Poets & Writers Magazine Ranks Iowa #1
October 29, 2009
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The University of Iowa creative writing programs in fiction, poetry and nonfiction were individually and collectively ranked number one by Poets & Writers magazine in their "Top Fifty" list of Master of Fine Arts programs.
The list was compiled on the basis of a poll of more than 500 MFA current and prospective MFA applicants between October 2008 and April 2009. "All poll respondents were asked to list, along with their genre of interest, either the programs to which they planned to apply, or, if they were not yet applicants but expected to be in the future, which programs they believed were the strongest in the nation," Seth Abramson, wrote.
Poets & Writers, Inc. is the primary source of information, support and guidance for creative writers. Founded in 1970, it is the nation's largest nonprofit literary organization serving poets, fiction writers and creative nonfiction writers. Read more...
Iowa Writers' Workshop |
Fiction | Poetry | Nonfiction
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Second Life Readings Presented by the UI Grad College and IWP
October 28, 2009
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Alice Pung is nearly 10,000 miles away from home as an International Writing Program participant at the University of Iowa.
But through Second Life (a 3-D virtual world where users can socialize, customize an avatar, connect and create using free voice and text chats) friends and family in her native Melbourne, Australia, had the opportunity to hear her read from her memoir, "Unpolished Gem" on Oct. 21.
Students in the UI's School of Library of Information Science (SLIS) graduate program developed avatars -- characters that you can personalize and use when interacting with friends online -- for themselves and the writers, and coordinated the readings with the avatars at the main library.
SLIS students will be hosting another Second Life presentation at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, with IWP participants Yasser Abdel Latif of Egypt and Maxine Case of South Africa reading from their work. Representatives of the UI's Virtual Writing University are helping produce the events.
Read more...
International Writing Program | New Media | UI Libraries
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UI Press Marks 150th Anniversary of ‘Leaves of Grass’ with Facsimile Edition
October 19, 2009
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The University of Iowa Press will release "Leaves of Grass, 1860: The 150th Anniversary Facsimile Edition" this autumn in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the collection's publication. This anniversary edition will include not only a facsimile reproduction of the original 1860 volume but also an introduction by antebellum historian and Whitman scholar Jason Stacy -- a faculty member at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville -- that situates Whitman in 19th-century America as well as annotations that provide detailed historical context for Whitman's poems.
The book is part of the ongoing Iowa Whitman Series that celebrates and explores his influence on modern and contemporary writers in America and around the world. Robert Roper, author of "Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War," wrote, "The University of Iowa Press continues its indispensable service to Whitman scholarship with this new edition of the 1860 'Leaves of Grass.' Jason Stacy refrains from calling the 1860 edition the greatest of all the editions that Whitman published in his lifetime, so we will have to do it for him: Those that came before were smaller, while those that came after represent fallings-away from this towering and encompassing enchantment, the greatest book yet from an American poet." read more...
Poetry | UI Press
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Live Discussions on the Writing University website
October 08, 2009
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The Writing University website hosted two live online discussions this week. Our first discussion, with Ida Beam distinguished Visiting Professor Eavan Boland, took place at 10 AM on Wed., Oct 14th. Boland discussed the process of writing, literature in an international community, as well as other literary topics.
Read the archive of the Eavan Boland chat
The second live discussion, with the University of Iowa International Writing Program Director Christopher Merrill and UI Professor Emeritus Marvin Bell, took place at 1 PM on Thurs., Oct 15th. Bell and Merrill discussed their new collection "7 Poets, 4 Days, 1 Book" and other literary topics.
Read the archive of the Marvin Bell and Christopher Merrill chat
Iowa Writers' Workshop |
Poetry | Faculty | International Writing Program
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Announcing The Iowa Review Design Contest
October 05, 2009
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The Iowa Review will enter its 40th year of publication in 2010. To mark this milestone, the Iowa Review is holding a competition to redesign their cover. The new look will be implemented beginning with the April 2010 issue. The new magazine will have dimensions of 8 inches tall by 6.5 inches wide, with 4-inch French flaps and a spine of approximately one-half inch. Entrants are asked to create a design that will accommodate a changing central image and thematic emphasis. Submissions should be made via email as PDF attachments of no larger than 2 MB. Entries must include:
- Front and back covers, spine, and French flaps with the aforementioned measurements.
- The name “The Iowa Review,” either accompanying an image-based logo or as a logotype of its own.
- Space for a bar code.
- Cover price.
- Volume and issue numbers.
- Date of issue.
- Some indication of what is inside the current issue (e.g., authors, subjects, etc.)
If you live in or near Iowa City, Prairie Lights Bookstore offers a wide selection of major literary magazines for browsing, including The Iowa Review.
The winning entry will receive $1,000, as well as acknowledgment in every issue in which the designer’s work is used. The new print design will be coordinated with the redesign of The Iowa Review’s website, which also will launch in April 2010.
To enter, please submit your PDF to iowa-review@uiowa.edu with “Design Contest” in the subject line. Questions may also be sent to this address. All entries must be received by October 19, 2009. The winner will be announced November 1.
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