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MusicIC 2023: Anonymous was a Woman: Centering Women’s Perspectives

Posted on June 8, 2023 by unesco-ic

MusicIC returns June 21-24, 2023, for its 13th season. Titled after the line “for most of history, Anonymous was a woman,” from Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, the festival […]

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Marathon reading of Shakespeare’s sonnets set for April 23

Posted on April 14, 2023 by unesco-ic
William Shakespeare on a logo showing the date and time for this event.

April is Shakespeare’s birthday month (not to mention National Poetry Month), and Riverside Theatre and the City of Literature will celebrate by highlighting literary masterpieces rarely explored on stage: the […]

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Johnson County Great Give Day

Posted on April 6, 2023 by unesco-ic

Join us on May 3rd to celebrate the important work of Johnson County nonprofit organizations! We are participating in Johnson County Great Give Day – a day of raising dollars […]

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Davenport student named 2023-24 Iowa Student Poet Ambassador

Posted on March 24, 2023 by unesco-ic

Davenport high school student Lola Nakashima-Brooke has been named the Iowa Student Poet Ambassador (ISPA) for 2023-24. Nakashima-Brooke, a junior at Davenport Central High School, will be inaugurated in Des […]

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Local poetry reading part of worldwide World Poetry Day celebrations

Posted on March 17, 2023 by unesco-ic

A multilingual poetry reading the evening of March 21 in Iowa City will be among several events taking place around the world as the UNESCO Cities of Literature celebrate World […]

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Top student writers honored at One Book Two Book festival

Posted on February 7, 2023 by unesco-ic

The Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization’s annual One Book Two Book Children’s Literature Festival will recognize the creative excellence of more than 30 area students as part of […]

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Submissions open for 2023 Poetry in Public

Posted on February 1, 2023 by unesco-ic

Poetry in Public celebrates our community’s rich literary tradition and local writing talent by displaying poems by writers of all ages. Johnson County residents are invited to submit poems to […]

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Cities of Literature recommend books tied to Sustainable Development Goals

Posted on December 6, 2022 by unesco-ic

A new angle on the conventional end-of-year “best of” lists sees the UNESCO Cities of Literature, led by Iowa City, take to Twitter from Dec. 1-17, with their lists of […]

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Slam-O-Vision 2022

Posted on November 21, 2022 by unesco-ic

Slam-O-Vision, the spoken word version of Eurovision, hosted by the Cities of Literature — where each City slams their way to the grand title Slamovision Champion! In 2022, Slam-O-Vision is […]

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Two Iowa City writers among new virtual residents in Melbourne

Posted on October 28, 2022 by unesco-ic

Two Iowa City writers were selected for the 2022 Virtual Writing Residency program from the Melbourne City of Literature. Georgie Fehringer will work with the Emerging Writers’ Festival to connect […]

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Recent Posts

  • Winners named in City of Literature student essay contest
  • Cole Swensen named 2025 Paul Engle Prize winner
  • Slamovision qualifying slam set for Sept. 9
  • Statement on U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO
  • 2025 Iowa City Book Festival set for Oct. 5-12

Our Mission

To build and support diverse communities of writers and audiences through the transformative power of story.

Our Vision

We lead by inclusion and collaboration, celebrating the emotions, discovery and connections inspired by the written word in all its forms.

Our Values

• Collaboration: we engage in complementary and cooperative work.
• Community: we foster inclusive engagement to create connection locally and globally.
• Creativity: we seek, engage, and support innovation.

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