Literature

Across the U.S., demand for romance books continues to boom, including locally. This Valentine’s season, the genre has reached a fever pitch thanks to the success of media based on romance books, including LGBTQ hockey romance Heated Rivalry and Netflix's Bridgerton.

We talk all things Jane Austen in celebration of the 250th anniversary of her birth. First, Iowa City-based artist Sonja Strathearn began making Regency-era attire three years ago to attend The Jane Austen Fest and the obsession has only grown from there. Strathearn invites us into her closet to show off her Regency attire. Then, Nebbe speaks with author Curtis Sittenfeld, an Austen fan and the author of the 'Pride & Prejudice' reimagining, 'Eligible.' Finally, musicologist Marian Wilson Kimber talks about Austen's musical inclinations, the pieces in her playbook and the ways music influenced her books.

This year, Winterset's annual Covered Bridge Festival is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film, The Bridges of Madison County.

Horror author Ira Rat hopes to give Iowa writers in the genre a space to connect with the inaugural One of Us horror fiction convention.

The U.S. State Department announced this week that the United States will once again withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, effective Dec. 31, 2026.

The State Historical Society will look for a new university partnership to take over editing for the Annals of Iowa.

Since 2021, the nonprofit Ames Writers Collective has brought writers of all ages and skill levels together to learn and create. Now it has its own space, called Fifth Street Writers.

Martians, moms and all things movies were in the spotlight over the weekend at the 2024 Refocus Film Festival in Iowa City. It’s the only film festival dedicated to celebrating the art of adaptation, which this year included the Iowa premiere of Nightbitch.

Amy Adams takes a bite out of motherhood in Nightbitch, the new film adapted from Rachel Yoder’s 2021 debut novel. Here’s how you can see it before it opens nationwide in December.

Kang is the first Korean writer to win the award. International Writing Program Director Christopher Merrill says several IWP alum were considered for this year’s prize.