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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241020T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241020T140000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20240912T145233Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241014T143122Z
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SUMMARY:Anne Frank’s Diary – A Multilingual Multimedia Reading
DESCRIPTION:Students from Iowa City\, fluent in 15 different languages\, will present passages from Anne Frank’s diary. This event provides an opportunity for attendees to engage in meaningful dialogue\, reflect on the Holocaust and other tragic global events\, and foster a sense of community as the 95th anniversary of Frank’s diary is commemorated.  \nThe event will include remarks by National Book Award winner Theodore Rosengarten\, a writer\, teacher\, and a social activist from McClellanville\, South Carolina. Rosengarten taught the history of the Holocaust for decades in the Jewish Studies Program at the College of Charleston and in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina.  \nThe first Anne Frank Initiative Little Library\, created in partnership with Clear Creek Amana Middle School\, will be unveiled at the event. Co-presented by the Anne Frank Initiative in International Programs at the University of Iowa. \n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/anne-franks-diary-a-multilingual-multimedia-reading/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Diary-of-Anne-Frank.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241020T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241020T160000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20240920T164804Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240927T153620Z
UID:4021-1729440000-1729440000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Tisa Bryant – Unexplained Presence
DESCRIPTION:A multidisciplinary performance melding film with live readings inspired by Bryant’s book of hybrid essays. \nThis event is co-presented by Refocus Film Festival.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/tisa-bryant-unexplained-presence/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Unexplained-Presence.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20241201T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20241201T160000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20241118T153101Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241118T153101Z
UID:4278-1733061600-1733068800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Let’s Move The Needle: Art and Activism in Community
DESCRIPTION:Join author\, artist and craftivist Shannon Downey for a community stitching event and book launch. Filled with reflection\, activities\, exercises\, prompts\, and stories\, her new book\, Let’s Move the Needle\, is both a how-to guide and a testament to the power of art and handwork to build community and make change. Everyone can be a changemaker\, and change-making can be enjoyable\, and a bit sassy! \nShannon Downey is the founder of Badass Cross Stitch and Seriously Badass Women\, and is an artist\, activist\, craftivist\, community builder\, and general instigator. She is on the faculty at Columbia College Chicago and currently lives in Chicago\, Illinois. \n2-3:00 PM Reading\, Q&A and book-signing – Prairie Lights Books will be here with copies of Shannon Downey’s Let’s Move the Needle for sale. \n3-4:00 PM Community Stitch-Fest – Get inspired and have some fun! Bring a project or we’ll have instructions and a pattern for learning. \nCosponsored by Prairie Lights Books and Home Ec Workshop.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/lets-move-the-needle-art-and-activism-in-community/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Lets-Move-the-Needle.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251005T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251005T140000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250908T171032Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250908T171032Z
UID:4844-1759672800-1759672800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Chris Pio: Nicknames & Mascots book series
DESCRIPTION:Author Chris Pio\, from Cedar Rapids discusses his “Nicknames and Mascots” series which describes the origins\, evolution and relevant meaning of collegiate athletic team nicknames and the colorful\, physical mascot characters that represent the schools.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/chris-pio-nicknames-mascots-book-series/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Governors-Gauchos-and-Gaels.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251006T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251006T190000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250908T170736Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251005T155215Z
UID:4842-1759777200-1759777200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Steve Kemp: An Exaltation of Parks
DESCRIPTION:America’s national parks are facing unprecedented challenges. With visitation pressures mounting and the National Park Service struggling to keep up\, author\, former park ranger\, and Iowa City native Steve Kemp looks toward one exceptionally effective historical example of conservation philanthropy and park building—the collaboration between John D. Rockefeller Jr. and NPS legends Stephen Mather\, Horace Albright\, and Arno Cammerer. \nKemp’s latest book\, An Exaltation of Parks reveals the inspiring story of this collaboration\, showing how the partnership transformed some of America’s most cherished national parks\, including Acadia\, Grand Teton\, Great Smoky Mountains\, Yellowstone\, and Yosemite. It recounts Rockefeller’s lifelong dedication to conservation\, digging into his own pockets and toiling as a volunteer to achieve his goals for converting private land into public use. Bringing to life the history and significance of America’s most magnificent landscapes\, this volume is both a tribute to past conservation victories and a call to action for the future\, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance to preserve these national treasures for generations to come. \nThis event will be livestreamed and archived at the Iowa City Public Library’s YouTube channel.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/steve-kemp-an-exaltation-of-parks/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Exaltation-of-Parks.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251007T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251007T190000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250818T165506Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T192251Z
