viure sense mi\, Ni temeré les feres\, Ocho comedias y ocho entremeses nunca antes representadas (documentary theatre) and Flesh Market. She is also the screenwriter of the animated feature Black Butterflies\, winner of the Goya Award for Best Animated Film\, as well as the Gaudí\, Forqué\, Quirino\, and Platino awards\, and has written for prime-time television series. \nToye Oladinni is a British Nigerian writer and filmmaker from London. His work has appeared in Granta\, The Paris Review Daily\, and The Relegation Reader\, among other places\, and is forthcoming in the London Review of Books. He is currently studying for an MFA in Fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. \nDanielle Wheeler was born in a small town in the Midwest and was the 2010-2011 Rona Jaffe Fellow in Poetry at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop\, an instructor of Creative Writing Studio Workshop for undergraduates\, and a volunteer writing instructor with the Iowa Youth Writing Project. She is currently an instructor of writing and Associate Director\, Writing Education for the Office of Writing and Communication at the University of Iowa. Her first book\, Men of Northern Constellations\, is forthcoming in 2027.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-iwp-sunday-afternoon-reading-series-5/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261008T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261008T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T022741Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T022741Z
UID:6084-1791486000-1791486000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: Meghan O’Gieblyn in conv with Dr. Alison Lynch – Will and Attention
DESCRIPTION:Meghan O’Gieblyn will read from her new memoir\, Will and Attention\, and will be joined in conversation with Dr. Alison Lynch. Described as a “luminous memoir of secret drinking\, fragile recovery\, and the deep pull of religion\,” Will and Attention is praised by bestselling author Jia Tolentino as “one of the best memoirs of the decade\,” while University of Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program professor and bestselling author Melissa Febos says: “An elegant and philosophical memoir about addiction whose stakes are no less than what comprises one’s will to live\, what it means to be good\, and the worth of devotion. I savored equally O’Gieblyn’s sentences and the turns of her thought—at once precise as the cut of a razor and as pleasurably discursive as Montaigne.” \nMeghan O’Gieblyn is a writer and the author of God\, Human\, Animal\, Machine\, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science & Technology. Her first book\, Interior States\, won the 2018 Believer Book Award for nonfiction.  Her criticism and essays have appeared in Harper’s Magazine\, The New Yorker\, n+1\, The Point\, The Baffler\, Wired\, The New York Review of Books\, The Guardian\, The New York Times\, and other publications. \nAlison Lynch\, MD\, MS\, is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-meghan-ogieblyn-in-conv-with-dr-alison-lynch-will-and-attention/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261009T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261009T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T022938Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T022938Z
UID:6087-1791572400-1791572400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: Elizabeth Metzger\, Andrew Zawacki\, and Devin Johnston – The Going Is Forever\, These Late Eclipses\, Bright Thorn
DESCRIPTION:Elizabeth Metzger and Iowa Writers’ Worshop graduates\, Andrew Zawacki and Devin Johnston\, will read from their new poetry collections: The Going Is Forever\, These Late Eclipses\, and Bright Thorn\, respectively. \nElizabeth Metzger is the author of The Going Is Forever and Lying In\, as well as The Spirit Papers\, winner of the Juniper Prize for Poetry. She has published two chapbooks\, Bed and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Her poems have recently appeared in The New Yorker\, The Paris Review\, The New York Review\, TLS\, and Poetry. She is a poetry editor at The Los Angeles Review of Books and teaches poetry at 92NY and Columbia University. \nAndrew Zawacki is the author of five poetry books\, including Unsun : f/11 (Coach House\, 2019)\, Videotape (Counterpath\, 2013)\, and Petals of Zero Petals of One (Talisman House\, 2009). His poems have appeared in The New Yorker\, The New Republic\, The Nation\, and elsewhere. An editor and translator\, he is Distinguished Research Professor of English at the University of Georgia. \nDevin Johnston was born in 1970 and spent his childhood in North Carolina. He is the author of seven previous books of poetry and two books of prose\, including Creaturely and Other Essays. He works for Flood Editions\, an independent publishing house\, and teaches at Saint Louis University\, in Missouri\, where he lives.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-elizabeth-metzger-andrew-zawacki-and-devin-johnston-the-going-is-forever-these-late-eclipses-bright-thorn/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/9780374608835.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261010T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261010T130000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260708T153803Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T153803Z
UID:5665-1791637200-1791637200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Queer Writers' Check In
DESCRIPTION:Similar to their Long Project Check In\, this group is for queer writers looking to build literary community together. Each session will include free writing\, discussion of works in progress\, and general literary support. Occasionally\, there will be guests and opportunities for trading work. \nVisit their website to RSVP!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-queer-writers-check-in/2026-10-10/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261011T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261011T153000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260811T152941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T152941Z
