The University of Iowa in America is hosting a residency for writers from August 19 to November 6, 2023. The in-person session will bring around 30 emerging and mid-career writers from around the world to Iowa City for an immersive eleven-week cultural exchange.
The International Writing Program (IWP)’s Fall Residency furthers participants’ professional development, advances their understanding of creative writing, literature, publishing and U.S. societal values, and facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration.
Program activities will provide international writers with opportunities to engage with the U.S. creative economy and culture and encourage American writers to connect with priority foreign audiences.
IWP Fall Residency Program Background and Description
The International Writing Program (IWP) contributes substantially to the fulfillment of writers’ professional development through flexible, responsive exchange programs that counter disinformation, build mutual understanding, advance freedom of expression, and explore the important role of inclusion in building resilient democratic communities. In that sense, the IWP is one of the most prestigious programs of its kind in the United States.
IWP’s host institution, the University of Iowa, is also home to the world-renowned Iowa Writers’ Workshop. In 2008, Iowa City became the first UNESCO City of Literature in the United States, the third such city in the world. Two IWP alumni—Orhan Pamuk of Turkey and Mo Yan of China—have received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
IWP Fall Residency Selection Process
The IWP Fall Residency is open to established and emerging writers of fiction, graphic novels, drama, poetry, and screenplays from any country. Candidates should have a significant publication record; at least one published book or screenplay/play, or a record of publishing regularly over the previous two years in traditional or online media.
The working language of the program is English, and visa issuance requires that candidates are proficient speakers of English. Candidates need not write in English; once a writer is selected, the program provides translation for their creative work as needed.
Candidates must be comfortable with cross-cultural dynamics and eager to engage with other writers from diverse cultures.
Candidates must be adults between the age of 21 and 64 at the time of the program, non-U.S. citizens, who are able to travel to the United States and stay for the full eleven weeks. Family members and others are not allowed to accompany the writers during the Fall Residency.
