Active Projects

LITCITY

Tour the Stories and the Town: the City of Literature

The LitCity Website features information on Iowa City's rich literary history, highlighting authors and local sites of interest. Visitors can guide themselves around town in literary style -- the website offers maps of Iowa City, with embedded electronic 'brass plaques,' indicating a variety of unique locations: where historic readings took place, where authors wrote and lived, as well as the legendary taverns and haunts where writers gathered to argue and discuss.
 

5Q INTERVIEWS

Interviewing Students, Fellows and Residents across all UI Creative Writing Programs

The Writing University conducts is a series of interviews (the "5Q Interviews": five questions for all) with writers while they are in Iowa City participating in the International Writing Program's fall residency. We sit down with authors to ask about their work, their process and their descriptions of home.
 

IOWA SUMMER WRITING FESTIVAL PODCAST

Craft Talks from Renown Writers Released Every Month

The Writing University's Eleventh Hour podcast features recordings of illuminative craft talks from the renown writers, novelists, poets, essayists who present at the Eleventh Hour Lecture Series during the University of Iowa's Iowa Summer Writing Festival.

LITCITY LORE COLLECTION

Highlights from the LitCity Lore Project

The Writing University's LitCity Project maps where writers lived, worked and socialized while they were in Iowa City. And in this LitCity Lore Collection, we curate and highlight specific sections of the LitCity Project, discovering quirky locations and stories that spark our writing imagination! You can explore the full collection at the LitCity Project main site, or discover specific highlights from the project below. Enjoy!
 

WRITING EXERCISES AND PROMPTS

Sharing Creative Writing Teaching Materials from the University of Iowa

We are continually gathering creative writing exercises and prompts that are offered throughout our writing programs, departments, festivals and courses across the University of Iowa. These exercises are multi-genred, free and easy to access. Assign them in the classroom, or online -- they work with all age levels and writing experience. And check back, as our collection is always growing!

IOWA PRISON WRITING PROJECT

Connecting the Writing Community on Campus with Prison Writing Communities

The University of Iowa Prison Writing Project connects the writing community on campus with prison writing communities in Iowa and beyond. We seek to foster and support writing and self-expression by the imprisoned and believe that these voices offer unique contributions to the literary landscape. We believe that when the work of inside writers is championed, both inside and outside populations benefit.
 

THE WRITING UNIVERSITY ARCHIVE

Immense Archive of Readings and Events on Campus and in Iowa City

The Writing University Archive began as a collaboration between the International Writing Program (IWP) at The University of Iowa and the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS).  The IWP held hundreds of recordings of its past literary events in analog audio and video formats.  
 

UNDERGRADUATE CREATIVE WRITING PORTAL

A Place for Undergraduate Writing News and Events

The University of Iowa is home to a wide variety of abundant opportunities for undergraduate writers. Join this robust community of like-minded young poets, novelists, essayists, and journalists.
 

Past Projects

BOOK WINGS

Book Wings, 2012 - 2015

Collaborative digitally-connected theatre, Book Wings brought specially commissioned literary works by distinguished authors to the stage and to internet viewers around the world. In March 2015, the University of Iowa linked up with the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.
 

ELECTRONIC JOURNALS PROJECT

A Collection of Electronic Journals Affiliated with the University of Iowa

On campus and online, the University of Iowa is a treasure trove of journals. Several journals, such as the Iowa Review and 91st Meridian are maintained and curated on campus, while others have been founded by alumni of the writing programs. This project acted as a virtual mooring when it was active. It was a place for editors to secure their publications amidst turbulent sea changes, a place for visitors have a look around our growing collection of UI affiliated journals in the world.