UID:5826-1791732600-1791732600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: The Prose Exchange
DESCRIPTION:Ready to get some eyes on your work? This group provides careful readings and positive\, descriptive feedback on works-in-progress. They meet twice a month and workshop two submissions of up to 20 pages at each meeting.  \nThey are currently open to adding one or two more members.  \nThey advise sitting in on a session to determine if this is the workshop for you.  \nFor more information on how to join\, visit their website!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-the-prose-exchange-2/2026-10-11/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/82ce62_8350b311c14c44f8b461627d4c759adcmv2.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261011T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261011T160000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T023206Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T023206Z
UID:6090-1791734400-1791734400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series
DESCRIPTION:Join them for their annual IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series! This week’s event features IWP Residents Radu Vancu (Sibiu\, Romania)\, Harumi Kawaguchi 川口晴美 (Japan)\, and Amber Esau (New Zealand). They will be joined by recent Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate\, Lizzie Cusick. \nRadu Vancu (Sibiu\, Romania\, 1978) is a Romanian poet\, scholar\, and translator. A professor in the Faculty of Letters and Arts at Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu\, he is the editor-in-chief of Transilvania magazine and an editor of Poiesis Internațional. He previously served as as the national editor of the Romanian section of the Poetry International website\, and was president of PEN Romania between 2019–2023. Since 2013\, he has also been president of Sibiu’s international writing festival Poets in Transylvania. Vancu has published nine volumes of poems\, which have been translated into more than 20 languages in anthologies\, magazines\, and books. He has also published two novels\, Transparenta (2018) and Paradis (2025)\, and his first two books of poetry in English translation will be published in the U.S. in October 2026—Kaddish (tr. Sean Cotter\, Zephyr Press) and The Rope in Bloom (tr. Paula Console-Soican and Cyrus Console-Soican\, Phoenix Poets). \nHarumi Kawaguchi 川口晴美 is a poet based in Tokyo. Her latest poetry collection\, やがて魔女の森になる (To the Witches’ Forest\, Shicho-sha\, 2021) received the 30th Hagiwara Sakutarō Prize in 2022\, and her 13th collection\, Tiger is here. (Tiger is here.\, Shicho-sha\, 2015) won the 46th Takami Jun Prize in 2016. Her poetry explores women’s experiences and memory\, while also bridging literature and popular culture\, particularly manga and anime. Her poems have been translated into English\, German\, Italian\, and Korean\, and included in the anthologies such as Poet to Poet: Contemporary Women Poets from Japan (Recent Work Press\, 2017). She is increasingly interested in collaborative poetry translation\, which she started while she was a guest for Poetry on the Move Festival in Canberra in 2017. Her collaborative translations from English to Japanese have been published in the anthologies\, I am Ireland (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade\, Ireland\, 2025) and pleasant troubles (Recent Work Press\, 2018). She has edited several poetry anthologies and has been teaching creative writing over three decades. \nAmber Esau is the author of Hungus\, her debut poetry collection published earlier this year\, and co-editor of a queer poetry anthology\, Spoiled Fruit (2023). She has performed her poetry extensively\, and her work has been published in various journals and anthologies in Aotearoa-New Zealand. She is working on a mixed media speculative fantasy novel set in the South Pacific. \nLizzie Cusick is a poet and dermatologist who recently received her MFA in from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She teaches medical residents and fellows at the University and is interested in writing as a means of attending to both the body and natural world with deep care and close observation. She is currently working on completing her first book of poems for publication.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-iwp-sunday-afternoon-reading-series-6/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261012
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261013
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260813T185027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260813T185027Z
UID:5895-1791763200-1791849599@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Paul Engle Day
DESCRIPTION:In 2000\, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack declared Oct. 12 to be “Paul Engle Day\,” in honor of the Iowa-born poet who served as head of the Writer’s Workshop from 1942 to 1977\, helping to develop it from an obscure experimental program to an internationally renowned literary center. \nCheck out the City of Literature documentary to learn more about Engle and how Iowa City become the capital of creative writing in America. \n\n  \n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/paul-engle-day/
LOCATION:IA
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261015T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261015T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260727T155351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260727T155351Z
UID:5761-1792090800-1792090800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Sidekick – Reading and signing with Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
