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Writing-related events take place nearly every day of the year in Iowa City. Use this page to stay up to date on upcoming author readings, book signings, lectures, Q&As, and other unique opportunities scheduled around town.
Upcoming
Live from Prairie Lights | Matthew Neill Null - 'Floodgate'
Application Deadline: Fall 2026 Obermann Writing Collective
This program offers accountability to artists, scholars, and researchers working on any kind of writing project (articles, essays, fellowship or grant applications, dissertations, book projects, edited volumes, etc.) who want dedicated time, a cozy space, and a community for the practice of writing. Each group meets once a week for 1.5 hours in the Writers' Attic at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies (111 Church St.). Weekly writing sessions include brief check-ins, goal setting, and...
Porchlight Lit Arts Center | Rooftop Music & Reading Series: Jordan Sellergren, Elizabeth Willis, Mark Levine, Sarah Minor
All Events
Live from Prairie Lights | Matthew Neill Null - 'Floodgate'
Application Deadline: Fall 2026 Obermann Writing Collective
This program offers accountability to artists, scholars, and researchers working on any kind of writing project (articles, essays, fellowship or grant applications, dissertations, book projects, edited volumes, etc.) who want dedicated time, a cozy space, and a community for the practice of writing. Each group meets once a week for 1.5 hours in the Writers' Attic at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies (111 Church St.). Weekly writing sessions include brief check-ins, goal setting, and...
Porchlight Lit Arts Center | Rooftop Music & Reading Series: Jordan Sellergren, Elizabeth Willis, Mark Levine, Sarah Minor
Live from Prairie Lights | IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series | Sarah Gilmartin, Iván Hochman, Lauren Haldeman, and Devanshi Khetarpal
MFA Info Series | To MFA or Not to MFA
Hajar Hussaini Keynote Lecture, Translating Afghanistan Conference
You are invited to the Translating Afghanistan Keynote with 2026 Whiting Award in Poetry Recipient Hajar Hussaini! September 1, 2026 at 7 PM, in the Iowa Memorial Union International Ballroom!
Live from Prairie Lights | Will Boast - The Submerged
Art & Write Night
Join the long, rich, historical tradition of artists creating in our spaces.
Professional, aspiring, and amateur artists alike, make our museum your muse. The return of this popular program series welcomes guests into the Museum of Natural History's magical gallery spaces after-hours to work on sketching or writing projects with other campus and community artists.
Tell a friend, grab a notebook, and join us on the first Friday of each month. We'll provide a new inspo prompt for each session and...
Live from Prairie Lights | Giano Cromley - American Mythology
One of Us | Horror Book Fair
Founded in 2025 by Filthy Loot Press, the event was built to give Midwest underground and transgressive creatives a real-world space to connect with readers and with each other, and to celebrate the DIY spirit that keeps independent horror alive.
Live From Prairie Lights | IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series | Nisrine Mbarki Ben Ayad, Nina Dragičević, Hidayat Nordin, and Zubair Siddiqui
Live from Prairie Lights | Chris Vinsonhaler - Beowulf: An Epic Enigma
Application Deadline: Faculty Book Proposal Workshop with Walter Biggins, Obermann Editor-in-Residence
For this workshop, five UI faculty members will submit book proposal drafts for a collaborative feedback session on Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon, led by Walter Biggins, editor-in-chief at University of Pennsylvania Press. The session is designed to help authors write a compelling book proposal, with a focus on crafting a strong pitch, identifying target audiences, and outlining the project’s structure. The workshop’s goal is for participants to walk away with a strong and cohesive book...
Live from Prairie Lights | Tabatha Leggett in conv with Jan Steyn - Enchantment
Live From Prairie Lights | Tabatha Leggett in conversation with Jan Steyn - Enchantment
Live From Prairie Lights | Patricia Albers in conv with Garth Greenwell - Everything Is Photograph: A Life of André Kertész
Read on the Rug
Read on the Rug is back with monthly offerings but we're moving to FRIDAYS!
Join us on the second Friday of each month in Iowa Hall at the UI Museum of Natural History for Read on the Rug. Ideal for families or caregivers with kiddos aged 2-5, all are welcome to this free educational program. This program series was designed with our youngest museum lovers in mind. Come along as we build community and inspire a sense of wonder, curiosity, and respect for our natural and cultural worlds with...
Live From Prairie Lights | Lizzie Buehler in conv with Julia Conrad - The Obsessed
Live from Prairie Lights | Luis Muñoz, Garth Greenwell, & Idra Novey - 'One Moment: Poems'
Writing at Iowa Fall Kick-Off Open House and Reading
Join us for our free Fall Kick Off Event, on Sept. 18 from 2-6pm. The event will feature special readings from Melissa Febos, Lan Samantha Chang and Kaveh Akbar, along with undergraduate literary mag readings, a book fair, free swag, food + more!
2 PM: Book Fair
4 PM: Undergraduate Lit Reading
5 PM: Faculty reading with Melissa Febos, Lan Samantha Chang and Kaveh Akbar
Book Matters: Kathy Lavezzo and William Rhodes
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop
Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen and adult writers in all genres are welcome.
Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...
