Articles Tagged: International Writing Program

The 17th annual Iowa City Book Festival, taking place from Oct. 5-12, 2025, will showcase a dynamic mix of original events and collaborative programs with partner organizations, all celebrating the power of the written word and the exchange of ideas. Fans of fiction, poetry, social engagement and politics, or the craft of writing will find several events of interest among the usual mix of authors and topics.

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 renowned University of Iowa International Writing Program.

Hugh Culverhouse Jr., a Florida megadonor and firebrand son of a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner, has stepped up to help the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program after it suffered a devastating blow this year in the loss of nearly $1 million in federal funding.

After 58 years of collaborative diplomacy, the U.S. Department of State has notified the University of Iowa’s esteemed International Writing Program that it is terminating its grants because they “no longer effectuate agency priorities” or align with “national interest.”

Six decades after arriving in Iowa — where she would cofound the University of Iowa’s renowned International Writing Program, fortifying Iowa City’s writing reputation by welcoming 1,600-plus writers like herself from more than 160 countries — Hualing Nieh Engle on Monday died.

In its 55th year, the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program this fall – following a two-year hiatus from its traditional format – welcomed back to campus 33 established and accomplished authors from the likes of Bangladesh, Sweden, Mexico, Palestine, Ethiopia, Poland, and Barbados.