This Year's Program

Program Dates: August 24 - November 12, 2013

THE INTERNATIONAL WRITING PROGRAM (IWP) is the oldest and largest multinational writing residency in the world. With a tradition of excellence that has continued on for nearly five decades, the IWP annually brings outstanding authors from every continent to the University of Iowa. Since 1967, over 1,400 writes from more than 130 nations have taken part in the Fall Residency. The goal of the IWP is to provide authors not only with the setting for cultural exchange, but also with the time and space to write, read, translate, study, conduct research, travel, give readings, stage work, and become part of the vibrant literary and academic community at the University of Iowa – a major American research institution – and in Iowa City, the only American city designated as a UNESCO City of Literature.

The IWP is a unique inter-cultural experience for rising stars and established writers who have achieved literary distinction in their own countries, as well as demonstrated literary talent, broad appeal, and an interest in contributing to the creative writing culture in their home countries. Each fall, 30-35 writers gather in Iowa City for this 10-week residency to work on their own projects, to give readings and lectures, and to interact with American audiences and literary communities across the U.S. IWP writers share their literary cultures with others and establish contacts with the larger US publishing scene. For many of the participants, the IWP residency is their first stay in the United States.

1. Criteria for Selection

• The candidate should be primarily a writer of fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, drama, or screenplays. Literary translators, and writers whose publications and careers focus on nonfiction (journalism, cultural commentary, biography) have also participated, but candidates must have a comparable track record in one of the creative genres (listed earlier).
• The candidate should not be a resident of the United States.
• The IWP is specifically designed for established or emerging creative writers who have at least one published volume, or works that have appeared in significant publications (anthologies, journals, literary magazines) over the last two years.
• Some prior form of national or local recognition for the candidate’s literary achievements is desired.
• The candidate should be ready to provide a compelling sample or work in both the original language and as translated into English. Typically 10 to 15 pages of poetry or double-spaced prose, the writing sample should give a good sense of the writer’s strengths and style.
• The candidate must have a facility in speaking English sufficient to benefit from a three-month writing residency where intensive discussion of literary and cultural issues forms a vital part of the interaction. Much of the experience of being in a community of international writers is lost if the candidate is not reasonably proficient in English upon arrival.
• The program seeks candidates who are comfortable with cross-cultural dynamics and interested in close interaction with artists from diverse cultures. On the other hand, participants have at their disposal a fair amount of unstructured time where they determine their own schedules. A candidate's flexibility and tolerance should be matched to a degree with independence and self-motivation.

2. Program Overview

The Iowa portion of the residency will run from August 24 - November 6, 2013.Weekly calendars featuring mandatory and optional events allow participants to carve out individual schedules that fit both public engagement and personal time to pursue individual writing projects; however, a finished project is not a requirement of the residency. Monday and Friday afternoons are reserved for writer-based UI courses on international literature and translation; Wednesday evenings feature writer-selected film screenings; excursions, field trips, and social gatherings take place on most Saturdays; and readings featuring IWP writers take place on Friday and Sunday afternoons. Tuesdays and Thursdays are generally kept free for writers to write and conduct research.

The program also provides many opportunities for the writers to take part in the university’s academic life. The IWP works closely with other writing units at the University of Iowa, including the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the Nonfiction Writing Program, the MFA Program in Translation, the Spanish Language Creative Writing Program, and the Playwrights’ Workshop. In addition, the program enjoys productive relationships with academic programs in Film Studies, Comparative Literature, and African, Asian, Latin American, Eastern European, and other literatures and languages. Each year the IWP fields dozens of invitations for our writers to visit classrooms as lecturers or conference presenters.

Readings by American and international writers of note are held almost nightly at the University of Iowa and in Iowa City. Between late August and mid-November, 2012, there were over 100 literary and theater events. Notable readers and performers included Geoff Dyer, Pulitzer Prize-winner Marilynne Robinson, Junot Diaz, Charles D’Ambrosio, Joyelle McSweeney, Justin Cronin, Bret Anthony Johnston, Robin Hemley, Ben Lerner, Deborah Eisenberg, Hisham Matar, Antoine Wilson, Mary Swander, Kenneth Goldsmith, and many others. Opportunities for interaction with visiting authors arise through informal receptions and small-group discussion sessions.

For participants with the appropriate funding, the IWP will arrange four days of domestic travel at the residency’s midpoint; and an additional week of travel directly follows the Iowa-portion of the residency.The travel periods give writers opportunities to confer with professional translators, publishers, and colleagues; to give talks or readings at other institutions; and to conduct work-related research in cities with major literary markets. The mid-residency travel period typically takes writers to cities in the western and southern United States for tourism and cultural programming. In past years, writers traveled to San Francisco, CA; New Orleans, LA; and Santa Fe, NM. Locations for 2013 are to-be-determined. The post-residency travel period begins in Washington, D.C. and ends in New York City.