DESCRIPTION:Join Sidekick Coffee and Books for a reading by author Tatiana Schlote-Bonne for her new book “What Feeds Below.” Purchase of one book admits two guests. \nAbout the book: \nThe darkness isn’t empty. It’s hungry. \nAt the edge of the City of the Void\, a massive chasm extends miles into the earth\, its treacherous terrain overrun with vicious monsters and carnivorous plants. For orphaned best friends Petra and Jade\, guiding treasure-seeking tourists down into the Void is the only way to earn enough to pull themselves up out of the slums for good. \nPetra prefers to play it safe and take jobs only in the Void’s upper levels\, where the dangers are better understood\, while Jade wants to risk a decent to the deepest and most mysterious Sixth Layer. Because the deeper they go\, the better the payout\, and the sooner their dreams can become reality. Their friendship is Petra’s whole world\, and Jades approval means everything – so Petra agrees to do it Jade’s way. \nWhen their job goes wring and Jade is lost in the Void\, Petra must plunge deeper than she’s ever dared to save her friend. But she doesn’t know the truth of the Void… or what really waits for her in its depths.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/sidekick-reading-and-signing-with-tatiana-schlote-bonne/
LOCATION:Sidekick Coffee & Books\, 1310 1/2 Melrose Avenue\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52242\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Side-.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261016T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261016T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260904T023414Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260904T023414Z
UID:6092-1792177200-1792177200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PrairieLights: Emily Ogden – Darkness Becomes Bright: On the Brief Life and Immortal Art of Edgar Allan Poe
DESCRIPTION:Emily Ogden will read from her new book\, Darkness Becomes Bright: On the Brief Life and Immortal Art of Edgar Allan Poe. Described as “A fascinating and intimate inquiry into Edgar Allan Poe’s shadowy life and horrifyingly compelling work” (penguinrandomhouse.com)\, Darkness Becomes Bright is praised by Meghan O’Rourke\, author of The Invisible Kingdom\, as “profoundly insightful\,” while Sarah Waters\, author of The Paying Guests\, says: “A wonderfully engaging account of Poe’s troubled life and work that is also a celebration of artistic cross-fertilization. Nimble\, generous\, brimming with insight\, Ogden’s book captures the richness\, the strangeness and the unexpected beauty to be found in our enduring fascination with the dark places of the soul.” \nEmily Ogden is the author of On Not Knowing: How to Love and Other Essays and Credulity: A Cultural History of US Mesmerism. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship\, a Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant\, and a Mellon Fellowship in the Columbia Society of Fellows\, she is a professor of English at the University of Virginia.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/prairielights-emily-ogden-darkness-becomes-bright-on-the-brief-life-and-immortal-art-of-edgar-allan-poe/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261018
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261026
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260507T150646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260819T151923Z
UID:5537-1792281600-1792972799@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Iowa City Book Festival
DESCRIPTION: The Iowa City Book Festival is happening October 18–25\, 2026! Join us for a week of literary events\, author talks\, readings\, and more at various locations throughout downtown Iowa City.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/iowa-city-book-festival-2/
LOCATION:Downtown Iowa City
CATEGORIES:General
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261018T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261018T140000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260902T144746Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260902T145505Z
UID:6041-1792332000-1792332000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Christopher Merrill Receives the 2026 Paul Engle Prize
DESCRIPTION:Christopher Merrill has been named the 15th recipient of the Paul Engle Prize\, presented by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization. \nThe prize\, established in 2011\, honors an individual who\, like Paul Engle\, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing\, editing\, publishing\, or teaching\, and whose active participation in the larger issues of the day has contributed to the betterment of the world through the literary arts. \nThe prize includes a $25\,000 award and a one-of-a-kind work of art. Merrill\, who retired at the end of 2025 after 25 years as the director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa\, will receive the award at a ceremony at 2 p.m. on Oct. 18\, at the Coralville Public Library. Loren Glass\, chair of the UI English Department\, will interview Merrill as part of the program. The event\, which kicks off the 2026 Iowa City Book Festival\, is free and open to the public. \nMerrill said he was honored to receive the prize. \n“Paul Engle set a dynamic example of literary engagement\, as a poet and writer\, teacher and director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and International Writing Program (IWP). And his creative thinking has been for me a spur to try new things during my tenure in Iowa\, and so it is a thrill to receive an award in his name.” \nMerrill was born in Northampton\, Massachusetts and raised in New Jersey. He holds two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middlebury College\, and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Washington. \nHe has published more than 10 collections of poetry\, including Watch Fire\, for