Programs

EXPLORE OUR PROGRAMS

Every year, with support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, IWP organizes a number of programs that aim to make a connection between literary communities overseas and distinguished American writers. These programs have ranged from symposia and conferences through reading and study tours, to writing workshops, taught both on the UI campus and abroad.

 "Crafting the Future 2022 - Ukraine, Section 2. Readings by six writers, from 8/24/2022."
Series of international virtual creative writing workshops

Crafting the Future (CTF) is a series of international virtual creative writing workshops that teach students who are between the ages of 18 and 25 and live outside the United States to produce... More

A grid of images suggesting people writing, reading, using laptops to work, and joining a Zoom call for a conversation.
MOOCs, Off-Campus Courses & Outreach

Lower left image by wocintechchat.com. The IWP’s Digital Learning Program offers a year-round program of online courses, exchanges, and events whose goal is to encourage worldwide cultural and... More

Writers in Direct Conversation

IWP's international conferences are designed to bring together international and American writers in direct conversations around a pressing theme. They commonly result in a collection of topical... More

Two BTL participants hug in the foreground while participating in a group activity.
Peace and the Writing Experience & Identity and Belonging

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” - Stephen King Between the Lines is currently accepting applications from U.S.-based students.... More

Reading Abroad: American Writers on Tour

In partnership with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, the International Writing Program organizes reading tours to countries or regions with a relatively... More

A grid of images suggesting people writing, reading, using laptops to work, and joining a Zoom call for a conversation.

CREATIVE WRITING, DISABILITIES AWARENESS, AND INCLUSION COURSE SERIES: 11/5/2020—12/22/2020 (Near East and Northern African regions, though open to all) This short course series contains six one-... More

Yvonne Owuor Speaks at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Right: Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (IWP Fall Resident 2005 & 2017, Kenya), shown here speaking at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is a mentor for IWP’s inaugural Women’s Creative... More

Interdisciplinary Narrative-making through Intercultural Interaction

We are no longer accepting applications for this program. The 2022 cohort was the final group to participate. 2019-2022: The Summer Institute (SI) was a two-week creative writing and cultural... More

A Poetry Project for Iraqi Youth

Lanterns of Hope: A Poetry Project for Iraqi Youth, launched in March of 2015, was a program designed to encourage Iraqi youth, ages 16 to 23, to creatively communicate their visions for the... More

Heritage, Trade, Practice

Silk Routes: Heritage, Trade, Practice is a three-year project (2014-2016) designed to foster long-term region-wide networks of younger writers in South and Central Asia working in their own... More

A Virtual Drama

2012-2015:  Book Wings is a collaborative exchange and performance initiative designed to bring together writers, actors, directors, and new media professionals from the United States and... More

A study tour of the Mid-Atlantic and the American South

In April 2011, the International Writing Program launched Writers in Motion, a study tour of the Mid-Atlantic and the American South, where eight international writers explored the theme of "Fall and... More

A US/Western China Exchange 文化探寻

In 2009, the International Writing Program and the Chinese Writers' Association began a pilot exchange project, the Life of Discovery. The project’s aim was to bring together writers and artists from... More