Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature

Trains!
2026-02-21 10:00 (America/Chicago) | MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Full steam ahead for Lego and BRIO train fun with Dan Daly. Stop in at MERGE on the pedmall and play all day! (136 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City, next to the library and playground)
🚂 Calling all train lovers & helpers! 🚂
We need 4 awesome volunteers to make Trains! at One Book Two Book extra magical. This is the event where kids get to explore a whole room full of Brio & LEGO train fun, and YOU can help make it happen!
✨ Volunteer roles we need:
🔹 2 Track Builders — Help design & set up the tracks on Friday, Feb. 20
🔹 2 Train Assistants — Help kids, keep things moving, and spread the train joy on Saturday, Feb. 21
No experience necessary — just energy, teamwork, and a love of trains (or a willingness to learn 😉).
🚆 Sign up to volunteer!

Book Fair at One Book Two Book
2026-02-21 10:00 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
At FilmScene at The Chauncey
Join us for a celebration of children’s literature and writing! Books, author readings, writing workshops, film screenings, crafts, costume characters, and more!
Coralville Public Library | Iowa City Public Library | Midwest Chinese Academy | PaperPie | Scattergood Friends School | Sidekick Coffee & Books | The Book End | The Iowa Children’s Museum | Toadally Awesome Pets | Willowwind School

Sponsored by FilmScene

Jacqueline Briggs Martin: Turtles Heading Home
2026-02-21 10:00, 2026-02-21 10:30 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
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The waters around Cape Cod used to cool off gradually, signaling to sea turtles that it was time to swim south. But now, due to climate change, the water stays warm too long and cools off too quickly, making the turtles too cold to migrate.
Join author Jacqueline Briggs Martin as she reads from her latest book, Turtles Heading Home. Learn about the efforts of conservationists as they rescue the turtles, nurse them back to health, and release them into warmer waters. The operation involves hundreds of people, from the volunteers patrolling beaches, to the veterinarians in the hospital, to the pilots who fly the turtles south. All of them share the goal of helping save the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle—the most endangered sea turtle in the world.
Note – There will be two readings at 10-10:30 a.m., and again 10:30-11 a.m.

Drop-in Illustration Workshop with Matt Laux
2026-02-21 10:00 - 12:00 | MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Join an all-ages free draw with Iowa City artist Matt Laux. Matt is a father, chef, and artist, inviting everyone to be creative and joyful. We will provide the paper and drawing tools, you provide the creativity!

Snapshots Cover Contest
2026-02-21 10:00 - 15:00 | MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Kids, this is your chance to make snapshots extra special! Everyone’s art will get a spot in the magazine, but one person will get to be our cover — and it could be you!
snapshots is the University of Iowa’s literary magazine for children! The journal is written, produced, edited, and published by undergraduate/graduate students enrolled at the University of Iowa.

Slither, Stick, and Scribble: Writing with Reptiles
2026-02-21 10:30 - 11:30 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to chase your dinner up a wall? Or see heat? Or smell with your tongue? Join us to interact with live reptiles, learn how they experience the world, then explore your ideas through the very human act of creative writing. Prepare to slither and scribble with a bearded dragon, a black and white tegu, a Russian tortoise, some crested geckos, and a couple of snakes!
Recommended for grades 1-6. Please register ahead if your child plans to attend so we can get a sense of numbers. Walk-ins are always welcome! Only children who will participate need to register—parents or caregivers attending do not need to register.
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Brought to you by Extant Relatives and Iowa City Poetry in partnership with the One Book Two Book Festival.

Sing-Along
2026-02-21 11:00 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
The Iowa Children’s Museum Sing Along will feature creature sounds, animal songs and dancing for the whole family!

The Big Picture show presents: ICE AGE
2026-02-21 11:00 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Free for Kids! Adult Admission $5!
Twenty-thousand years ago, Earth is a wondrous, prehistoric world filled with great danger, not the least of which is the beginning of the Ice Age. To avoid really bad frostbite, the planet’s majestic creatures—and a few small, slothful ones—begin migrating south as we follow our sub-zero heroes: a woolly mammoth (Ray Romano), a saber-toothed tiger (Dennis Leary) , a sloth (John Leguizamo) and a prehistoric combination of a squirrel and rat that is known as Scrat (Chris Wedge).
About the Series

The Picture Show family and children’s series is an ongoing series featuring the best in all ages programming, selected from the past century of cinema. Parents can revel in beloved classics and kids make new discoveries. On weekends, each film is preceded by a media literacy lesson to help children understand the images and sounds they encounter every day. Kids can pick up their Picture Show Passport to collect stickers at every show and redeem them for concessions treats or a free t-shirt!

