For more than 80 years writers have come to Iowa City to work on their manuscripts and to exchange ideas about writing and reading with each other and with the faculty. Many of them have gone on to publish award-winning work after graduating. With the spirit of an arts colony and the benefits of the research University of which we are a part, the Writers' Workshop continues to foster and to celebrate American literature in all its varied forms.

Upcoming Events

Events

Art & Write Night promotional image

Art & Write Night

Friday, April 4, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
NOTE: The April 4th occurrence in this series will move to the Old Capitol Museum for a very special 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...
Mission Creek Festival: Srikanth Reddy in conversation with Donika Kelly promotional image

Mission Creek Festival: Srikanth Reddy in conversation with Donika Kelly

Saturday, April 5, 2025 2:00pm
FilmScene (Chauncey)
Srikanth Reddy in conversation with Donika KellyLiteratureVenue: FilmScene Theater 3Date: Saturday, April 5Doors: 1:45 PMSrikanth Reddy: 2:00 PMAdmission: Free and open to the public!Srikanth Reddy is a poet, literary editor, and occasional book critic with an interest in inkblots, underworlds, erasures, and uncertain translations, among other topics. Since 2003, he has taught at the University of Chicago, where he offers courses on parody, obscenity, and contemporary literary publishing.His...

Live from Prairie Lights | Chris Offutt

Wednesday, April 9, 2025 7:00pm
Prairie Lights Books
Chris Offutt will read from his new novel, The Reluctant Sheriff. Chris Offutt grew up in Haldeman, Kentucky, population 200, a former mining town in the Appalachian hills. His books include Shifty's Boys, The Killing Hills, Country Dark, Kentucky Straight, Out of the Woods, The Good Brother, The Same River Twice, No Heroes, and My Father the Pornographer. He wrote and produced scripts for True Blood, Weeds, and Treme.  His television work was nominated for an Emmy. His work is in many...