UID:4702-1759863600-1759863600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Donika Kelly: The Natural Order of Things
DESCRIPTION:What does a life look like on the other side of survival\, and can the one who survived come to recognize that she did? \nDonika Kelly’s poetry is known for its resonant\, unflinching confrontations with trauma and inheritance\, translated through myth and nature. The Natural Order of Things expands these explorations into a new realm: one defined by joy and connection. It is an ode to companionship with people\, animals\, and our planet\, and reveals the reparative power of intimacy. In poems inventive\, playful\, and formally nimble\, Kelly pays homage to the voices and people she comes from\, the songs of her lineage. Other poems follow the early stirrings of love to erotic transcendence with the lover and the self. Throughout\, Kelly finds mirror and marvel in nature\, art\, and precious friendships. Though it once seemed impossible\, she realizes a surprising place for herself\, a rightness in the larger world. \nDonika Kelly is the author of Bestiary\, winner of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award\, and The Renunciations\, winner of the Anisfield Wolf Book Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. \nThis event will be livestreamed at the Iowa City Public Library’s YouTube channel.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/donika-kelly-the-natural-order-of-things/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-Natural-Order-of-Things.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251008T190000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250828T162721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T153308Z
UID:4766-1759950000-1759950000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:John Warner – Only Humans Write: Why You Shouldn’t Outsource Your Humanity to ChatGPT
DESCRIPTION:John Warner\, author of More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI believes there are important distinctions to be made between the writing of humans and the syntax generation of large language models like ChatGPT. These distinctions are at the root of what he believes we should value\, the fact that human communication comes from our “unique intelligences” and that humans are not reducible to patterns and predictions. In this presentation he will talk about how to navigate the tensions that generative AI has introduced into our schools\, workplaces\, and lives in order to preserve essential and meaningful experiences related to our deepest human selves. \nIn the book\, Warner argues that generative AI programs like ChatGPT not only can kill the student essay but should\, since these assignments don’t challenge students to do the real work of writing. To Warner\, writing is thinking—discovering your ideas while trying to capture them on a page—and feeling—grappling with what it fundamentally means to be human. The fact that we ask students to complete so many assignments that a machine could do is a sign that something has gone very wrong with writing instruction. More Than Words calls for us to use AI as an opportunity to reckon with how we work with words—and how all of us should rethink our relationship with writing. \nThis event will be livestreamed and archived at the Iowa City Public Library’s YouTube channel. \n  \nCo-Presented by the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication \n \n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/john-warner/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/More-than-Words.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251010T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251010T120000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250828T163652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250908T171648Z
UID:4776-1760097600-1760097600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:International Writing Program Panel: Trials and Tribulations of Literary Translation
DESCRIPTION:A panel featuring International Writing Program participants Tomás Downey (Argentina) and Florencia del Campo (Spain)\, with guest author Kazim Ali.  \nThe International Writing Program (IWP) is a unique conduit for the world’s literatures\, connecting well-established writers from around the globe\, bringing international literature into classrooms\, introducing American writers to other cultures through reading tours\, and serving as a clearinghouse for literary news and a wealth of archival and pedagogical materials. Since 1967\, over 1\,600 writers from more than 160 countries have been in residence at the University of Iowa.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/international-writing-program-discussion-series/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IWP.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251010T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251010T173000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250908T172033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T155826Z
UID:4851-1760117400-1760117400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:SlamoVision Watch & Judge Party
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special SlamoVision judging night! Attendees will watch performances from slam poets representing 17 UNESCO Cities of Literature around the world and help decide the outcome by scoring each one. Enjoy free pizza while you cast your votes—the scores from Iowa City will be combined with those from other cities to help crown the next international SlamoVision champion.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/slamovision-watch-judge-party/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/gif:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SlamOVision-1024x1024-1.gif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T100000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250909T145721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250909T145721Z
UID:4874-1760176800-1760176800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Laura Julier – Off Izaak Walton Road: The Grace That Comes Through Loss
