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

Brentano String Quartet at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop promotional image

Brentano String Quartet at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop

Thursday, October 8, 2026 1:00pm
Dey House
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa String Quartet Residency Program present the Brentano String Quartet for an intimate hour-long afternoon concert at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Frank Conroy Reading Room.
Craft Talk by Wayne Koestenbaum promotional image

Craft Talk by Wayne Koestenbaum

Friday, October 9, 2026 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Nonfiction Writing House
Krause Series Craft Talk at the Nonfiction Writing Program

Live From Prairie Lights | IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series | Radu Vancu, Harumi Kawaguchi 川口晴美 , & Amber Esau, joined by Lizzie Cusick

Sunday, October 11, 2026 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Prairie Lights Books
Please join us for our annual IWP Sunday Afternoon Reading Series! This week’s event features IWP Residents Radu Vancu, Harumi Kawaguchi 川口晴美 , and Amber Esau, joined by recent Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, Lizzie Cusick.

Program News

A portrait of University of Iowa professor Matthew Neill Null.

Matthew Neill Null helps students find a distinctive voice

Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumnus and associate professor brings a unique approach to fiction and a commitment to helping students develop their own artistic voices.
Marilynne Robinson

Author Marilynne Robinson Looks Back on Her Iowa Influence

Tuesday, September 29, 2026
A headshot of University of Iowa visiting professor Tony Tulathimutte.

A writing life is not a ‘pipe dream’

Thursday, September 17, 2026
Tony Tulathimutte went from an unhappy career in Silicon Valley to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Now the acclaimed writer is helping University of Iowa students envision their own paths forward.