Alumni Updates

Steven Willis standing outside Prairie Lights

Writers' Workshop Alumni

Our alumni work as teachers and writers across many disciplines and publish books in every genre. 6 recent U.S. Poets Laureate have been graduates of the Writers' Workshop and some of the most distinctive, celebrated voices in contemporary poetry and fiction have come through our program and used their time here to develop their work and their voice.

"I do not in fact know what I would have done, or who I would have been as an adult, if I hadn’t lived in and around Iowa City"

- Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, MFA Writers' Workshop

News, Publications, and Awards

Jamel Brinkley wins 2024 Maya Angelou Book Award Juan Felipe Herrera awarded 2024 MacArthur Genius Grant Ruthvika Rao shortlisted for the Center For Fiction First Novel Prize Elizabeth Willis and m.s. RedCherries longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award in Poetry Tony Tulathimutte longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award in Fiction V. V. Ganeshananthan wins the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Jayne Anne Phillips wins the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction Jorie Graham, Yiyun Li, and Robyn Schiff are finalists for the 2024 Pulitzer Prizes in Fiction and Poetry

Before the Mango Ripens, by Afabwaje Kurian

Before the Mango Ripens
Afabwaje Kurian
_{September 24, 2024 | Fiction}

The Goner School
Jessica Laser
_{September 27, 2024 | Poetry}

Small Rain
Garth Greenwell
_{September 3, 2024 | Fiction}

Terminal Maladies
Okwudili Nebeolisa

Browse Publications

See Prizes & Awards

The Latest Alumni Updates

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Friday, January 10, 2025

Workshop fiction faculty member, Jamel Brinkley at Oregon State University's School of Writing, Literature, and Film, in Corvallis, OR on February 28 https://events.oregonstate.edu/event/visiting-writers-series-jamel-brinkley

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Friday, January 10, 2025

Review of David Rhodes' 'Painting Beyond Walls' | 'The Eagle Herald' [Marinette, WI] https://www.ehextra.com/community/articles/writers-and-writing-rhodes-novel-predicts-the-future/article_bc5092f4-c3c5-11ef-9b6f-ffedbc92ee71.html

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Friday, January 10, 2025

Claire Lombardo at the Savannah Book Festival in Georgia on February 8th https://www.savannahbookfestival.org/authors/claire-lombardo/

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Friday, January 10, 2025

Ted Thompson teaching an 8-week Master Fiction Intensive in Brooklyn, NY beginning March 4th https://sackettworkshop.com/writing/2024/12/24/8-week-master-fiction-intensive-begins-3-4-25-carroll-gardens/

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Friday, January 10, 2025

Eskor David Johnson teaching an 8-week ONLINE Fiction Writing class beginning January 28 https://sackettworkshop.com/writing/2024/10/18/8-week-online-advanced-fiction-writing-begins-wk-of-1-6-25/