DESCRIPTION:Loss and sorrow can overwhelm even the strongest person\, forcing them to reckon with their emotions whether they want to or not. In this extraordinary debut\, Laura Julier recounts her reckoning\, which took place in an old cabin tucked away on a hidden and forgotten gravel road along the Iowa River. In company with silence and snow\, with eagles\, owls\, and a host of other birds\, Julier finds solace and begins to emerge from the dark corners of grief. Over time\, she comes to understand she cannot bury grief or turn aside from loss but must walk in its presence\, awake and humble\, until\, at last\, she finds her own wholeness within it.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/laura-julier/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Off-Izaak-Walton-Road.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T150000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20230915T171850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250905T184020Z
UID:3177-1760176800-1760194800@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Friends Foundation Pop-up Used Book Sale
DESCRIPTION:Stop by the lobby of the Iowa City Public Library between festival events to browse for a new (to you) book.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/friends-foundation-pop-up-used-book-sale/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Friends-Foundation.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T113000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250908T180037Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250909T152742Z
UID:4870-1760182200-1760182200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Ted Geltner: Flagrant\, Self-Destructive Gestures
DESCRIPTION:The year was 1988\, and Denis Johnson was at a low point. He caught malaria on a reporting trip into the jungles of the Philippines and was nearly pronounced dead. The disease left him unable to write. His second wife left him. He didn’t have enough money to pay his taxes. His publisher was waiting for a book that he hadn’t started. But in the life of Denis Johnson\, when things were at their bleakest\, something good was usually waiting around the next corner. This time\, what emerged from the chaos was his masterpiece Jesus’ Son\, a book that would tap into the zeitgeist of the 1990s and become a bible for Generation X and an American classic. \nFlagrant\, Self-Destructive Gestures tells the complete story of Johnson’s fascinating life\, his thrill-seeking trips into war zones as a magazine correspondent\, his battles with addiction\, his live-it-before-you-write-it style of fiction. It follows the arc of his tremendous body of work as a novelist\, journalist\, poet\, and playwright\, and in the process recovers the true stories from the hazy myths that one of our most beloved\, yet enigmatic\, writers left behind.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/ted-geltner-flagrant-self-destructive-gestures/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Flagrant-Self-Destructive-Gestures-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T130000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250908T175748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250909T152639Z
UID:4868-1760187600-1760187600@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Art Cullen: We Crapped In Our Nest
DESCRIPTION:We have fouled our nest over the past half century in a way that was almost unavoidable\, given our history of seeking domination — first over the Indigenous people of the Western World\, then over their land. Native people for millennia lived with the land in a vital relationship. Europeans set out to transform that relationship brutally\, and this destruction has reached a head. We simply cannot go on like this\, washing our soil down the river while the planet bakes\, ignoring our own immigration story. \nAs Art writes\, “Fifty years around a small town amid the teeming waves of golden corn\, a lot has changed\, but corn remains king\, just like when we were in school. But the place we knew is gone\, that world of family farms and the Saturday livestock auction. We are the poorer for it. This is how it went down\, or at least how I put it down\, in notes compiled over this strange time from Irving Street just up from the lake in the small town we called home.”
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/art-cullen-we-crapped-in-our-nest/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Dear-Marty-We-Crapped-in-Our-Nest.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T143000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250919T185449Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250924T200554Z
UID:4945-1760193000-1760193000@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Christina Ward: Holy Food
DESCRIPTION:Does God have a recipe? Christina Ward’s Holy Food:  How Cults\, Communes\, and Religious Movements Influenced What We Eat – An American History investigates the explosion of religious movements since the Great Awakenings that birthed a cottage industry of food fads and cookbooks.  Ward uncovers the interconnectivity between obscure sects and communities of the 20th Century who dabbled in vague spirituality and used food to both entice and control followers. Holy Food draws on a range of sources\, including academic studies\, interviews\, cookbooks\, and religious texts\, to offer sharp insights into American history in this highly readable journey through the American kitchen. \n“Looks yummy!”\n— John Waters \n“Holy Food is a titanic feat of research and a fascinating exploration of American faith and culinary rites. Christina Ward is the perfect guide – generous\, wise\, and ecumenical.” — Adam Chandler\, author of Drive-Thru Dreams
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/christina-ward-holy-food/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Holy-Food.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251011T160000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20250908T172953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250924T201540Z
UID:4857-1760198400-1760198400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Anna Barker: 13 Notes from Napoleon\, Iowa: Musings on the Edge of the French Empire
DESCRIPTION:Born on August 15\, 1769\, in Ajaccio\, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica\, Napoleon was the ruler of Iowa between 1800 and 1803 when he served as the First Consul of the French Republic. Iowa City\, Iowa\, evolved out of the 1838 settlement named after him — Napoleon\, Iowa — the location marked today by Napoleon Park\, off Napoleon Lane\, just south of Iowa City. The book illuminates aspects of Iowa’s French past\, such as cities named after the Napoleonic battles of Marengo and Waterloo\, and explains the mystery of Iowa’s distinctly French-looking flag. Along the way\, the author muses on other Napoleon-related matters\, such as Empire waist gowns\, Goethe’s and Byron’s Bonapartism\, the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo\, the Congress of Vienna\, and to what extent Europe’s current internal contradictions have been impacted by its Napoleonic past.