Local Children’s Book Author Fair
2026-02-21 11:00 - 15:00 | MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Join us as local children’s book authors share their newest stories, answer questions, and sign books. Explore each author’s table, where a variety of books for young readers will be available for purchase.
Sandra Rhea | Allison Ward | Michelle Gillitzer | Ashlyn Solinsky | Breanna Ferry | Nalina Siva

Book Character Meet & Greet
2026-02-21 12:00 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Bring your camera and snap a picture with Clifford and Frog & Toad

Toadally Awesome Pets Presents An Amphibian Open House
2026-02-21 12:30 - 15:00 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Hop on over to meet some of the coolest frogs, toads, and salamanders around! Join Toadally Awesome Pets’ Mobile Amphibian Education Center for a hands-on open house where kids and families can explore the amazing world of amphibians up close. You’ll get to see and touch a variety of live amphibians on display, learn fun facts about what makes each species special, and discover why these creatures are so important to our ecosystems.

Storytime
2026-02-21 13:00 - 13:30 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Join your favorite librarians for a very special storytime!

Lunar New Year Storytime
2026-02-21 13:30 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Join Midwest Chinese Academy for a festive Lunar New Year storytime! Enjoy a heartwarming Chinese New Year story about family reunion and learn how to say “Happy New Year” in Mandarin. Perfect for curious young learners and families!

Book Character Meet & Greet
2026-02-21 14:00 - 14:30 | FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St, Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Bring your camera and snap a picture with Clifford and Frog & Toad!

Write Out Loud Student Award Ceremony
2026-02-22 13:00 - 14:00 | Macbride Auditorium, 17 N. Clinton St., Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Students in grades 1 through 8 in Corridor area districts have been invited to submit writing to One Book Two Book! Those submissions are evaluated by a team at ACT in Iowa City. Grade-level winners will be selected in two categories:

The Write Stuff, which is judged based on language, clarity, structure, and emotional impact.
From the Heart, judged based on creativity, passion, and expressiveness.

Recognized students will read their winning submissions at “Write Out Loud,” a special award ceremony Sunday, February 22, at 1 p.m. in Macbride Auditorium, on the campus of the University of Iowa. In addition, a percentage of all students whose submissions were deemed to be of outstanding quality also will be honored with a “certificate of distinction.” All recognized students will receive certificates and prizes at the event. The grade-level prize winners will have their work published in a booklet available at the festival.

MusicIC Presents: THE BLACK ANGEL: Music, Myth, and Memory
2026-04-30 - 2026-05-02 | Downtown Iowa City
MusicIC, Iowa City’s premiere chamber music festival exploring the connections between music and literature, presents THE BLACK ANGEL: Music, Myth, and Memory, a three-day festival examining how composers across centuries have engaged with themes of mortality, symbolism, and the unseen, while also drawing inspiration from Iowa City’s own Black Angel legend. Now entering its 16th season, MusicIC continues its long-standing mission of innovative, text-driven programming rooted in Iowa City’s identity as a UNESCO City of Literature.
At the heart of this year’s festival is George Crumb’s Black Angels, “Thirteen Images from the Dark Land,” (1971), a landmark work for amplified string quartet, marking the 55th anniversary of its publication in 2026. Crumb has called his seminal work “a kind of parable on our troubled contemporary world.” The piece incorporates poetic epigraphs, symbolic numerology, and images of darkness and transformation. Crumb’s score also directly quotes Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden, forging a powerful musical and philosophical link between Romantic-era meditations on death and a 20th-century response shaped by war and rupture.
The festival further connects this repertoire to Iowa City’s Black Angel statue in Oakland Cemetery, a landmark that has inspired generations of local storytelling and provides a powerful, place-based lens for this exploration of music, literature, and memory.
Festival Events All events are free and open to the public
Thursday, April 30, 2026 – 7:30 p.m.
Preview Event “Looking at the Black Angel”
Location: The Black Angel Restaurant, 630 Iowa Ave., Iowa City
Selections and written responses to Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden and George Crumb’s Black Angels.
Friday, May 1, 2026 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Masonic Building, 312 E College St, Iowa City
Concert Program will include:

Franz Schubert: String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, Death and the Maiden
George Crumb: Black Angels for amplified string quartet

Saturday, May 2, 2026 – 10:30 AM
Family Concert
Iowa City Public Library
A 40-minute family concert introducing young audiences to chamber music as storytelling through sound, symbol, and place.
The festival is made possible by support from sponsors including the University of Iowa, Dunn Investment Co, the Iowa City Public Library, and Iowa Public Radio.
Performers include MusicIC Founding Artistic Director Tricia Park, violin and Kenny Lee, cello, (University of Iowa School of Music, Director of Orchestral Studies) alongside guest artists and University of Iowa faculty.