RSVP Deadline: AMA with Walter Biggins, Obermann Editor-in-Residence
UI faculty, students, and staff are invited to attend ask-me-anything group discussions with Walter Biggins—editor-in-chief at University of Pennsylvania Press—at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1 at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies. Questions might address finding an editor, pitching a book, writing a book proposal, how the publishing process works, etc.
There will be two back-to-back discussions; you may attend one or both.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, September 30.
Free and open to all.
Bi...
Registration Deadline: Undergraduate Career Session with Walter Biggins, Obermann Editor-in-Residence
Interested in a career in publishing? In this session on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at noon at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, Walter Biggins, editor-in-chief at University of Pennsylvania Press, will discuss his career path and editorial work. This is an opportunity for students to hear directly from a distinguished professional about the realities of the field and to gain insight into how to prepare for a career in publishing. Pizza will be provided!
Please register by Wednesday, September 30.
B...
Registration Deadline: Junior Faculty and Graduate Student Session with Walter Biggins, Obermann Editor-in-Residence
University of Iowa junior faculty and graduate students at all stages are invited to join Walter Biggins—editor-in-chief at the University of Pennsylvania Press—for a light breakfast and a conversation about turning an article, thesis, or dissertation into a book on Tuesday, Oct. 6, from 9–10:30 a.m. at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies library. Please bring any questions you have about that process or about scholarly publishing in general.
Register by Wednesday, September 30.
Biggins is...
Live from Prairie Lights | Kyle McCarthy in conversation with Kevin Brockmeier - 'Immersions'
Art & Write Night
Join the long, rich, historical tradition of artists creating in our spaces.
Professional, aspiring, and amateur artists alike, make our museum your muse. The return of this popular program series welcomes guests into the Museum of Natural History's magical gallery spaces after-hours to work on sketching or writing projects with other campus and community artists.
Tell a friend, grab a notebook, and join us on the first Friday of each month. We'll provide a new inspo prompt for each session and...
Global Express
Students from the UI Department of Theatre Arts bring the page to life in an evening of staged readings of work by the International Writing Program Fall Residents.
Global Express is a unique opportunity for writers from around the world and performers at Iowa to meet, work together, and present their work live on stage. Global Express, now, in its 25th year, help us to recognize our common humanity while celebrating our differences. The Express, part dramatic reading, part solo-turn, part poetry...
Read on the Rug
Read on the Rug is back with monthly offerings but we're moving to FRIDAYS!
Join us on the second Friday of each month in Iowa Hall at the UI Museum of Natural History for Read on the Rug. Ideal for families or caregivers with kiddos aged 2-5, all are welcome to this free educational program. This program series was designed with our youngest museum lovers in mind. Come along as we build community and inspire a sense of wonder, curiosity, and respect for our natural and cultural worlds with...
Craft Talk by Wayne Koestenbaum
Book Reading by Wayne Koestenbaum
Save the Date: 2026 Literary Legends Featuring Pulitzer Prize winner Yiyun Li (00MS, 05MFA)
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop
Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen and adult writers in all genres are welcome.
Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...
Art & Write Night
Join the long, rich, historical tradition of artists creating in our spaces.
Professional, aspiring, and amateur artists alike, make our museum your muse. The return of this popular program series welcomes guests into the Museum of Natural History's magical gallery spaces after-hours to work on sketching or writing projects with other campus and community artists.
Tell a friend, grab a notebook, and join us on the first Friday of each month. We'll provide a new inspo prompt for each session and...
Read on the Rug
Read on the Rug is back with monthly offerings but we're moving to FRIDAYS!
Join us on the second Friday of each month in Iowa Hall at the UI Museum of Natural History for Read on the Rug. Ideal for families or caregivers with kiddos aged 2-5, all are welcome to this free educational program. This program series was designed with our youngest museum lovers in mind. Come along as we build community and inspire a sense of wonder, curiosity, and respect for our natural and cultural worlds with...
Book Matters: Tisa Bryant and Sarah Minor
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop
Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen and adult writers in all genres are welcome.
Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...
Art & Write Night
Join the long, rich, historical tradition of artists creating in our spaces.
Professional, aspiring, and amateur artists alike, make our museum your muse. The return of this popular program series welcomes guests into the Museum of Natural History's magical gallery spaces after-hours to work on sketching or writing projects with other campus and community artists.
Tell a friend, grab a notebook, and join us on the first Friday of each month. We'll provide a new inspo prompt for each session and...
Read on the Rug
Read on the Rug is back with monthly offerings but we're moving to FRIDAYS!
Join us on the second Friday of each month in Iowa Hall at the UI Museum of Natural History for Read on the Rug. Ideal for families or caregivers with kiddos aged 2-5, all are welcome to this free educational program. This program series was designed with our youngest museum lovers in mind. Come along as we build community and inspire a sense of wonder, curiosity, and respect for our natural and cultural worlds with...
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop
Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen and adult writers in all genres are welcome.
Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop
Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen and adult writers in all genres are welcome.
Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop
Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen and adult writers in all genres are welcome.
Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...
Iowa New Play Festival
Iowa New Play Festival
Iowa New Play Festival
Iowa New Play Festival
Iowa New Play Festival
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop
Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen and adult writers in all genres are welcome.
Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...