BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature - ECPv5.16.1.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Chicago
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20230312T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20231105T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20240310T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20241103T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20250309T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20251102T070000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0600
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:CDT
DTSTART:20260308T080000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0600
TZNAME:CST
DTSTART:20261101T070000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260912T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260912T103000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T152842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T152842Z
UID:5659-1789209000-1789209000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Poetry Exchange
DESCRIPTION:This writer guided critique group offers poets the chance to receive carefully considered feedback\, and find writerly community.  \nWriters 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. \nFor more information on how to join\, visit their website!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-poetry-exchange/2026-09-12/
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/Porch.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260906T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260906T100000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T155437Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T155437Z
UID:5673-1788688800-1788688800@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/2026-09-06/
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:20260905T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260905T190000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260825T004809Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260825T004809Z
UID:6007-1788634800-1788634800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: International Lights Salon Series
DESCRIPTION:Enjoy conversation\, connection\, and community over light snacks and wine. A collaboration with the International Writing Program\, the International Lights Salon provides a space for visiting International writers\, local artists\, university students\, and community members to engage in dialogue. \nSeptember 5th’s topic will revolve around queer aesthetics in writing and creating queer writing communities. The conversationalists will be: \n \nNina Dragičević is a poet\, writer\, sound artist\, and sociologist\, the author of nine volumes of poetry\, essays\, and theory\, as well as numerous sound-poetry compositions and installations. Known for a distinct formal and stylistic hybridity\, linguistic precision\, and an articulated queer and feminist stance\, her work has been characterised by critics as “striking\,” “pioneering\,” and “majestic\,” as “strong\, powerful poetry that deserves a lot of attention.” \nDragičević is the recipient of the 2025 Lastovka Award\, the 2023 Werner Düttmann Fellowship (Akademie der Künste\, Berlin)\, the 2023 Dr Ana Mayer Kansky Award (University of Ljubljana)\, the 2021 Jenko Award\, the 2020 Župančič Award\, two 2018 Knight of Poetry Awards\, and was a 2018 Palma Ars Acustica finalist. \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. \nJun Li is a Hong Kong writer director. His film works include Tracey (2018)\, Drifting (2021)\, and Queerpanorama (2025). He won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director at the 58th and 62nd Golden Horse Film Awards for the latter two. His theatre works include Song of Grief (2018-2019) and In a Perfect World (2025)\, which is nominated for Best Production and Best Play at the Hong Kong Drama Awards. \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. \nElizabeth Rodriguez Fielder is a scholar of twentieth and twenty-first century transnational American literature and culture. Her teaching and research interests include multiethnic literature and culture\, (specifically African American and Latinx Studies)\, performance studies\, women of color feminism\, southern studies\, and social movement activism. She received her PhD from University of Mississippi in English; an MA in American Studies from Columbia University; and a BA in English/Creative Writing from SUNY Binghamton. Her book project “Cultural Activism and the Civil Rights Movement” is a multidisciplinary study of creative activism and performance by minority artists and revolutionaries in the 1960s and 70s. This book engages in the role of creativity in social movements and argues that the aesthetics of cultural production shaped civil rights politics. Rodriguez Fielder presents a vision of social movement activism where the collaborative production of performances and of experimental media overlapped with quotidian activities\, such as farming okra and sewing quilts.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-international-lights-salon-series/
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/ea1687_4a0ed3f546e94a9494a69e94ab145901mv2.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260905T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260905T130000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260811T154540Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T154540Z
