Filthy Loot, a small boutique literary press based in Ames, specializes in what founding editor Ira Rat calls “misfit fictions.” The books published by Filthy Loot push boundaries. “I found that a lot of the writers I like were getting ignored because they didn’t fit into a mold,” Rat said in a phone interview. An […]
Iowa literature
Posted inCommunity/News
UI announces end to Iowa Summer Writing Festival, Iowa Youth Writing Project
Months after the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program was forced to make drastic cuts following the loss of its federal funding, two other writing programs on the UI campus are coming to an end. The UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) announced Monday the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and the Iowa Youth […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Meet Iowa’s 2023 Student Poet Ambassador, Lola Nakashima-Brooke
In a (historically) bookish state like Iowa, the title of Student Poet Ambassador is perhaps the biggest award to which a young writer can aspire. This year, the recipient was Lola Nakashima-Brooke. The Davenport Central High student is the third to hold the ISPA honor — after Iowa City West High’s Shreya Khullar in 2021 […]
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Press Profile: Midwest Writing Center Press, directed by Ryan Collins
Founded in 1979, the Midwest Writing Center (MWC) was created to provide a “permanent home” for writers in the Quad Cities. MWC, the only literary arts nonprofit in the Quad Cities, boasts a long tradition of uplifting local writers through resources, including space for book signings, events and most recently, the addition of its very […]
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Writing led Dessa to hip hop. Her music career brought her back again — and into the Iowa literary world
“After like two years of rejections,” Dessa wrote on Twitter in early 2021, “my short story just got accepted into a literary magazine, and I am about to order the fuck out of some takeout.” The acclaimed rapper, singer and writer was riding high after learning that The Iowa Review planned to publish “As Close […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review and Q&A: Tom Montgomery Fate — ‘The Long Way Home’
To be born in the Midwest is to become acutely aware of the term “flyover country.” And once you are aware of it, you must decide whether or not you’ll embrace your life here regardless or denounce it and move somewhere else, somewhere more conventionally beautiful and wild. Maybe, if you’ve chosen the former, you […]
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Get your Iowa lit fix at Beaverdale Books this fall
Nestled in a cozy town square off of Beaver Avenue, Beaverdale Books has been a space for Des Moines book-lovers since 2006. They offer a wide array of books from both local and farther flung authors, and the bookstore also boasts an impressive events calendar featuring author meet and greets, readings and book fairs throughout […]
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Iowa Press Spotlight: Final Thursday Press in Cedar Falls
Final Thursday Press out of Cedar Falls specializes in special books. Jim O’Loughlin, press founder and publisher, curates the collection from regional writers whose work stands out and whose projects excite him. “I’m always trying to work one level beyond what I’m comfortable with,” O’Loughlin said, each project challenging him in a way that allows […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Maurice Davis couldn’t find a book about entrepreneurship featuring children of color. So he wrote one.
Cedar Rapids entrepreneur Maurice Davis was looking to get a book for his little sisters about entrepreneurship. He wanted to work with them on problem-solving and introduce them to entrepreneurial thinking. While he found a handful of children’s books that touched on the subject, the characters in those books didn’t look like his sisters. “Education […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
UI alum Andrea Lawlor one of 10 recipients of the 2020 Whiting Award
The Whiting Awards announced their 2020 winners Wednesday night, and on the list is University of Iowa alum Andrea Lawlor. The awards are given annually to writers of poetry, fiction, drama and nonfiction; Lawlor is being honored for their fiction work. Since 1985, the Whiting Awards have sought to recognize writers “based on early accomplishment […]
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Four Iowa City-connected writers to see at Mission Creek Festival
The 2019 Mission Creek Festival includes, as always, a robust literary lineup. Many of the featured authors have a connection to Iowa City. Of these, four have grabbed my attention. Sabrina Orah Mark Visual Poetry Synthesizer Saturday, April 6, 4 p.m. — 7 S Linn St Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum Sabrina Orah Mark pushes the […]
Posted inHot Tin Roof
Hot Tin Roof: Air Time
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: Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature and Little Village magazine, with financial support from M.C. Ginsberg Objects of Art.
