Welcome to the Festival

Registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Class size is limited to 12, so it's a good idea to register early.

For questions regarding workshop content, please call the Festival office at 319-335-4160. Visit the Choosing a Workshop page for approaches to identifying the right workshop for you.

All workshops are noncredit. Auditors or other nonparticipating visitors are not permitted.

You may enroll in only one workshop per week or weekend. You may, however, enroll in as many weeks or weekends as you like. Weeklong and weekend workshops do not overlap. See Your Week/Weekend at a Glance for a glimpse of the shape of the sessions.

Payment must accompany registration. The University of Iowa accepts MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express. For additional information, visit the Registration, Fees & Policies page.

Returning Festival participants, please note! The registration login information you used pre-2020 is now obsolete. We're starting from scratch.

View and Register for Workshops

Instructor Workshop  
Jennifer Fawcett What Happens Next: Writing Suspense in Fiction Learn More/Register
Robin Hemley Autofiction Learn More/Register
Wayne Johnson Novel Solutions Learn More/Register
Jared Joseph Where the Sidewalk / Bends: How Line Breaks / Make Meaning in Poetry Learn More/Register
June Melby Summer Camp (For Your Muse) Learn More/Register
Tricia Park Breaking Up with Form: Experimental Essays Learn More/Register
Suzanne Scanlon Life Writing: Finding Your Way In Learn More/Register
Elizabeth Stuckey-French Your Novel in a Week Learn More/Register

 

Instructor Workshop  
Mary Allen Travel Writing Made Easy, and It's All Travel Writing Learn More/Register
Kelly Dwyer Mending the Muddle of the Middle (Of the Novel) Learn More/Register
Mieke Eerkens PROMPTAPALOOZA! 10 Prompts to Generate 10 Beginnings in 2 Days Learn More/Register
Jennifer Fawcett Writing Around the Edges (And Going Down the Rabbit Holes) in Fiction Learn More/Register
Cecile Goding The Well-Tempered Paragraph: Memoirs in Miniature Learn More/Register
Vince Gotera Jazz June: Sound & Writing Poetry Learn More/Register
Jared Joseph It's About Time: Writing That Endures Learn More/Register
Michael Morse Close Reading into Enlightened Writing: Generating Poems after Louise Glück & Jericho Brown Learn More/Register
Suzanne Scanlon Telling True Stories (Ten Different Ways) Learn More/Register
Carol Spindel All About My Life: Structuring Memoir Through a Single Category Learn More/Register

 

Instructor Workshop  
Tim Bascom Formed by Family: Writing About Those Who Shape Us Learn More/Register
Kelly Dwyer The Popular Novel (In Any Genre) Learn More/Register
Hope Edelman The Story Beneath Your Story: Exposing and Exploring Your Memoir’s Deeper Message Learn More/Register
Mieke Eerkens Transforming an Idea into a Book: A Roadmap for Book-Length Nonfiction & Memoir Learn More/Register
Hugh Ferrer Clock and Camera in Fiction: Immersing the Reader  Learn More/Register
Max Garland The Poetry of Memory Learn More/Register
Diana Goetsch Developing a Memoir Learn More/Register
Charles Holdefer The Balancing Act: Narration, Character and Dialogue in Fiction Learn More/Register
Michael Morse Revisionist Singing—Walking Your Poems Through the Ages Learn More/Register
Sandra Scofield The Narrative Call: Accelerate and Deepen Your Novel Learn More/Register
Robert Anthony Siegel  Kickstarting Your Novel Learn More/Register
Sharon Oard Warner The Novella Workshop Learn More/Register

Instructor Workshop  
Linda Bendorf The Eight Pillars of Personal Narrative Learn More/Register
Kelly Dwyer Killer Openings Learn More/Register
Mieke Eerkens Flash Forward: Writing Micro Nonfiction Learn More/Register
Diana Goetsch Outrageous Bullshit: A Generative Course for All Genres Learn More/Register
Malinda McCollum Out of the Box: Experimenting with Narrative Form Learn More/Register
Michael Morse What We Love About Like: Simile and Metaphor, Image and Idea Learn More/Register
Beau O'Reilly The Writer As Performer Learn More/Register
Lon Otto Writing in Layers: Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, and Poetry Learn More/Register
Rachel Pastan Fear and Loathing and Sometimes Even Joy: Getting Emotion on the Page Learn More/Register
Sandra Scofield Aboutness: Leash Your Novel, Shape Your Writing, Pitch Your Book Learn More/Register
Robert Anthony Siegel How to Write a Short Story Learn More/Register
Sarah Strickley Nurturing a Healthy Writing Habit Learn More/Register
Anthony Varallo Flash Fiction Five Hundred: A Writer's Workout Learn More/Register
Sharon Oard Warner Why Make a Scene? Learn More/Register

Instructor Workshop  
Susan Aizenberg Our Flexible Instruments: Exploring the Uses of Voice in Poetry Learn More/Register
Mary Allen Encounters with Life: Spiritual Writing Learn More/Register
Linda Bendorf Submit! To the Creative Process…and The Sun Magazine Learn More/Register
Malinda McCollum New Suns: A Surreal & Speculative Fiction Workshop Learn More/Register
James McKean Memoir: Pieces for the Whole Learn More/Register
Beau O'Reilly Completing the New Play Learn More/Register
Lon Otto Everyone is Strange: Developing Characters in Fiction & Narrative Nonfiction Learn More/Register
Rachel Pastan Experiment, Embellish, Enlarge: Revising Your Way into Story Learn More/Register
Juliet Patterson Thirteen Ways to Look at a Poem Learn More/Register
Leslie Schwartz An Instruction Manuel for Your First Novel Learn More/Register
Sandra Scofield Going to the Well: The Gift of One's Own Stories Learn More/Register
Kali White VanBaale Architecture of the Novel Learn More/Register
Anthony Varallo Digging In, Sending Out: A Fiction and Editing Workshop Learn More/Register