Two weeks after the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ sudden announcement that the Iowa Youth Writing Project would not continue in 2026, IYWP shared a hopeful message with its community.
The UI-based arts outreach org is “currently in the process of setting up meetings with folks inside and outside of UI who might be interested in helping us find a new home,” according to a Thursday morning news release from IYWP.
“We at the IYWP have always been champions of creative thinking, and now more than ever, it’s going to come in handy.”
Few details were given on Aug. 11 when UI declared “ongoing funding challenges” had prompted the “difficult decision” to end IYWP at the end of the year, along with the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. The latter had wrapped up in July, but IYWP still has several 2025 programs on the horizon, including The Ghosts on the Radio: Writing Workshop on Sept. 13, Video Game Creation: Writing Video Games Fall Camp on Oct. 2 and 3, Feasting on Senses: The Poetry of You Writing Workshop in November.
IYWP “empowers, inspires, and engages K-12 youth throughout the state using language arts and creative thinking,” according to its website. Published writers, including Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduates and instructors, work with kids in schools and community centers throughout the year to hone their abilities and confidence as writers, even offering publishing opportunities. With the support of volunteers, interns and donors, programs are free or low cost to participate.
“Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the IYWP’s story so far, the kids, volunteers, families, schools, teachers, community partners, and more,” concludes Thursday’s press release. “On to our next chapter!”
The Iowa Summer Writing Festival, a series of adult writers’ workshops hosted on the UI campus since 1987, has not shared any updates since Aug. 11. However, its former director Amy Margolis has been vocal about her opposition to the decision by UI CLAS, posting the day of, “Bad news. We got DOGE-ed today.”
Margolis also denied a statement from the dean of CLAS that the festival had a cumulative deficit of $578,000 from the last five years. Margolis claims it was actually closer to $6,500.
“Our program expenses, including staff salaries, were covered by income we generated from programming we planned and delivered. I have the receipts,” she posted on Aug. 17.
“Here’s the thing,” Margolis continued. “The University of Iowa has no interest or investment in community-facing, outreach programs. Gunning down the Festival and the Iowa Youth Writing Project in one hit makes this clear.”
“The Festival’s future is not with the University of Iowa. It’s with the city of Iowa City. It belongs to the town. It belongs to us.”
