Stay updated with the latest literary events happening both on campus and around town, from author readings and book signings to lectures, discussions and other literary events. Find free in-person events and online events here.
Maureen McCue - Dancing In A Disabled World | Live from Prairie Lights
Thursday, November 21, 2024 7:00pm
Dr. Maureen McCue will read from her candid, behind-the-curtains consideration of disability and being human, Dancing In A Disabled World.
“I appreciated McCue’s attention to the lived realities of a child who later becomes the adult with developmental and cognitive disabilities.” —Kris Nagel, Psychologist
“Maureen McCue’s stunningly candid and immersive memoir raises and addresses crucial questions for the individual and for social policy of how to best support and care for all described...
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop
Sunday, November 24, 2024 2:30pm to 4:15pm
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop is back for the Fall Semester!
Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.
Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen...
Art & Write Night
Friday, December 6, 2024 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Claudia McGehee's Iowa River Frost Fair | Live from Prairie Lights
Saturday, December 7, 2024 11:00am
Please join us from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Claudia McGehee's Iowa River Frost Fair (an event in name inspired by medieval artisan fairs held on the frozen river Thames in London, home to Claudia’s ancestors!). Iowa City based Illustrator/Author Claudia will sign her new 2025 Engagement Calendar “Dwelling," copies of her beloved illustrated books (including her band new picture book Counting Winter), and we will have lots of her new holiday prints on hand!
Claudia McGehee is a local artist and...
Keith Haring's Enduring Legacy | A Conversation with Gil Vazquez and Brad Gooch
Saturday, December 7, 2024 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Join us for an engaging conversation featuring Gil Vazquez, Executive Director of the Keith Haring Foundation, and Brad Gooch, acclaimed author of Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring. This insightful discussion will be facilitated by Diana Tuite, curator of the exhibition To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring in Iowa City.
The conversation will include insights into Keith Haring’s life, work, and activism; the process of writing Haring’s biography; and explore how Haring’s work continues...
UI Center for the Book Open House
Friday, December 13, 2024 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Exhibits from UICB studio classes in lettering arts, papermaking, bookbinding, artist books, and letterpress printing will be on display. UICB Faculty work will be on display in the K.K. Merker Gallery. Food and drink will be served — all are welcome!
Art & Write Night
Friday, February 7, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Book Matters: Brady G’Sell and Meena Khandelwal in conversation with Elana Buch
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Join us for a reading and discussion, co-sponsored by Prairie Lights, to celebrate recent works from Brady G’Sell and Meena Khandelwal, faculty in the University of Iowa Department of Anthropology and the Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies Program. After the reading, Elana Buch, associate professor of anthropology, will join G’Sell and Khandelwal for a conversation and Q&A with the audience. Light refreshments will follow.
Art & Write Night
Friday, March 7, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Application Deadline: Obermann End-of-Year Writing Retreat
Friday, March 14, 2025 5:00pm
Have you been waiting all school year to make serious progress on your book manuscript, article, or grant application? Jump-start your summer writing project at the Obermann End-of-Year Writing Retreat May 12–16, 2025!
Fifteen participants will enjoy a week of quiet productivity apart from the distractions of campus at the beautiful North Ridge Pavilion in Coralville. Daily catered lunches will provide an opportunity for exchange and discussion with other writers across campus. Each day will...
Art & Write Night
Friday, April 4, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Book Matters Faculty Author Celebration
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Join the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Research as we celebrate faculty who have published books since 2023. Remarks and selected faculty readings will occur at 5 p.m.
If you are a faculty member that has recently published a book, please let us know.
To attend, RSVP now.
Art & Write Night
Friday, May 2, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Art & Write Night
Friday, June 6, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Art & Write Night
Friday, July 4, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Art & Write Night
Friday, August 1, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Art & Write Night
Friday, September 5, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Art & Write Night
Friday, October 3, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Art & Write Night
Friday, November 7, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...
Art & Write Night
Friday, December 5, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
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...