This past March, four writers boarded a plane for the third millennium. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about the vessel in which they traveled, but rather the purpose of their journey. The travelers were literary ambassadors, dispatched to lands that had once embraced the beginnings of civilization, but whose stories are now unsung around most of the globe. These writers ventured to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan on a creative tour that included readings, lectures and cultural stops along the ancient Silk Road.
Iowa City literature
UI graduate Sarah Bruni on her first novel and its Iowa connection
Author Sarah Bruni‘s debut novel The Night Gwen Stacy Died was released earlier this month to a handful of positive reviews and a spot on Apple’s list of …
Simon Van Booy reading Sunday at Prairie Lights
Let the swooning commence. Literary heartthrob Simon Van Booy is set to yet again grace the podium of Prairie Lights, this time to read from his new novel The Illusion of Separateness. Van Booy is the Frank O’Connor Prize-winning author of the short story collection Love Begins in Winter and his widely-heralded debut, The Secret Lives of People in Love.
Hot Tin Roof: Sorrow House
My first experience with Mercy was in the single stall bathroom in the emergency room lobby. I was 19, high—lost on my way to or from a house party. The lobby air was disorienting; it smelled like lemon, rubber, grief and chicken noodle soup. I remember an overall sense of antiseptic.
Hot Tin Roof: A place you can call home
Waves of amber hit the floor in a sweeping motion, followed by the sound of broken glass. Jerry had dropped his beer, on purpose. The bartender looked up lazily from the glass he was polishing, only to look back down again. The other patrons in the bar continued to stare into their glasses, uninterested in any interruption of their languid meditation.
Iowa City Weekender: April 4-7
There’s a lot going on in Iowa City over the next few days. In this edition of the Weekender find details on how to catch local acts in unusual, intimate settings, and read about our top picks for literary and theatrical events as well.
Hot Tin Roof: Grandma likes to keep her people close
Hot Tin Roof is a program to showcase current literary work produced in Iowa City. The series is organized and juried by representatives of three Iowa City-based cultural advocacy organizations: The Englert Theatre, Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature and Little Village magazine.

