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.

Writers’ Workshop graduate Lucy Ives will read from Loudermilk. "Ives' satirical masterpiece follows poet Troy Augustus Loudermilk, a shallow Adonis recently admitted to the nation’s premiere creative-writing graduate program, located in the heart of America’s starchy middle . . . Laugh-out-loud funny and rife with keen cultural observations, Ives’ tale is a gloriously satisfying critique of education and creativity." ––Booklist (starred review)

Lucy Ives is the author of the novel Impossible...

Writers’ Workshop graduate Julie Orringer will read from her new novel, The Flight Portfolio, based on the true story of Vivian Fry’s attempt to save the work, and lives, of Jewish artists fleeing the Holocaust.

“Magnificent… Unforgettable . . . Brilliantly conceived, impeccably crafted, and showcasing Orringer’s extraordinary gifts, this is destined to become a classic.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Julie Orringer is the author of the novel The Invisible Bridge and the award-winning...

The Department of Spanish & Portuguese proudly presents the Spanish Creative Writing MFA Graduation Reading. José Covo, Elisa Ferrer Molina, Inés Gallo de Urioste, Natalia Hernández, Mariana Mazer and Angela Pico Pinto will share work from their theses. This event will be entirely in Spanish. Reception to follow in Prairie Lights Cafe. Please join us!