Page Against the Machine
2026-05-23 14:00 - 15:30 | Pentacrest, (at Clinton St and Washington St), Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature & the Iowa City Public Library co-present:
Page Against the Machine is a global reading event that encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to take a break from screens, pick up a book, and enjoy a well-deserved reading detox in a beautiful spot in their city.
This annual event was founded in Norwich, England in 2019 and spread to other Cities of Literature over the years. 2026 marks the first time Iowa City will participate, and we’ll be joining thousands of others across the globe who stop to read a book in public on this day.
We hope to gather a crowd of book lovers on the Pentacrest to read silently and explore the world of ideas in resistance to our culture of doomscrolling and disengagement. Bring a blanket or chair and any book you like, but bonus points go to novels and nonfiction that explore things like politics, human rights, and contemporary culture.
Rain location: Old Capitol Museum Senate Chamber (no food or drink inside, please)
Registration is optional to receive an email reminder. You’re welcome to drop in and out anytime during the scheduled event. See you there!

Open to the public

If you need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this event, please contact the Library.

Reading and Signing with Author Frances Mei Hardin
2026-06-18 15:30 | Sidekick Coffee & Books, 1310 1/2 Melrose Avenue, Iowa City, IA, 52242, United States
Hosted by Sidekick Coffee and Books
Join Sidekick for an afternoon with Frances Mei Hardin, MD, as she reads from and signs her debut memoir, Surgeon on the Edge.
Part reckoning, part reinvention, the book pulls back the curtain on medical training: the burnout, the unwritten rules, and what it means to reclaim your own voice inside one of the most demanding professions in the world.

Prairie Lights Reading: Karen Parkman – The Jills
2026-06-22 19:00 | Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Karen Parkman will read from her new novel, The Jills. Listed by both PEOPLE Magazine and CrimeReads as a “best book of February,” The Jills is praised by Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists, as “a nuanced, incisive exploration of the world of NFL cheerleading—and the complex power of sisterhood, both familial and chosen,” while Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Ferry Out and We Were Never Here, says: “Parkman’s character-driven mystery comes roaring out of the gate with all the poise and power of an NFL athlete. With its nuanced character work, propulsive prose, and intricate web of secrets and lies, The Jills is an unforgettable debut. I couldn’t put it down.”
Karen Parkman holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her work has been supported by MacDowell, Yaddo, the Sozopol Fiction Seminars, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the Vermont Studio Center. Karen’s stories have appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Joyland, and elsewhere. She has taught writing at the University of Iowa, the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, and Kirkwood Community College. The Jills is her debut novel.

Rooftop Music & Reading Series
2026-06-26 19:00 | Market House, 202 N. Linn St., Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Join the Porchlight Literary Arts Center on the deck of Market House for an evening of music, poetry, and prose. The Rooftoop Music & Reading Series brings together some of Iowa’s most exciting artists for a one-of-a-kind collaborative program. Bring a buddy, date, or come alone. Stay for the gorgeous views, drinks and good company.
Visit Porchlight Literary Arts Center for tickets and more information.

PorchLight: Season Pass to the Rooftop Music & Reading Series
2026-06-26 19:00 | PorchLight Literary Arts Center, 1019 E Washington St, Iowa City, 52240, United States
A Magical Melange of Music, Words, and Views

Join PorchLight Literary Arts Center on the deck of MarketHouse for an evening of music, poetry, and prose. The Rooftop Music & Reading Series brings together some of Iowa’s most exciting artists for a one-of-a-kind collaborative program.
Bring a buddy, date, or go alone. Stay for the gorgeous views, drinks, and good company.
Tickets available for purchase on their website: https://www.porchlightliterary.org/event-details/season-pass-to-the-rooftop-music-reading-series-2026-06-26-19-00

Prairie Lights Reading: Susan McCarty – 2008
2026-07-09 19:00 | Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Susan McCarty will read from her new novel, 2008. The University of Chicago Press offers this summary of 2008:
“It’s 2008: the age of the blog, the dawn of social media, and the birth of the smartphone. Obama is running for president on a slogan of hope, while in the shadows, an opioid crisis emerges, and the housing market teeters. Stevie and Sam, two old high school flames who have grown up and grown apart, are brought back together in the aftermath of a tragedy that throws them off the tracks of their lives. Sam, a struggling realtor, is determined to solve a mystery at any cost. Stevie hits on a plan for a “redo” that involves abandoning her adult life to relive her teenage glory days. As both struggle inside the mediocrity of their early adulthoods, the disenchanted world begins to reveal itself, and secrets threaten to overwhelm them. On the cusp of a new era of uncertainty, these old friends must find ways to reconcile their past and find their way home” (press.uchicago.edu).
Foreward Reviews praises 2008 as “a layered novel in which teenage friendship leads to chain reactions that continue years into the future,” while Aaron Burch, author of Year of the Buffalo, says: “2008 pulled me in from its very first pages and then never let me go.”
Susan McCarty is the author of the story collection Anatomies. Her essays have appeared in Creative Nonfiction, Ecotone, Lit Hub, Juked, Zone 3, and other journals. She is an associate professor of English and creative writing at Oakland University in the metro Detroit area.

