Mission Creek Festival: Literature Lineup

Iowa City's Mission Creek Festival returns for its 12th year with a full slate of musicians, comedians, writers and more. The festival will feature dozens of performers and events from Tuesday to April 9 at venues around Iowa City.

While some events require tickets, literary events are free. The literary lineup is as follows:

Tuesday

- Kelly Link, 6 p.m. at Hancher Auditorium, 141 E. Park Rd., Iowa City. Short story writer Kelly Link has collected a Hugo Award, three Nebula Awards and a World Fantasy Award. Her most recent collection, 'Get in Trouble,” was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize. Link also will talk with Fail Safe host Rachel Yoder about writing, creativity and failure for a live recording of the podcast at 4 p.m. at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City.

Wednesday

- Writers of Color, 7 p.m. at The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. This reading series will feature undergraduate and graduate writers of color at the University of Iowa - Benjamin Krusling, Regina Porter, Yvonne Cha, Tameka Cage Conley and Melissa Mogollon.

Thursday

- Adam Haslett, 4 p.m. at Dey House, Frank Conroy Reading Room, 507 N. Clinton St., Iowa City. Fiction writer and Iowa Writers' Workshop alumnus Adam Haslett is author of three works of fiction: the short story collection 'You Are Not a Stranger Here,” which was a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist; the novel 'Union Atlantic,” winner of the Lambda Literary Award and shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize; and his most recent, the novel 'Imagine Me Gone,” which was longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction.

- Lina Maria Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas, 6 p.m. at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Cabeza-Vanegas recently received a 2016 Writer's Award from the Rona Jaffe Foundation for an essay in the collection, 'Don't Come Back.” She has MFA degrees in both creative non-fiction and literary translation.

- Kristen Radtke, 6 p.m. at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City

Friday

- Seventh Annual Lit Crawl, 5 to 8 p.m. at various venues. Writers and publishers from across the country invade nine downtown Iowa City businesses for three hours of literary mayhem. In all, more than 55 authors will represent more than 18 publishers and literary organizations, as well as MFA candidates from the University of Iowa's own Anthology Reading Series. For details visit missioncreekfestival.com

Saturday

- Ice Cream, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Public Space One, 120 N. Dubuque St., Iowa City. A fair presenting the work of cartoonists, zinesters, and art books and handmade book artists.

- Literary Magazine & Small Press Book Fair, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. Literary magazines and independent publishers from across the country will set up shop

- Kokoy F. Guevera's 'The Reddest Herring,” noon at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. A memorial reading of Kokoy F. Guevara's poetry collection 'The Reddest Herring,” featuring Shane McCrae and Cole Swensen.

- Mission Boutique, 2 to 5 p.m. in Downtown Iowa City. This year's Mission Boutique will feature music and literature pairings at outside downtown locations.

- Cole Swensen, 3 p.m. at Prairie Lights Books, 15 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Swensen is a former director of the creative program at the University of Denver and taught in the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. She is currently a professor in the literary arts program.

- Saeed Jones, 6 p.m. at The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. Jones won the Jim Wayne Miller Award for Poetry. Recently, his poems 'Body & Kentucky Bourbon” and 'After the First Shot” were nominated for Pushcart Prizes.

- Isaac Fitzgerald, 6 p.m. at The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City, Fitzgerald has been a firefighter, worked on a boat, and been given a sword by a king, thereby accomplishing three out of five of his childhood goals. He is the editor of BuzzFeed Books and co-author of Pen & Ink: Tattoos.

- Alice Sola Kim, 6 p.m. at The Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. Kim is a winner of the 2016 Whiting Award. Her writing has appeared in Tin House, The Village Voice, McSweeney's, Lenny, BuzzFeed Books.

- For a full schedule or details, visit Missioncreekfestival.com