UID:5838-1788613200-1788613200@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/
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:20260830T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260830T153000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260811T152941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T152941Z
UID:5823-1788103800-1788103800@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-2/2026-08-30/
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:20260828T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260828T190000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260811T154033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T154033Z
UID:5835-1787943600-1787943600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Rooftop Music and Reading Series
DESCRIPTION:Join PorchLight on the deck of Market House in IC’s North Side 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 come alone. Stay for the lovely views\, and good company. \nOur August session features: \nJordan Sellergren: Jordan Sellergren is the owner and publisher of Little Village\, Iowa’s independent news\, arts and culture magazine. Her second full-length album\, “Sweet\, Bitter Tears” was released in 2020. \nElizabeth Willis: Elizabeth Willis’s most recent book is Liontaming in America (New Directions\, 2024). Her previous books of poetry include Alive: New and Selected Poems (New York Review Books\, 2015)\, which was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry; Address (Wesleyan University Press\, 2011)\, recipient of the PEN New England/L. L. Winship Prize for Poetry; Meteoric Flowers (Wesleyan University Press\, 2006); Turneresque (Burning Deck\, 2003); The Human Abstract (Penguin\, 1995); and Second Law (Avenue B\, 1993). She also writes about contemporary poetry and has edited a volume of essays entitled Radical Vernacular: Lorine Niedecker and the Poetics of Place (University of Iowa Press\, 2008). \nMark Levine: Mark Levine is the author of five books of poems\, most recently Sound Fury (2022)\, as well as Debt (1993)\, Enola Gay (2000)\, The Wilds (2006)\, and Travels of Marco (2016)\, and a book of nonfiction reportage\, F5 (2007). A twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Debt\, with an introduction by Srikanth Reddy\, was published in 2018. Recipient of a Whiting Writers’ Award\, an NEA\, and a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton\, Levine’s poems have be featured in anthologies including Best American Poetry\, Pushcart Prize Anthology\, American Hybrid: A Norton Anthology\, and American Poets in the Twenty-First Century: The New Poetics. Levine has also worked extensively as a long-form journalist for publications including The New York Times Magazine\, The New Yorker\, Outside\, New York\, and Men’s Journal\, and his work has been selected for Best American Magazine Writing and Best American Sports Writing. He is the longtime editor of the Kuhl House Poets series at University of Iowa Press. \nSarah Minor: Dr. Sarah Minor is a writer and interdisciplinary artist and the author of books Slim Confessions: The Universe as a Spider or Spit\, winner of the Noemi Press Book Award for Prose (2021)\, Bright Archive (Rescue Press\, 2020)\, a finalist for the CLMP Firecracker Award in Nonfiction\, and winner of the Big Other Award in Nonfiction and the hybrid chapbook\, The Persistence of The Bonyleg: Annotated (Essay Press 2016)\, winner of the Essay Press Digital Chapbook Contest. Her newest book\, Carousel\, was recently published by Yale University Press in July 2026.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-rooftop-music-and-reading-series/
LOCATION:Market House\, 202 N. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/82ce62_48a0584e78f94dbebedef22fb5ccfe5bmv2.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260826T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260826T183000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260819T152425Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260819T152425Z
UID:5938-1787769000-1787769000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Survivor’s Stories with Margaret Yapp
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the first writing class of DVIP/RVAP’s new initiative: Survivors’ Stories\, a series of five writing classes between August 2026-July 2027. All are free and open to the public\, and survivors are encouraged to attend.  \nAll classes will be trauma-informed\, and focused on themes of reclaiming one’s story\, releasing shame\, healing\, resilience\, and building community. Each workshop will last approximately 1.5 hours and conclude with an optional sharing opportunity for participants who wish to read their work aloud.  \nA trained DVIP/RVAP advocate will be present at each session to provide support if needed.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-survivors-stories-with-margaret-yapp/
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_1ce30bc39c0741bba7a3270e9d5bc0d1mv2.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260821T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260821T190000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260811T153541Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T153541Z
UID:5832-1787338800-1787338800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Send It In!
