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, April 4, 2025

Saturday, April 5th at 2 p.m. (doors at 1:45 p.m.), Srikanth Reddy will be in conversation with Donika Kelly at the Mission Creek Festival! This event will take place at Filmscene's Chauncey Location, in Theater 3 https://missioncreekfestival.com/schedule/srikanth-reddy/

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Friday, April 4, 2025

Tonight! Friday, April 4th, Mission Creek Festival hosts its annual Iowa City Lit Walk, with 3 rounds at 5, 6, and 7:30 p.m. https://missioncreekfestival.com/schedule/lit-walk/

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Friday, March 28, 2025

Monday! Monday, March 31 at 7 p.m. in Prairie Lights bookstore, Stuart Nadler will read from his newest novel, 'Rooms for Vanishing', in conversation with Eula Biss events.uiowa.edu/91474

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Monday, March 24, 2025

Tonight! Monday, March 24 at 8 p.m. Karen Joy Fowler will read in the Frank Conroy Reading Room at Glenn Schaeffer Library/Dey House. A Q&A session will follow on Tuesday March 25 in the same location at 11:30 a.m. events.uiowa.edu/92059

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Monday, March 24, 2025

Tonight! Monday, March 24 at 8 p.m. Karen Joy Fowler will read in the Frank Conroy Reading Room at Glenn Schaeffer Library/ Dey House. A Q&A session will follow, on Tuesday in the same location at 11:30 a.m. events.uiowa.edu/92059

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Monday, March 24, 2025

Congratulations to all authors longlisted for PEN America Literary Awards! Including alums, Jenny George & Daniel Khalastchi for Poetry Collection and Jerald Walker for Art of the Essay, and 2024 Iowa Short Fiction Awardee, Marguerite Sheffer for Debut Short Story Collection https://pen.org/announcing-the-2025-pen-america-literary-awards-longlists/