The Writing University @ UIOWA

5Q Interview: Hyukin Michaela KWON, IWP Resident from South Korea "I love experimenting with and blending different forms of art and genres. So you'll find theatrical elements in my audiovisual works and multimedia elements in my stage works."

"I love experimenting with and blending different forms of art and genres. So you'll find theatrical elements in my audiovisual works and multimedia elements in my stage works." 5Q Interview @uiiwp.bsky.social resident Hyukin Michaela KWON, South Korea!
writinguniversity.uiowa.edu/news-archive...

'Kind of amazing': 23 writers arriving for UI international writing program Against all odds, 23 writers from international destinations like Spain, Kosovo, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are scheduled to arrive in Iowa City on Wednesday for a 10-week fall residency through the ren...

www.thegazette.com/article/desp...

5Q Interview: University of Iowa Press Author Andrew Brininstool "As macabre as it may sound, I spent countless days listening to them discuss true crime, the criminal justice system—and the riot in particular: who they knew, what had happened, theories about why."

New 5Q interview w/ U Iowa Press author Andrew Brininstool about his book *High Desert Blood*. "As macabre as it may sound, I spent countless days listening to [my family] discuss—the riot in particular: who they knew, what had happened, theories about why." 🏜 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: University of Iowa Press Author Darrell Kinsey "The novel covers the brief and tragic episode of their relationship, their hardscrabble existence and their attempt to start a family."

New 5Q interview w/ University of Iowa Press author Darrell Kinsey about his book Natch! "The novel covers the brief and tragic episode of their relationship, their hardscrabble existence and their attempt to start a family." writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

UI to establish Office of Writing and Communication In a significant step that builds on one of its most distinctive strengths, the University of Iowa will establish the Office of Writing and Communication (OWC) to unify, amplify, and expand the univer...

Big news! The University of Iowa is establishing an Office of Writing and Communication! In a significant step that builds on one of Iowa's most distinctive strengths, the new office will unify, amplify and expand our rich writing legacy!
now.uiowa.edu/news/2025/07...

5Q Interview: University of Iowa Press Author Mackenzie Kozak "I found inspiration for this book through my own process of sitting in spaces of ambivalence over the question of whether or not to mother."

"I found inspiration for this book through my own process of sitting in spaces of ambivalence over the question of whether or not to mother." New 5Q interview w/ @UIowaPress author Mackenzie Kozak about her book 'no swaddle,' read it here! writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Damon Gray, current student in the Screenwriting Arts BA Program "I love how the university's campus is integrated into downtown. When I noticed this during my orientation, it made everything so much more lively."

New 5Q interview w/ Screenwriting BA student Damon Gray: "I love how the university's campus is integrated into downtown. When I noticed this during my orientation, it made everything so much more lively." 💛🖤 @uiowa writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: William Pei Shih, instructor at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival "If you can make a single sentence do the work of 3 sentences or a paragraph—then, you’ve probably written a compelling sentence. In flash every word communicates."

5Q interview w/ @ISWFestival instructor William Pei Shih! "I’ve been teaching a course called the Award-Winning Short Story ... studying some of the guidelines of what might make a story stand out." Check out his upcoming course! @MagidWriting writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: University of Iowa Press Author Tom Mitchell "As editor, I gathered the stories from collections of Williams works at the University of Texas and Harvard University. The process of editing included sifting through Williams’s original notes and r...

5Q interview w/ University of Iowa Press author Tom Mitchell on his new book 'Early Stories by Tennessee Williams': "As editor, I gathered the stories from collections of Williams works at the University of Texas and Harvard University." 💛🖤 @uiowa writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

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5Q Interview: University of Iowa Press Author Aidan Ryan "I gave Cindy's eulogy—I was 18 years old—and the job never quite felt finished."

I did 5 Qs with @writinguiowa.bsky.social - read it here: writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Stephanie Krzywonos, graduate of the Nonfiction Writing Program "I am not a daily writer. I am a marathon writer. I prefer large, uninterrupted chunks of time to fully immerse myself and get into a flow."