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/anna-barker-13-notes-from-napoleon-iowa-musings-on-the-edge-of-the-french-empire/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Anna-Barker-cover.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251012T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251012T123000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20220831T160317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T153351Z
UID:1905-1760272200-1760272200@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Poetry in Public Reading Featuring Iowa’s Student Poet Ambassador\, Daniel Umemezie
DESCRIPTION:Daniel Umemezie\, 2025–26 Iowa Student Poet Ambassador\nPoetry in Public celebrates our community’s rich literary tradition and local writing talent by displaying poems by writers of all ages. Hear from some of the 2025 Selected Poets. This event is live and in-person\, and will be streamed live at: https://www.youtube.com/thelibrarychannel \nFeaturing special guest\, Daniel Somotochukwu Umemezie\, the 2025–26 Iowa Student Poet Ambassador. \nParticipating Poets: \nKiley Adkins | Philip Beck | Dan Campion | Melanie Hester | Jennifer Horn-Frasier | Jessica Moore | Anna Moyers Stone | Charlotte Pearl | Mazzy Sleep | Rich Sokoli | Anjali Strand \nIf your poem was selected for Poetry in Public 2025 and you’d like to read it at the event\, please email us at info@iowacityofliterature.org
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/poetry-in-public-reading/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:Iowa City Book Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Poetry-in-Public-icon.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251118T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251118T190000
DTSTAMP:20260405T044412
CREATED:20251009T154641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T174337Z
UID:5079-1763492400-1763492400@www.iowacityofliterature.org
SUMMARY:Paul Engle’s Community of Writers
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a special conversation with Paul Engle’s daughter\, Mary Burge. Growing up during the early years of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop\, Mary witnessed its history firsthand and will share vivid stories from that time. She will be joined by her partner\, Will Boutelle\, the “boy next door” in Engle’s American Child sonnets\, who will also share memories and reflections. \nFeaturing special guest\, Reed Hagan\, winner of the 2025 Paul Engle Glory of the Senses High School Essay Contest. \nThis program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. \nPaul Engle (October 12\, 1908 – March 22\, 1991)\, was born in Cedar Rapids\, Iowa\, on October 12\, 1908\, and grew up in a frame house in the Wellington Heights area. After graduating from Washington High School in Cedar Rapids\, Engle attended Coe College and the University of Iowa where he was one of the first students to earn an advanced degree based on a thesis of creative work—a collection of poems.  His first published collection\, Worn Earth\, went on to win the Yale Series of Young Poets. His best-selling second book of poetry\, American Song\, was heralded on the cover of the New York Times Book Review in a headline declaring him “A New Voice in American Poetry”.  After Iowa\, Engle travelled as a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford University in England. \nThough Engle did not found the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa\, he built its reputation as the top graduate writing program in the United States. During his tenure as director\, he was responsible for luring some of the finest writers of the day to Iowa City: Phillip Roth\, John Berryman\, Kurt Vonnegut\, and many other prominent novelists and poets served as faculty under Engle. Additionally\, Engle increased enrollment and oversaw numerous students of future fame and influence\, including Flannery O’Connor\, John Irving\, Raymond Carver\, William Stafford\, and Robert Bly. \nAfter directing the Writers’ Workshop for twenty-four years\, Engle and future-second-wife Nieh Hualing co-founded The University of Iowa’s International Writing Program\, which invited dozens of published authors from around the globe to visit the University of Iowa to write and collaborate. For their work with the IWP\, Engle and his wife were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976.  Engle died at the age of eighty-two\, having published fourteen books of poetry\, a novel\, a memoir\, and an opera libretto\, and his literary legacy lives on in the lives and works of those authors he helped to educate and inspire. \nIn 2000\, nearly a decade after his death\, Paul Engle was declared Iowa’s “Poet of the Century” and then-Governor Tom Vilsack declared that Engle’s birthday\, October 12th\, would hereafter be known as “Paul Engle Day” to honor this life of creativity\, mentorship\, and generosity. \nLearn more about Paul Engle by watching our documentary\, City of Literature\n\n 
URL:https://www.iowacityofliterature.org/event/paul-engles-utopian-community-of-writers/
LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 S. Linn St.\, Iowa City\, IA\, 52240\, United States
CATEGORIES:General
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