Come usher in a new era of ANTHOLOGY, a reading series bringing together writers from across Iowa's literary MFA programs. This first event, I too am written/También soy escritura, will honor the spirit of writing across boundaries by raising money for Escucha Mi Voz. Come from 12-3pm for workshops*, lawn games, arts & crafts, and a bake sale. Readings and live music will happen from 3-6pm.
*N.b. Workshops will be filled via pre-registration and then on a first-come, first-served basis.
Schedule of events:
12-3pm: Bake sale/craft tables/games/face painting | PS1 Close House
12-1pm:
Workshop: Generative Poetry Sprint | Margaret Yapp | PS1 Close House - CAS Reading Room
In this one-hour class, members will participate in a fast-paced marathon of generative and editing exercises that build on each other. We will do writing exercises that feel more familiar, of course, but we will also experiment with drawing and movement techniques to spark new ideas. This class is less focused on workshopping poems, and more focused on creating new work. Participants will walk away with a lot of new writing, new ideas, and new editing techniques to push their work even farther after the class is over.
Screening: Assorted Video Essays | Nikka Singh, Esé Emmanuel, and Richard Frailing | PS1 Cloud House
1-2pm:
Workshop: Research for Fiction Writing | Tyrone Aragón | PS1 Close House - CAS Reading Room
This workshop explores how you can transform research into believable fiction without losing narrative momentum. Whether you are writing speculative fiction, psychological narratives, historical novels or just a story that crosses a specific field, research is not just about accuracy—it is about creating depth, texture, and, more importantly, credibility. We will focus on key techniques, bibliography, concrete examples (authors and their work), exercises (turning facts into story), and reading recommendations.
Workshop: Personal Writing Is Always Political | Ergisa Xhuveli | PS1 Close House - Member Studio
Panel with Video Essayists Nikka Singh and Richard Frailing | PS1 Cloud House
2-3pm:
Workshop: Micro and Flash Fiction | Racquel Martinez | PS1 Close House
Together, we'll go over examples of micro fiction, define it, pull out potential craft elements, and have a writing session, taking some time at the end to share and reflect.
Nora Connolly and Cary Stough children's book writing demo | PS1 Close House
Assorted Video Essays | Nikka Singh, Esé Emmanuel, and Richard Frailing | PS1 Cloud House
3-6pm: Readings and Music | PS1 Close House
3pm-3:30pm:
Poonam Dhir
Thomas Humphrey
Sant Giralt and Emma Murray (Bilingual)
3:30pm-3:45pm:
Joel Worford (music)
3:45pm-4:10pm:
Raquel Martinez
Gyasi Asim
Ehsan Ahmed Mehedi
4:15pm-4:45pm:
Interlude featuring Filmscene and Escucha Mi Voz
4:50pm-5:15pm:
Blanca Bercial
Maya Arthur
Harris Wheless
5:15pm-5:30pm:
Joel Worford (music)
5:30pm-6:00pm:
Mauricio Ruiz and Andrea Avey (Bilingual)
Toye Oladinni
Bethany Kaylor
Learn more and pre-register at https://www.anthology-fest.com/