which he received the Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets\, and On the Road to Lviv; many edited volumes and translations; and seven books of nonfiction\, among them\, Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars\, Things of the Hidden God: Journey to the Holy Mountain\, and The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony\, Expedition\, War. His writings have been translated into nearly 40 languages; his journalism appears widely; his honors include a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French government\, numerous translation awards\, and fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial and Ingram Merrill Foundations. \nAs director of IWP\, Merrill conducted cultural diplomacy missions to more than 50 countries. He served on the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO from 2011-2018\, and in April 2012 President Barack Obama appointed him to the National Council on the Humanities. \nThe Paul Engle Prize is made possible through the generous support of the City of Coralville\, which is home to 11 permanent sculptures with artistic and literary ties to Iowa. The sculptures all have ties to work found in The Iowa Writers’ Library\, housed in the Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel\, which features about 800 books written by former students\, graduates and faculty of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. \nThe Engle Prize itself is a one-of-a-kind work of art. Each piece is crafted to reflect the work and impact of the recipient\, while tying it to the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature. \nPaul Engle (October 12\, 1908 – March 22\, 1991)\, though best remembered as the long-time director of the Writers’ Workshop and co-founder with his wife\, Hualing Nieh Engle\, of the UI’s International Writing Program\, also was a well-regarded poet\, playwright\, essayist\, editor and critic. In 2000\, then-Gov. Tom Vilsack declared Engle’s birthday\, Oct. 12\, as “Paul Engle Day” in Iowa. \nPrevious winners of the prize are James Alan McPherson\, Kwame Dawes\, Luis Alberto Urrea\, Roxane Gay\, Alexander Chee\, Dina Nayeri\, Toi Derricotte\, Cornelius Eady\, Dr. Eve L. Ewing\, Rebecca Solnit\, Joan Naviyuk Kane\, Camille Dungy\, and Cole Swensen. Visit www.iowacityofliterature.org/paul-engle-day for more information about the prize and past winners.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/christopher-merrill-receives-the-2026-paul-engle-prize/
LOCATION:Coralville Public Library\, 1401 5th St.\, Coralville\, IA\, 52241\, United States
CATEGORIES:General,Iowa City Book Festival
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261019T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261019T103000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260714T160440Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260714T160440Z
UID:5686-1792405800-1792405800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Write Now - Community Supported Writing Group
DESCRIPTION:PorchLight’s Write Now Writer’s Group provides community\, and learning opportunities for beginning to intermediate writers. At their monthly meetings\, share short craft lessons\, generate writing from prompts\, and\, on occasion\, provide responses to participants’ work in progress. Writers working in any genre are welcome. \nThis is a great group for writers who have not had the time or opportunity to pursue a traditional MFA. \nRSVP one week in advance on their website!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-write-now-community-supported-writing-group/2026-10-19/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-14-at-10.57.53-AM.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261019T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261019T120000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20240913T163814Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T181858Z
UID:3943-1792411200-1792411200@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:20261019T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261019T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260825T155004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T194314Z
UID:6010-1792436400-1792436400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Marilynne Robinson and Nicholas Kristof
DESCRIPTION:Marilynne Robinson and Nicholas Kristof in Conversation \nMarilynne Robinson is the author of the novels Housekeeping\, Gilead\, Home\, Lila\, and Jack. Gilead won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award\, while Home received the Orange Prize for Fiction and Lila won the National Book Critics Circle Award. \nRobinson is also the author of numerous books of essays\, including Reading Genesis\, The Givenness of Things\, When I Was a Child I Read Books\, and Mother Country\, a finalist for the National Book Award. Her honors include the National Humanities Medal\, the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction\, and the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. \nA longtime member of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop faculty\, Robinson taught at the University of Iowa for 25 years before retiring as the F. Wendell Miller Professor in 2016. She remains one of America’s most acclaimed novelists and essayists. \nNicholas Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and columnist for The New York Times\, where his twice-weekly opinion columns have appeared since 2001. He joined the newspaper in 1984 and has served as a correspondent in Los Angeles\, Hong Kong\, Beijing\, and Tokyo\, as well as Associate Managing Editor of the Sunday editions. \nKristof won his first Pulitzer Prize with his wife\, journalist Sheryl WuDunn\, for their coverage of China’s Tiananmen Square democracy movement. He received a second Pulitzer Prize for commentary that brought international attention to the genocide in Darfur and other humanitarian crises. \nOver the course of his career\, Kristof has reported from more than 140 countries. He is the co-author\, with WuDunn\, of China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power and Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia. \nPresented in partnership with The Geneva Lecture Series \nThe University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication supports Nicholas Kristof and Marilynne Robinson as 2026 Bernard and Ethel Adler Hurwitz Lecturers.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/marilynne-robinson-and-nicholas-kristof/
