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The principal design of
the International Writing Program (IWP) is threefold: to introduce
talented individuals to American life; to enable these individuals
to take part in American university life; and to provide writers
with time, in a setting congenial to their efforts, for the production
of literary work. Since 1967, over a thousand writers from more
than 120 countries have attended the IWP at the University of
Iowa. The project is designed for established and emerging creative
writers — poets, fiction writers, dramatists, and non-fiction
writers.
The minimum requirement is that they have published
at least one book, and that they possess sufficient proficiency
in English to profit from the Iowa experience.
The University of Iowa is
the nation’s premier center for creative writing. Giving
and attending talks and readings, and meeting with well-known
and emerging visiting American writers give the international
writers broad exposure to currents in American literature. We
also strive to give each writer the opportunity to present his
or her work in a public forum. Televised and radio interviews
with individuals and groups of writers are broadcast in the Iowa
City and university communities.
The U.S. Department of State
is a major source of support for the program. The IWP also administers
the grants of writers who come to the University of Iowa under
subsidy from American corporations and cultural organizations
abroad.
The 2007 residency will
take place August 25 through November 20. Following the Iowa
portion of the residency, many writers will embark on a ten-day period of optional
travel within the continental United States.
Participants of the IWP
do not take classes at the University of Iowa; no degree is given
for participation in the program. The program provides various
literary activities, outlined below. All the activities offered
by the program are optional, and the writers are free to use
their time as they wish, to write or to conduct research. We
strive to give each writer the opportunity to present his or
her work in a public forum. The IWP also organizes individual
visits to other parts of the United States, including schools
and community colleges within Iowa and around the nation. |