DESCRIPTION:Curious about where and how to submit your writing to journals or contests? Would some camaraderie help you finally send off that finished piece or complete that residency or fellowship application? Putting your work out there can be hard in a discipline in which rejection is par for the course. \nEach session a different writer will present on an aspect of the submission process. Then\, browse through PorchLights resources or find a cozy chair and get to work! \nThis session’s host will be Scott Russell Morris\, who will talk about poetry versus prose submissions\, how to manage simultaneous submissions\, and how to find the right literary journal for your work. Scott is a writer and enthusiast. He is the author of Points of Tangency: Essays (Cornerstone Press\, Sept 2024) and is the editor and creator of Magpie Zines\, a zine about tarot\, magpies\, and found meaning. He is the Poet Laureate of Mt Vernon\, IA\, and an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Cornell College. \nDrinks and snacks will be served. \nThis session is just for members.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-send-it-in/
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_2ae9848d0c414570ad07b7eff8da91dbmv2.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260817T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260817T103000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260714T160440Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260714T160440Z
UID:5684-1786962600-1786962600@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/2026-08-17/
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:20260816T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260816T173000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260707T173339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T152948Z
UID:5652-1786901400-1786901400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Free Generative Writing Workshop for July: Griffin Rockwell
DESCRIPTION:Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry and PorchLight Literary Arts Center \nThe Free Generative Writing Workshops provide a space for career writers\, curious beginners\, writers of all 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. \nGriffin Rockwell is a queer poet who often writes about gender\, science\, pop culture\, and unusual connections. Xe is the author of the chapbooks listen— (Interstellar Flight Press)\, body in motion (perhappened press)\, and Lexicon of Future Selves (VA Press). Their work has also appeared in AGNI\, Okay Donkey\, Santa Fe Review\, Poet Lore\, Whale Road Review\, HAD\, and elsewhere. They earned their MFA at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and their MLitt at the University of Dundee \nFor more information visit the websites of Iowa City Poetry and/or PorchLight Literary Arts Center!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/free-generative-writing-workshop-for-july-griffin-rockwell/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Free-Gen-Griffin.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260816T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260816T153000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260811T152941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260811T152941Z
UID:5821-1786894200-1786894200@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/
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:20260813T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260813T100000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T155437Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T155437Z
UID:5672-1786615200-1786615200@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/2026-08-13/
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:20260808T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260808T130000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T153803Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T153803Z
UID:5663-1786194000-1786194000@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/2026-08-08/
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/Porch1.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260808T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260808T103000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T152842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T152842Z
UID:5658-1786185000-1786185000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Poetry Exchange
DESCRIPTION:This writer guided critique group offers poets the chance to receive carefully considered feedback\, and find writerly community.  \nWriters 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. \nFor more information on how to join\, visit their website!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-poetry-exchange/2026-08-08/
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/Porch.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260731T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260731T190000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260714T164752Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260714T164857Z
UID:5688-1785524400-1785524400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Rooftop Music & Reading for July
