Writers' Workshop graduate De'Shawn Charles Winslow will read from his new novel, In West Mills. Set in an African American community in rural North Carolina from 1941 to 1987, In West Mills is "A bighearted novel about family, migration, and the unbearable difficulties of love. Here's a cast of characters you won't soon forget." —Ayana Mathis

De'Shawn Charles Winslow was born and raised in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He is a 2017 graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and holds a BFA in...

American poet, short story writer, and literary scholar Harryette Mullen will read from her work. Mullen’s work has been influenced by the social, political, and cultural movements of African Americans, Mexican Americans, and women in the 1960s-70s.

Harryette Mullen is the author of numerous poetry collections, including Urban Tumbleweed, Recyclopedia and Sleeping with the Dictionary, and has contributed to numerous edited collections. She teaches in the English department and African American...

Join us in one of our magical gallery spaces after-hours with other writers in your community. We think our museum is one of the best places to write in town; evoking curiosity and wonder while remaining quiet and of course, climate-controlled (Phew! Summer in Iowa, right?). Work on a project you've been needing a reason to revisit or begin something totally new. All genres, all subjects–we got you.

Local author Andy Douglas will read from Redemption Songs: A Year in the Life of A Community Prison Choir.

Dr André de Quadros, professor of Music and chair of the Department of Music Education at Boston University, notes, “More than an account of the choir’s work, the book is a deep insight into musical humanity under dehumanizing conditions. Douglas’s work is evocative and thoughtful, deeply compassionate and humble, and brings the reader close to the troubled lives, wounds and hopes of the...