Fall Residency Activities Include:

• International Literature Today. This upper-level university course is based on the work of International Writing Program participants. Each week different IWP writers speak to their own writing and to the relationship between their works and the literary scenes in their home countries. The two-hour class is held each Monday afternoon.
• Weekly Public Panels. These panels present discussions on literary issues and on the influences and forces shaping writing around the world. Topics in the past have included “Writing Across Languages,” “Teaching Writing,” “The Migrant as Figure in Literature Today,” “What Matters Now: Social Change in the World,” “Writing in a Country at War,” “Spectral Gender,” and “Images of America.” These Friday afternoon discussions draw audiences from across the university and the local community. In addition, they are broadcast on local television.
• The International Translation Workshop. Graduate-level students of creative writing, translation, and comparative literature work one-on-one with IWP writers in a classroom setting to create quality English translations of participant materials. The class meets to discuss the translations in progress on Friday afternoons throughout the semester.
• Readings and performances. Because Iowa City is uniquely nurturing of creative writing, readings occur almost every night of the week, in coffeehouses, arts centers, restaurants, and other public venues. A series of IWP-sponsored weekly readings, in cooperation with the university’s MFA programs, is held at Prairie Lights Bookstore on Sunday afternoons. The IWP also hosts a second series of readings on late Friday afternoons in the Shambaugh House, often in a bilingual format. In addition, numerous readings are scheduled throughout the residency, through the sponsorship of foreign-language departments, civic entities, or other groups.
• For playwrights. The IWP arranges opportunities for the works of its playwrights and performance artists to be read and staged on campus. The main venue for this is “Global Express.” During this evening of staged readings, 10-15 minute excerpts and pieces written by IWP writers are read by actors from the University’s Division of Performing Arts.Other opportunities may arise through such contacts as the Portland Stage Company (ME), Arena Stage (Washington, D.C.), and the New York Theatre Workshop.
• Cinematheque. Writers in residence are encouraged to introduce, screen, and lead a discussion of a film of their choice. This can become the opportunity to bring little-known works to the attention of local film audiences and film scholars.
• Cultural activities and field trips. Participants receive complimentary tickets and invitations to numerous cultural events. Past events have included visits to the Amana Colonies, the Tri-State Rodeo, and to Native American burial grounds overlooking the Mississippi River.
• Community interaction. A particular benefit of the program involves occasional invitations for: individual and group visits to homes of faculty or community members; talks given by writers for area groups (such as the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council and Senior College); classroom visits to local elementary and high schools; and trips to speak or read in the state of Iowa and elsewhere. These visits are arranged in a variety of ways and we encourage participants to use these opportunities to experience the full spectrum of American culture.

3. Facilities

The IWP works with local and University leased properties to arrange for appropriate housing and other accommodations for the writers’ stay. Most IWP writers will live at the Iowa House Hotel (http://imu.uiowa.edu/iowahouse/), located directly on campus in the Iowa Memorial Union building (IMU). Writers will predominantly live on the same floor, which also includes a ‘common room’ for group use and an office for the IWP’s “Housing Coordinator.” Each room provides a private bathroom, a writing desk, wireless internet, as well as a mini-fridge, coffee pot, and microwave. Other available facilities within or near the IMU include cafeterias, the Bijou movie theatre, computer labs, and exercise facilities. A limited number of other guest housing may become available, depending on available funding and demonstrated need.

Other notes:

• Visitors are highly encouraged to bring their own laptop computer.
• Program participants will hold visiting-scholar privileges at the University of Iowa, which will provide them with access to the state-of-the-art university libraries as well as other research and recreational facilities on campus. We will assist those who would like to make use of the University’s professional resources as needed.
• If the writer receives an invitation to another institution for a lecture, reading, or a professional consultation within the United States, the program will help coordinate the arrangements.
• If possible, the IWP will identify or advise about potential contacts in publishing and theater.
• The IWP will keep ten to fifteen pages of the writer's translated and/or edited work posted on its web site (http://iwp.uiowa.edu) for use in classes, readings, or as potentially publishable material, given the translator’s permission.
• The IWP’s website will also feature writer bios and photographs of each writer-in-residence.

For Further Information

For any information about the application process specific to individual countries, and further information about the program, please contact:

Hugh Ferrer
Associate Director
International Writing Program
Shambaugh House
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242-2020

Phone: (319) 335-3856
Fax: (319) 335-3843
E-mail: hugh-ferrer@uiowa.edu