What if everyone in the community used art to connect with nature? Could this inspire positive changes? Prompt for the Planet: Community Promises is a free community event that will highlight local artists whose performances inspire action that leads to big changes and bring people together. This free event draws inspiration from U.S. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman’s Prompt for the Planet, originally conceived in 2018 when University of Iowa student, Shannon Nolan and her instructor David...

Join us for a reading and discussion, co-sponsored by Prairie Lights, to celebrate recent works from Louisa Hall and Bennett Sims, faculty in the University of Iowa Department of English. After the reading, Donika Kelly, associate professor of English, will join Hall and Sims for a conversation and Q&A with the audience. Light refreshments will follow.

Poets Hannah Bonner and Dan Wriggins will read from their debut poetry collections.  Hannah Bonner will read from Another Woman, published by Eastover Press. Poet Carlie Hoffman writes, "A book of eros and 'wild risk,' Hannah Bonner's spellbinding debut, Another Woman, conjures 'a water so febrile it is almost fire.' In the aftermath of the end of a love affair, Bonner's speaker wonders tenderly about 'every startled animal' and what it means to be a woman in the world when carnality gives way...

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...