LOCATION:Macbride Auditorium\, 17 N. Clinton St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261020T180000
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DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260813T160527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260813T164525Z
UID:5879-1792519200-1792519200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Bonnie Jo Campbell: The Spirits
DESCRIPTION:Bonnie Jo Campbell\, a master of rural American fiction\, brings us a hair-raising winter tale to warm us by the fireside. In this contemporary Christmas Carol\, Campbell has created a gritty\, spooky\, and ultimately heartening holiday story that unfolds in an isolated farmhouse. It is the night before Christmas in a small town in Michigan\, and a young woman is haunted by her father’s death. She has been silently penitent for nine years\, but her guilt and grief have estranged her from her community and her family. She has taken refuge in the natural world of the plants and trees she tends\, but on this anniversary of the tragedy\, the supernatural landscape is rattling its chains. \nWhen a surprise guest appears at the (dreaded) Christmas Eve dinner\, the family begins to open up and reveal dangerous secrets and crimes nobody is willing to face. Within this darkest chaos\, a sliver of light appears\, showing a way to reclaim communion and even a sense of humor. While redemption is never easy or wholesale\, the story that a family creates together can heal wounds.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/bonnie-jo-campbell-the-spirits/
LOCATION:Prairie Lights Books\, 15 S. Dubuque St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
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DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261020T190000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260817T172005Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260817T172136Z
UID:5914-1792522800-1792522800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Megan Greenwell: Bad Company
DESCRIPTION:Acclaimed journalist Megan Greenwell’s Bad Company unearths the hidden story of corporate greed and the world of private equity by examining the lives of four American workers that were devastated as private equity upended their employers and communities: a Toys R Us floor supervisor\, a rural doctor\, a local newspaper journalist\, and an affordable housing organizer. Taken together\, their individual experiences also pull back the curtain on a much larger project: how the relentless pursuit of shareholder value reshaped the American economy to serve its own interests\, creating a new class of billionaires while stripping ordinary people of their livelihoods\, their health care\, their homes\, and their sense of security.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/megan-greenwell-bad-company/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261021T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261021T160000
DTSTAMP:20260908T033827
CREATED:20260813T142300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260813T142300Z
UID:5876-1792598400-1792598400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Curator Guided Tour: It’s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. “Ding” Darling
DESCRIPTION:Join co-curators Collin Vandewalle and Lindsay Moen for a special guided tour of the current University of Iowa Libraries Main Library Gallery exhibition\, It’s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. “Ding” Darling. Oct. 21 is also Darling’s birthday\, so stop by for birthday treats before or after the tour! (Gluten-free and vegan options available.) \nAll are welcome to attend this free event\, which is being held in partnership with the Iowa City Book Festival. \nAbout the exhibit:\nA Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Des Moines Register\, Jay N. “Ding” Darling (1876–1962) was also one of the nation’s most influential figures in the American conservation movement. Appointed director of the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey (later part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) by President Franklin D. Roosevelt\, Darling made historic attempts to answer his growing concerns about industrialism’s impact on the environment. \nIn celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth\, this exhibition explores the transformation of Iowa’s environmental landscape during Darling’s life and his contributions to environmental and wildlife conservation advocacy nationwide. It also showcases how his legacy lives on today both locally and across the country\, and how other Iowans have played key roles in our state’s conservation efforts. Curated by librarians Lindsay Moen and Collin Vandewalle\, It’s Been Wonderful Knowing You highlights the Jay N. “Ding” Darling Papers from Special Collections and Archives\, specimens from the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History\, and more from across the Libraries.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/curator-guided-tour-its-been-wonderful-knowing-you-wildlife-conservation-and-advocacy-through-the-lens-of-jay-n-ding-darling/
LOCATION:University of Iowa Main Library Gallery\, 125 W Washington St\, Iowa City\, IA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
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