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.

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Events

Live from Prairie Lights | Michelle Huneven - 'Bug Hollow'

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 7:00pm
Prairie Lights Books
Iowa Writers' Workshop alum and former visiting instructor Michelle Huneven will read from her newest novel, Bug Hollow. Featuring and examining the lives of a family rocked by the tragic death of their oldest child Ellis shortly after he graduated from high school, Bug Hollow is praised by Booklist as "a gift" and "a family story that speaks of the joys, sorrows, and surprising possibilities of human connection," while Ann Napolitano, bestselling author of Hello Beautiful, says, "Reading the...

Live from Prairie Lights | Madeline McDonnell in conv with Stephen Lovely - 'Lonesome Ballroom'

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 7:00pm
Prairie Lights Books
Iowa Writers' Workshop alum Madeline McDonnell will read from her newest novel, Lonesome Ballroom, and will be joined in conversation with fellow Writers' Workshop alum and current director of the Iowa Young Writers' Studio, Stephen Lovely. Set in a bar in the early-aughts and featuring a far-ranging conversation between patron/protagonist Betty Block and bartender Lizzie about everything from "gender’s relationship to popular aesthetics that swirls from ancient epics to turn-of-the-millennium...
100-Word Microstory Contest promotional image

100-Word Microstory Contest

Monday, July 14 to Friday, July 25, 2025 (all day)
Virtual
Our 100-Word Microstory Contest is a free online writing competition for a variety of age groups. Writing prompts here on Monday, July 14, 2025, at 9 a.m. CDT.You don’t have to be an Iowa Writers’ Workshop grad—or even have participated in a writing contest before—to join in the fun. Just create a story in 100 words or less that uses one of two specific writing prompts.The age categories are:· Grades 3 & 4· Grades 5 & 6· Grades 7 & 8· Grades 9–12· Adult (University of Iowa Alumni)· Adult (Friend...
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