Events Archive

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Live from Prairie Lights | Bret Anthony Johnston in conversation with Ethan Canin promotional image
Live from Prairie Lights | Bret Anthony Johnston in conversation with Ethan Canin
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 7:00pm
Prairie Lights Books

Writers’ Workshop alum Bret Anthony Johnston will read from his new novel, We Burn Daylight. "Symphonic and suspenseful, We Burn Daylight reimagines events at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. In an epic act of empathy, Bret Anthony Johnston inhabits every point of view, from doomed devotees to perplexed law enforcement, and even manages to infuse the tragedy with moments of poignant, very human, humor." --Geraldine Brooks

Bret Anthony Johnston is the author of the internationally...

Live from Prairie Lights | Garth Greenwell in conversation with Jamel Brinkley promotional image
Live from Prairie Lights | Garth Greenwell in conversation with Jamel Brinkley
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 7:00pm
Prairie Lights Books

Please join us for a special early release event to celebrate Garth Greenwell’s new novel, Small Rain. He will be joined in conversation by Jamel Brinkley. Greenwell’s eagerly anticipated book has received praise from authors including Miranda July, “I just didn’t put it down”; and Phil Klay, who calls it “a marvel.” Colm Tóibín says, “Small Rain is a marvelous novel: exceptionally vivid, real, and true. Garth Greenwell’s sensibility is rich and generous — the narrator's memories are haunting...

100-Word Microstory Contest promotional image
100-Word Microstory Contest
Friday, July 26, 2024 (all day)

Mark your calendar for our 100-Word Microstory Contest — a free online writing competition for a variety of age groups. You don’t have to be an Iowa Writers’ Workshop grad — or even have participated in a flash writing contest before — to join in the fun. Just create a story in 100 words or less that uses one of two specific writing prompts. We will announce the writing prompts here on Monday, July 15, 2024, at 9 a.m. CDT.

100-Word Microstory Contest promotional image
100-Word Microstory Contest
Thursday, July 25 to Friday, July 26, 2024 (all day)

Mark your calendar for our 100-Word Microstory Contest — a free online writing competition for a variety of age groups. You don’t have to be an Iowa Writers’ Workshop grad — or even have participated in a flash writing contest before — to join in the fun. Just create a story in 100 words or less that uses one of two specific writing prompts. We will announce the writing prompts here on Monday, July 15, 2024, at 9 a.m. CDT.