New 5Q interview w/ University of Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program graduate Stephanie Krzywonos: "I am not a daily writer. I am a marathon writer. I prefer large, uninterrupted chunks of time to fully immerse myself and get into a flow." 💛🖤 @uiowa writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: University of Iowa Press Author Aidan Ryan "I gave Cindy's eulogy—I was 18 years old—and the job never quite felt finished."

"I gave Cindy's eulogy—I was 18 years old—and the job never quite felt finished." New 5Q interview w/ University of Iowa Press author Aidan Ryan and his new book 'I Am Here You Are Not I Love You,' about visual artists Andrew Topolski and Cindy Suffoletto. 💛🖤 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

In ‘The History of Sound,’ Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor’s Tender Romance Defines a Complex Life An exclusive look at this sweeping, decades-spanning historical drama. “It’s not just about sex and the intensity of falling in love. It’s deeper than that,” Mescal says.

Iowa Writers' Workshop alum Ben Shattuck (MFA, 2013) has adapted his own short story, The History of Sound, into a film that will premier at Cannes, staring Paul Mescal! Congrats Ben! www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/st...

5Q Interview: Bethany Kaylor, MFA candidate in the Nonfiction Writing Program "Giving myself permission to experiment with something new—like writing an essay in the form of dictionary entries modeled after Bob Flanagan's The Book of Medicine—is so exciting and invigorating."

"Giving myself permission to experiment with something new—like writing an essay in the form of dictionary entries—is so exciting and invigorating." New 5Q interview w/ Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program MFA candidate Bethany Kaylor! 💛 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Connor French, Undergrauate in Cinema and Screenwriting Arts "I knew in high school that I wanted to study Cinema and Screenwriting, so I was looking for a university with a rigorous writing program, in a location that would foster my love for art."

"I knew in high school that I wanted to study Cinema and Screenwriting, so I was looking for a university with a rigorous writing program, in a location that would foster my love for art." New 5Q interview w/ @uiowa Cinema & Screenwriting undergrad Connor French writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Emma Athena Murray, MFA Candidate in Literary Translation "I was thrilled to come to the University of Iowa and join the awesomely diverse writing communities here (poets! novelists! essayists! comic writers!)"

New 5Q interview w/ University of Iowa Literary Translation MFA candidate Emma Athena Murray: "I was thrilled to come to the University of Iowa and join the awesomely diverse writing communities here (poets! novelists! essayists! comic writers!)" 💛🖤 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Kendin Scheitlin, a UI Undergraduate Majoring in Cinema "Being able to create art or write about something that directly relates to the world around me currently makes me feel like I have a special place in history."

"Being able to create art or write about something that directly relates to the world around me currently makes me feel like I have a special place in history." New 5Q interview w/ Kendin Scheitlin, University of Iowa Undergraduate majoring in Cinema! 💛 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 14: Madeline McDonnell On this episode, author Madeline McDonnell shares all sorts of secrets with us from being admonished in Middle English, reading in trees, dramatic countdowns to playing an evil Jack-o-lantern in a 3rd...

New episode from Sad Me of the Past podcast, w/ writer Madeline McDonnell! She shares with us an early short story she wrote about a tiki bar waitress, as well as true tales of playing a Jack-o-lantern in a 3rd grade play with Mindy Kaling! @uiowa @MagidWriting writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Miharu Yano, MFA candidate in the Translation Workshop "Translation is a craft that requires a lot of discipline and focus, and I usually try to find large chunks of time (4+ hours) rather than small increments."

New 5Q interview w/ Translation Workshop MFA candidate  Miharu Yano: "Translation is a craft that requires a lot of discipline and focus, and I usually try to find large chunks of time (4+ hours) rather than small increments." 💛🖤 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Fion Tse, MFA candidate in the Literary Translation "For me, the biggest source of inspiration for any translation project I’m working on is the source text itself! Translation forces you to read intimately, and you have to be quite intimate to rewrite...