DESCRIPTION:Join PorchLight on the deck of MarketHouse in IC’s North Side 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 lovely views\, and good company. Purchase tickets for the event on the PorchLight website! \n  \nThe July session features: \n \nLauren Haldeman is the author of Instead of Dying (winner of the 2017 Colorado Prize for Poetry)\, Calenday\, and The Eccentricity is Zero. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Poetry\, Tin House\, The Colorado Review\, Fence\, Tupelo Quarterly\, among others. A graphic novelist and poet\, she’s received an Iowa Arts Fellowship\, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award\, and fellowships from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. \n \nScott Russell Morris is a writer and enthusiast. He is the author of Points of Tangency: Essays (Cornerstone Press\, Sept 2024) and is the editor and creator of Magpie Zines\, a zine about tarot\, magpies\, and found meaning. He is the Poet Laureate of Mt Vernon\, IA\, and an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Cornell College. \n \nDeb Talan grew up in the small town of Pelham\, Massachusetts. She later attended Brown University\, where she was a member of the Chattertocks\, Brown’s oldest all-female a cappella group\, before moving to Oregon\, where she was a member of Hummingfish\, a Portland band\, for six years. Talan’s recurring lyrical motifs include celestial objects\, birds\, nature\, and various historical figures (e.g.\, Marc Chagall in “Painting By Chagall\,” Amelia Earhart in “Thinking Amelia\,” and Vincent van Gogh in “Vincent”). Jonathan Lethem’s novel Motherless Brooklyn inspired Talan to write “Tell Your Story Walking”. This song appears on the 2002 album Songs Inspired by Literature (Chapter One)\, a benefit of the organization Artists for Literacy. “Tell Your Story Walking” was the winner of Artists for Literacy’s 2002 songwriting contest. In addition to the Weepies’ albums\, (Steve Tannen is the other half of the duo)\, Talan and Tannen collaborated with singer/actress Mandy Moore on her 2007 album Wild Hope. Together\, they wrote and recorded five songs with Mandy — the single “Extraordinary\,” the title track “Wild Hope\,” “All Good Things\,” “Few Days Down” and “Looking Forward to Looking Back.”[1] “Forgiven” played over the closing credits of the 2001 film Lovely & Amazing. \n \nKeith Pilapil Lesmeister is the author of the story collections Ask Me About the Money and We Could’ve Been Happy Here. A graduate of the Bennington Writing Seminars\, his work has received support from the Anderson Center\, Iowa Arts Council\, and Springboard for the Arts. His fiction has appeared in American Short Fiction\, december magazine\, Gettysburg Review\, New Stories from the Midwest\, North American Review\, Redivider\, Terrain\, and elsewhere. He’s a founding editor of Cutleaf and teaches at Northeast Iowa Community College.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-rooftop-music-reading-for-july/
LOCATION:Market House\, 202 N. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-14-at-11.37.19-AM.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260720T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260720T103000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260714T160440Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260714T160440Z
UID:5682-1784543400-1784543400@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/
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:20260719T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260719T173000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260707T172655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T153006Z
UID:5648-1784482200-1784482200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Free Generative Writing Workshop for July: Leslie Pyo
DESCRIPTION:Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry and PorchLight Literary Arts Center  \nThe Free Generative Writing Workshops provide a space for career writers\, curious beginners\, writers of all 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. \nLESLIE PYO received a Fulbright for Creative Writing in Korea in 2023-24. She is currently completing that project\, a surreal\, bilingual (Korean and English) picture book about the emotional dimensions of heritage language loss and reacquisition. \nFor more information visit the websites of Iowa City Poetry and/or PorchLight Literary Arts Center!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/free-generative-writing-workshop-for-july-leslie-pyo/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Free-gen-Leslie.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260719T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260719T100000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T155437Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T155437Z
UID:5670-1784455200-1784455200@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/
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:20260711T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260711T150000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T154518Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T154518Z
UID:5667-1783782000-1783782000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: The Prose Exchange
DESCRIPTION: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. \nOur critique process centers the writer. This means that\, as a writer\, you get to ask questions and determine the type of feedback you receive. \nThey advise sitting in on a session to determine if this is the workshop for you!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-the-prose-exchange/
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/Porch2.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260711T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260711T130000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T153803Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T153803Z
UID:5661-1783774800-1783774800@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/
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/Porch1.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260711T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260711T103000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260708T152842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260708T152842Z
UID:5656-1783765800-1783765800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Poetry Exchange
DESCRIPTION:This writer guided critique group offers poets the chance to receive carefully considered feedback\, and find writerly community.  \nWriters 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. \nFor more information on how to join\, visit their website!
