• International Translation Workshop: Graduate-level students of literary translation and creative writing work one-on-one with IWP writers in a workshop format to create polished English translations of Fall Residency participants’ materials. The class meets to discuss the translations in progress on Friday afternoons throughout the semester. 

• International Literature Today: Undergraduate University of Iowa students from a variety of disciplines meet weekly to hear from the writers, discuss their work, and learn about the international production and exchange of literature. 

• Readings: Because Iowa City is uniquely nurturing of creative writing, readings occur almost every night of the week—in coffeehouses, arts centers, restaurants, and other venues. In Fall of 2026, the IWP will sponsor a reading series at Prairie Lights Books. In addition, numerous readings are scheduled through the sponsorship of foreign-language departments at the University of Iowa, civic entities, local bookstores, or other groups in Iowa City. 

• Theatre Collaborations: The IWP arranges an opportunity for the works of our writers-in-residence to be read dramatically by local performance artists. This collaboration is Global Express, an evening of dramatic readings of IWP writers' work staged by actors from the University’s Division of Performing Arts. 

• Dance Collaborations: In a long-standing collaboration similar to Global Express, IWP writers work with choreographers and dancers from the UI Department of Dance, culminating in a public performance that brings the writers' words off the page and onto the stage. 

• Cultural Activities & Field Trips: Participants receive complimentary tickets to occasional cultural events including concerts, performances, and regional activities. In recent years these have included trips to the Whitney Plantation and Museum in New Orleans, Iowa City’s Riverside Theatre, the Art Institute of Chicago, and more. Performances and lectures by American and international performers, academics, writers, and public figures of note are held almost nightly at the University of Iowa and in Iowa City. 

• Community Interactions: A particular benefit of the program involves opportunities to interact more deeply with a range of local community members, including individual and group visits or dinners in the homes of faculty members and IWP supporters; talks given by IWP writers to area groups (including Oaknoll Retirement Residence and UI Senior College); classroom visits to local schools and colleges; and trips to speak and/or read across the state of Iowa. 

• Other invitations: Throughout the Residency, writers may also receive invitations to appear at events and in courses hosted by universities, organizations, and institutions across the country. 

• Domestic travel: For 2026, the IWP has arranged group travel periods to New Orleans and Chicago. The purpose of these trips is to introduce IWP writers to important and diverse American literary communities. Activities may include city tours, visits to sites of cultural or historical significance, public events, community engagement, professional connections, and educational outreach.  

• The IWP does not require that a literary text or project be completed by the end of the Fall Residency. 

• Writers are invited to participate in readings, classroom visits, panel discussions, and workshops that are conducive to their professional projects and interests. Writers are expected to participate in the mid-Residency travel period and the final travel period. Otherwise, the Residents’ calendars are characterized by unstructured time to allow for individual work schedules and goals. 

• Travel away from the program is possible for professional engagements on a case-by-case basis. Such engagements should, however, not interfere with a writer’s scheduled Residency commitments and should be no more than three days in duration. Because of J-1 regulations, writers must consult with the IWP and receive approval before accepting any engagement. 

• The Fall Residency is designed for the writer only and cannot accommodate spouses, partners, or children. The IWP asks that, in order to support a working atmosphere, visits by family and guests be kept to no more than a few days, and not coincide with IWP-led travel. 

Please visit Fall Residency Questions for further information.