Iowa City Book Festival
Downtown Iowa CityThe 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.
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PorchLight: Writing Grief
PorchLight Literary Arts Center 1019 E Washington St, Iowa CityGrief 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
Christopher Merrill Receives the 2026 Paul Engle Prize
Coralville Public Library 1401 5th St., Coralville, IAChristopher Merrill has been named the 15th recipient of the Paul Engle Prize, presented by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization. The 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
In the Cards: A Tarot and Poetry Workshop with Paula Cisewski
PorchLight Literary Arts Center 1019 E Washington St, Iowa CityThis event is presented in partnership with Porchlight Literary Arts Center and Iowa City Poetry Image, insight, archetype. Your Tarot deck may provide guidance, but how can you also use the deck to generate or revise your poems? Paula Cisewski will give a brief introduction of Tarot for newcomers and provide examples of a couple
PorchLight: Write Now – Community Supported Writing Group
PorchLight Literary Arts Center 1019 E Washington St, Iowa CityPorchLight'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. This is a great group for writers who have not had the
Tree Tour: Literary Grove at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Dey House 102 Dey House, Iowa City, IAExplore 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.
Marilynne Robinson and Nicholas Kristof
Macbride Auditorium 17 N. Clinton St., Iowa City, IAHow Can We Hope When It All Feels Hopeless? An evening with Pulitzer Prize winners Nicholas Kristof and Marilynne Robinson Marilynne 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
Bonnie Jo Campbell: The Spirits
Prairie Lights Books 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IABonnie 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
Megan Greenwell: Bad Company
Iowa City Public Library 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City, IAAcclaimed 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
Curator Guided Tour: It’s Been Wonderful Knowing You: Wildlife Conservation and Advocacy Through the Lens of Jay N. “Ding” Darling
University of Iowa Main Library Gallery 125 W Washington St, Iowa City, IAJoin 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
Slamovision: International Slam Poetry Judging
Iowa City Public Library 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City, IAJoin Iowa City poets and poetry lovers during the Iowa City Book Festival to watch and rank slam poets from UNESCO Cities of Literature around the world as they compete for the 2026 Slamovision title. Scores from this international competition will help determine the winner, who will be crowned at the Slamovision final on November
Pilar Quintana: La perra (The Bitch)
Prairie Lights Books 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IAOn a bluff overlooking Colombia’s rough Pacific coast, at the edge of the jungle—a world where nothing is taken for granted –Damaris lives in a shack with her fisherman husband. Her dream of a child unfulfilled and the warmth of her marriage cooled, she has reached the age “when women dry up,” as her uncle