PorchLight: Poetry Exchange
2026-07-11 10:30 | PorchLight Literary Arts Center, 1019 E Washington St, Iowa City, 52240, United States
This writer guided critique group offers poets the chance to receive carefully considered feedback, and find writerly community.
Writers share drafts of work in advance so readers have enough time to provide considered feedback. Feedback is mostly positive, and descriptive, but writers can ask for proscriptive feedback if they wish. This workshop model centers the writer, and gives them control over the amount and type of feedback they receive.
For more information on how to join, visit their website!

PorchLight: Queer Writers’ Check In
2026-07-11 13:00 | PorchLight Literary Arts Center, 1019 E Washington St, Iowa City, 52240, United States
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.
Visit their website to RSVP!

PorchLight: The Prose Exchange
2026-07-11 15:00 | PorchLight Literary Arts Center, 1019 E Washington St, Iowa City, 52240, United States
Are you ready to get some eyes on your work? This group from PorchLight Literary Arts Center provides careful readings, and positive, descriptive feedback on works-in-progress. They meet twice a month and workshop two submissions of up to 20 pgs. at each meeting.
Our critique process centers the writer. This means that, as a writer, you get to ask questions and determine the type of feedback you receive.
They advise sitting in on a session to determine if this is the workshop for you!

Self Published Book Fair
2026-07-12 14:30 | Sidekick Coffee & Books, 1310 1/2 Melrose Avenue, Iowa City, IA, 52242, United States
Hosted by Sidekick Coffee and Books
This fun-filled event highlights local authors and features several genres, from childrens to adult fiction and non-fiction. This event is a great way to support local authors and maybe even find a new favorite writer!

Prairie Lights Reading: Will Swain – Certainly Uncertain
2026-07-17 19:00 | Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA, 52240, United States
Will Swain will read from his new book, Certainly Uncertain: The Limitations of Knowledge and the Uncertainty of Belief. Renee Zukin, Educator, Entrepreneur, & Author of Every Day, I’m Brave, praises Certainly Uncertain as “down to earth and subtly radical,” while Sean Strain, editor and former vice president of Entrepreneur Press, says: “The book was as thought-provoking and clever as it was charming. Swain’s ideas and arguments are intellectual, inclusive, and refreshingly insightful . . . and I learned more about Bigfoot than I ever expected!”
Will Swain is a science educator with over 30 years of experience teaching students across a wide range of ages and settings. He taught undergraduate courses such as Human Biology, Evolutionary Biology, and Principles of Animal Biology at The University of Iowa, where he also administered research programs for undergraduate students, precollege students, and science teachers. At the high school level, he taught Physics, Geology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, and Human Biology. He also served as the regional director of the Iowa Junior Science and Humanities Symposium and as a member of the National JSHS Regional Director’s Executive Council. His interest in the relationship between science and religion began early in life and has followed him ever since. Growing up surrounded by family and friends with differing views on faith and science sparked a lifelong curiosity about belief formation. These questions ultimately led him to write Certainly Uncertain, a research-informed and personal exploration of how beliefs, and knowledge itself, take shape—and how understanding their limits and tentative nature can lead to more thoughtful and compassionate conversations (waggledancebooks.com/about-the-author/).

PorchLight: Writing Grief
2026-07-19 10:00 | PorchLight Literary Arts Center, 1019 E Washington St, Iowa City, 52240, United States
Grief Writing – A monthly exploration of loss and heartbreak
Jennifer 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.

Sidekick: Conversation+Book Signing LT Thompson & Tatiana Scholate-Bonne
2026-07-19 15:00 | Sidekick Coffee & Books, 1310 1/2 Melrose Avenue, Iowa City, IA, 52242, United States
Join Sidekick Coffee & Books for a free to attend reading by LT Thompson and Tatiana Schlote-Bonne as they discuss their new releases on Sunday, July 19th at 2 pm.
Devils We Know is the anxiously awaited sequel to Young Adult Fantasy Devils Like Us! Cas, Remy, and Finn are on the run from the Order of Lazarus, a secret society that wants to use Cas’s prophetic powers to capture Death and ensure that only the “unworthy” and “immoral” meet their ends
The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is Midsommer meets The Final Girl Support Group in this horror novel about a woman who survived cult killings as a child and is striving to be “normal,” but a spontaneous trip into the woods and the voices in her head keep pulling her to the dark side.