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-poetry-exchange/
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/Porch.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260626T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260626T190000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260623T170535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260623T170535Z
UID:5624-1782500400-1782500400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:PorchLight: Season Pass to the Rooftop Music & Reading Series
DESCRIPTION:A Magical Melange of Music\, Words\, and Views \n\nJoin 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.   \nBring a buddy\, date\, or go alone. Stay for the gorgeous views\, drinks\, and good company. \nTickets 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
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/porchlight-season-pass-to-the-rooftop-music-reading-series/
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/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-23-at-12.03.45-PM.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260626T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260626T190000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20260611T163528Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260611T163712Z
UID:5565-1782500400-1782500400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Rooftop Music & Reading Series
DESCRIPTION: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. \nVisit Porchlight Literary Arts Center for tickets and more information.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/rooftop-music-reading-series/
LOCATION:Market House\, 202 N. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Rooftop-Reading-Series-6-26-2026.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251116T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251116T113000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20251107T153134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251107T153223Z
UID:5139-1763285400-1763292600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Writing from Stillness: A Workshop on Mindfulness\, Presence\, and Creative Clarity
DESCRIPTION:In her book Relational Mindfulness: A Handbook for Deepening Our Connection with Ourselves\, Each Other\, and the Planet\, Deborah Eden Tull writes that “Deep listening is an act of love. Listening to life as it unfolds moment by moment\, with our full presence\, is the essence of meditation.” In this workshop we’ll explore–through writing and mindfulness exercises– how paying close\, mindful attention to what’s around us\, and within us\, can enhance both our writing and our lived experience as creators. We’ll learn how mindful awareness can quiet the inner critic\, calm our hearts\, sharpen our powers of observation\, and deepen our writing practice. With the help of guided meditations and generative writing prompts\, participants will leave feeling more grounded\, open\, and creatively engaged. This workshop may be of benefit to writers\, professionals\, creatives\, journalers\, or anyone seeking clarity and calm through mindful writing. \nLink: This workshop is free but registration is required. \nInstructor Bio: \nStephen Pradarelli is the communications director for the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation\, a global Buddhist organization founded by Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2016\, he founded Winding Path Sangha\, which offers regular sitting and walking meditation opportunities. He’s a former journalist\, communications strategist\, crisis manager\, book editor\, essayist\, and fiction writer. He’s also a private pilot and loves reading\, hiking\, traveling\, and playing guitar.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/writing-from-stillness-a-workshop-on-mindfulness-presence-and-creative-clarity/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/writing-from-stillness.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251009T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251009T190000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20250828T163355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250828T163355Z
UID:4774-1760036400-1760036400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Teresa Dzieglewicz: Something Small of How to See a River
DESCRIPTION:Something Small of How to See a River interrogates the idea of narrative. Who gets to tell a story and what does it mean when the official story\, the story told by the governor\, the police\, or the local media\, is a fundamentally dishonest one? The poems collected here meditate on failure: how systems fail us and our environment\, how whiteness fails to hold itself accountable\, how future generations and the land are being failed—and how\, in the face of all this\, the Standing Rock movement was not a failure. At the heart of this collection is the strength\, care\, and radical joy of the movement\, which shines through and against the violence. \nTeresa Dzieglewicz is a poet\, educator\, and lover of rivers and prairies. She is a fellow with Black Earth Institute\, a Poet-in-Residence at the Chicago Poetry Center\, and part of the founding team of Mni Wichoni Nakicizin Wounspe (Defenders of the Water School). She organizes “Watershed: Ways of Knowing the Chicago River” with poet/visual artist\, Natasha Mijares. Her first book of poetry\, Something Small of How to See a River was selected by Tyehimba Jess for the Dorset Prize. Her first children’s book\, co-written with Kimimila Locke\,  is forthcoming from Chronicle Books. She has won a Pushcart Prize\, Best New Poets\, the Gingko Prize\, the Auburn Witness Prize\, and the Palette Poetry Prize and has received fellowships from the Elizabeth George Foundation\, Community of Writers at Tahoe\, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center\, and Brooklyn Poets. Her poems appear in Beloit Poetry Journal\, Pleiades\, Ninth Letter\, and elsewhere. Teresa lives with her family in Chicago\, on Potawatomi land.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/teresa-dzieglewicz-something-small-of-how-to-see-a-river/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Something-Small-of-How-to-See-a-River.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241020T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241020T150000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20240723T165918Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241014T191208Z
