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.

About the Writers' Workshop

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Upcoming Events

Porchlight Lit Arts Center | Rooftop Music & Reading Series: Jordan Sellergren, Elizabeth Willis, Mark Levine, Sarah Minor

Friday, August 28, 2026 7:00pm
Market House
Workshop fiction faculty members, Elizabeth Willis and Mark Levine, and Workshop grad Sarah Minor join Porchlight Lit Arts Center for an evening of music, poetry, and prose.
Art & Write Night promotional image

Art & Write Night

Friday, September 4, 2026 6:00pm to 8:00pm
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

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...

Book Club at the Museum promotional image

Book Club at the Museum

Monday, September 14, 2026 7:00pm to 7:30pm
Old Capitol Museum

Students, join the book club that meets monthly inside the iconic Old Capitol Museum, with books chosen by you. Come read, wonder, and connect as we transform this timeless building into a cozy retreat for shared stories and spirited discussion in the Pentacrest Museums first ever student book club.

For the Fall 2026 semester, Book Club @ the Museum will meet on the following Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Old Cap:

September 14: We'll pick a book and make "junk journals" together.

October 12...

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Program News

A headshot of Christopher Merrill, who has been named the 15th recipient of the Paul Engle Prize, presented by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization.

Christopher Merrill named 2026 Paul Engle Prize winner

Friday, August 28, 2026
Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature
Christopher Merrill has been named the 15th recipient of the Paul Engle Prize, presented by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization.
A headshot of award-winning author and Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Tony Tulathimutte, the inaugural recipient of the Jack Galef Literary Arts Award.

Iowa grad Tony Tulathimutte receives inaugural Jack Galef Literary Arts Award

Thursday, August 20, 2026
Sara Epstein Moninger
Iowa Now
Award-winning author and Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate Tony Tulathimutte is the inaugural recipient of the Jack Galef Literary Arts Award. Tulathimutte is a visiting faculty member in residence at the workshop this fall.

Marilyn Monroe Photos Featured in New Book by Workshop Grad

Thursday, August 6, 2026
Emma Conway
Iowa Now
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