International Writing Program

This is the first version of the 2025–26 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.

The International Writing Program (IWP) conducts a unique fall residency program for established writers from outside the United States. During the fall semester, IWP may offer courses related to the program's general mission.

Residency Program

Each fall the International Writing Program assembles a community of poets, fiction writers, essayists, playwrights, and journalists for an 11-week residency on campus. Participants range from emerging talents to writers who are among their countries' leading literary figures and writers of world stature. For most, their time in the program is their first, or their first extended, stay in the United States.

At the University of Iowa, they live and interact with each other while working on writing and translation projects and participating in public events. Throughout their residency, they present their work in IWP:3191 International Literature Today and IWP:5205 International Translation Workshop, and participate as guests in many other courses on campus. They also meet with the public through readings, panel discussions, a film series, and other presentations.

Since 1967 over 1,600 writers from over 160 countries have participated in the program.

International Writing Program participants are supported by the University of Iowa, and through bilateral agreements with many countries, grants from cultural institutions and governments abroad, and private funds.

For more information, contact the International Writing Program.