New 5Q interview w/ @uiowa MFA candidate in the Literary Translation, Fion Tse! "For me, the biggest source of inspiration for any translation project I’m working on is the source text itself! Translation forces you to read intimately..." writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

UI praised by tribal leaders for repatriation work and collaboration More than three decades after the passage of a federal law mandating the return of Native American remains, the University of Iowa has emerged as a national leader — making nearly all of its holdings ...

"'Of all the institutions that the tribes deal with, the University of Iowa has served as the template for how you do it right,' Wanatee Buffalo said."

"Since 1976, Doershuk said his office has documented the repatriation and reburial of more than 2,000 individuals..." | tinyurl.com/22mf6pfy 🏺

5Q Interview: Lydia Meth, Cinematic and Screenwriting Arts "...the entire city seemed to glow and support its students. I fell in love with the literary walk downtown and the numerous cafes that undoubtedly housed so many aspiring writers."

New 5Q interview w/ University of Iowa Cinema Arts student Lydia Meth! "...the entire city seemed to glow and support its students. I fell in love with the literary walk downtown and the numerous cafes that undoubtedly housed so many aspiring writers." 💛🖤 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Lydia Meth, Cinematic and Screenwriting Arts "...the entire city seemed to glow and support its students. I fell in love with the literary walk downtown and the numerous cafes that undoubtedly housed so many aspiring writers."

New 5Q interview w/ University of Iowa Cinema Arts student Lydia Meth! "...the entire city seemed to glow and support its students. I fell in love with the literary walk downtown and the numerous cafes that undoubtedly housed so many aspiring writers." 💛🖤 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Alan Valdez, MFA Candidate at the Spanish Creative Writing Program "And then I wake up, open the windows, make my coffee, think about places I’ve been and people I’ve loved. I send good morning messages, sometimes I teach Spanish classes, sometimes I go to the store ...

New 5Q interview w/@uiowa Spanish Creative Writing MFA candidate Alan Valdez! "And then I wake up, open the windows, make my coffee, think about places I’ve been and people I’ve loved. I send good morning messages, sometimes I teach Spanish classes..." writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

A photo of the 2024 Fall Residency cohort outside the Shambaugh House, with the One Day for Iowa logo superimposed.

Today is #1DayForIowa, the University of Iowa's annual online giving day and celebration, and the IWP needs your help! Our recent loss of State Department funding makes every donation especially important. You can donate at 1dayforiowa.org/IWP-25!

Areas to Support Give now and make a difference at the University of Iowa during One Day for Iowa.

One Day for Iowa is today! Choose from various writing programs on campus to support by searching "Writing" here! 1day.uiowa.edu/s/1773/1day/...

New episode from the "Sad Me of the Past" podcast w/ screenwriter Josh Parkinson! Josh shares a story that he wrote at age 15 called "The Man and the Fly." Is it worth an hour of your time? We think so. It won 3rd place in 1991 is all. Listen here! 💛🖤 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

5Q Interview: Spencer Lane Jones, an MFA candidate in the Nonfiction Writing Program "I became an early bird writer because I had to be, and it hasn't really left my body."

New 5Q interview w/ @uiowa Nonfiction Writing Program MFA candidate Spencer Lane Jones! "The line between [reading for] 'research' and 'pleasure' gets fuzzier and fuzzier the longer you write." writinguniversity.org/news-archive...

Sad Me of the Past // Episode 11: Gina Welch Sad Me of the Past Podcast Listen to this episode on:MP3 Apple Podcasts Spotify Welcome to season two of Sad Me of the Past, the podcast where there's nothing but net! On this episode, we are joined b...

New episode from our "Sad Me of the Past" podcast, w/ Gina Welch, award-winning screenwriter for 'Castle Rock' & creator of the FX mini-series 'Clipped'. We discuss the joy of entertaining people with stories, traveling deep into a character’s psyche & more! 💛🖤 writinguniversity.org/news-archive...