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Iowa City to Host 2018 UNESCO Cities of Literature Meeting

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Iowa City has been selected to host a meeting of the world’s UNESCO Cities of Literature.

Delegates from all over the world will be in town for a three-day meeting in 2018. Past meetings have been held in Barcelona, Dublin and Heidelberg, Germany.

City of Literature Executive Director John Kenyon says it’s an opportunity to show off Iowa City and highlight what makes it a City of Literature.

"We are seen internationally as kind of a bright star in the literary sky," Kenyon says. "People are genuinely interested in coming to Iowa City and learning about what we have here." 

The meeting will also be part of celebrating the 10th anniversary of Iowa City’s UNESCO designation.

There are currently 20 Cities of Literature, but there may be more cities with that designation by the time they meet in Iowa next year.

Katarina Sostaric is IPR's State Government Reporter