UID:3631-1729429200-1729436400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:A Lunch and Conversation with Natalie Goldberg
DESCRIPTION:NOTE: This event is sold out. \nNatalie Goldberg has influenced generations of aspiring creative writers with books like Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind. Her books offer  down-to-earth guidance for developing a meaningful writing practice in the real world\, however different that is for each of us. In her new book\, Writing on Empty\, she opens up about a new experience; that of losing her will to write\, and finding her way back to it. Join Natalie at this limited seating\, intimate event. PorchLight director Jennifer Colville will talk with Natalie about how to use her new book. There will be a group conversation and a light lunch. The price of the event includes a copy of “Writing on Empty.” \nNatalie Goldberg is the author of fifteen books\, including Writing Down the Bones (Shambhala\, 1986)\, which has sold over one million copies\, has been translated into fourteen languages\, and started a revolution in the way we practice writing in this country. \nShe recently co-edited a collection of talks by revered zen teacher Katherine Thanas\, The Truth of This Life (Shambhala\, 2018). In her latest memoir Let the Whole Thundering World Come Home(Shambhala\, 2018)\, she shares her experience with cancer grounded in her practice of zen and writing. Her other books include The Great Spring: Writing\, Zen\, and This Zigzag Life (Shambhala\, 2016)\, the novel Banana Rose (Bantam\, 1995)\, and the beloved Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America\, a memoir about her zen teacher Katagiri Roshi. \nNatalie is also a prolific painter. Her book Living Color: Painting\, Writing\, and the Bones of Seeing (Abrams\, 2014)\, describes painting as her second art form. Top of My Lungs (Overlook Press\, 2004) contains forty poems\, twenty of her paintings in color\, and an essay\, “How Poetry Saved My Life.” Natalie’s paintings are available to view on this website. \nFor more than forty years Natalie has practiced zen and taught seminars in writing as a practice. People from around the world attend her life-changing workshops\, and she has earned a reputation as a great teacher. The Oprah Winfrey Show sent a film crew to spend the day with Natalie for a segment on Spirituality that covered her writing\, teaching\, painting\, and walking meditation. She lives in Northern New Mexico. \nTicket link: https://www.porchlightliterary.org/event-details/a-lunch-and-conversation-with-natalie-goldberg
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/a-lunch-and-conversation-with-natalie-goldberg/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/9781250342546_FC.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241016T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241016T190000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20240802T171045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240926T162101Z
UID:3684-1729105200-1729105200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Nancy Miller Gomez – Inconsolable Objects – Reading and Workshop
DESCRIPTION:Nancy Miller Gomez grew up in Kansas\, but currently lives in Santa Cruz\, California. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Best American Poetry\, Best New Poets\, Prairie Schooner\, TriQuarterly\, The Adroit Journal\, Shenandoah\, New Ohio Review\, Rattle\, Massachusetts Review\, River Styx\, American Life in Poetry\, Verse Daily\, The Hopkins Review\, and elsewhere. She received a special mention in the 2023 Pushcart Prize Anthology and her chapbook\, Punishment\, was published as part of the Rattle chapbook series. She co-founded an organization that provides writing workshops to incarcerated women and men and has taught poetry in Salinas Valley State Prison\, the Santa Cruz County Jails and the Juvenile Hall. \nPresented in partnership with Porchlight Literary Arts Center
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/nancy-miller-gomez-reading-and-workshop/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Inconsolable-Objects.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20231014T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20231014T200000
DTSTAMP:20261012T143741
CREATED:20230906T155653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230908T151643Z
UID:3076-1697306400-1697313600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Open House Party at PorchLight Literary Arts Center
DESCRIPTION:Join us for drinks and appetizers at PorchLight Literary Arts Center. Walk through our space and find out about all we do: residencies\, our new co-op model\, Misfit Master Classes\, the PromptPress Reading Room\, and our free programming.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/open-house-party-at-porchlight-literary-arts-center/
LOCATION:PorchLight Literary Arts Center\, 1019 E Washington St\, Iowa City\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Porchlight.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR