Why Iowa?

Immerse yourself in the world of literature, books, and creative writing–in a college and community obsessed with the written word.

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See yourself here

Make Iowa City, the first UNESCO City of Literature in the United States, your new home, and join our community of nationally respected professors and award-winning writers.

Write Your Story

Join a top university in the country for writing with one of our English and English and Creative Writing programs, or our Nonfiction Writing Program, one of the oldest nonfiction programs in the nation.

Upcoming events

Live From Prairie Lights | Lizzie Buehler in conv with Julia Conrad - The Obsessed promotional image

Live From Prairie Lights | Lizzie Buehler in conv with Julia Conrad - The Obsessed

Friday, September 11, 2026 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Prairie Lights Books
Iowa graduate Lizzie Buehler will read from her debut novel, The Obsessed, and will be joined in conversation by Julia Conrad. Described as "A bighearted portrait of the anxieties of desire [that] explores the trials of modern dating, the strange ennui of academia, and the question of how to create a world for yourself within and without the confines of your influences," The Obsessed is praised by Forbes.com as "[A] delectable novel about obsession and dating in the modern age," while Debutiful says: "You will obsess over The Obsessed...It’s sad. It’s weird. It’s horny. You’ll yearn while reading Buehler’s brilliant writing."
Book Matters: Kathy Lavezzo and William Rhodes promotional image

Book Matters: Kathy Lavezzo and William Rhodes

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 7:00pm
Prairie Lights Books
Join Kathy Lavezzo, professor of English, and William Rhodes, associate professor of English, for an evening exploring the enduring influence of the medieval world through their newest books. After the reading, Sarah Bond, associate professor of history, will moderate a conversation exploring the books' shared in medievalism’s lasting influence on later history and culture. This event is free and open to the public.

VIEWS Presents: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Reading & Q&A

Monday, October 12, 2026 7:00pm to 8:00pm
English-Philosophy Building

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah was raised in Spring Valley, New York, and now lives in the Bronx. His debut collection, Friday Black, was a New York Times bestseller, won the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Award and the Dylan Thomas Prize. His first novel Chain-Gang All-Stars was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, winner of the Inside Literary Prize, shortlisted...