Posted by Meredith on Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014
The Iowa City Public Library is thrilled to be one of the sponsors of the 2014 Iowa City Book Festival, which will be held Oct. 2 through Oct. 5.
Now in its sixth year, the annual celebration of books and writing leverages the unique mix of local resources that helped Iowa City earn the UNESCO City of Literature designation.
The festival will include readings and discussions at multiple locations throughout Iowa City. Below is a list of events that will be held at the Library:
Panel: Writing in a Country at War
12:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, in Meeting Room A
What are a writer’s duties, privileges and obligations when his or her country is at war? What should writing be when a day is measured in units of life and death—whether in the place one lives, or, as importantly, when the writer is safe from the ongoing fighting? Panelists are International Writing Program participants Mujib Mehrdad (Afghanistan), Sadek Mohammed (Iraq), and Boaz Gaon (Israel).
Author Reading: Scott Phillips and Jon McGoran
10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in Meeting Room A
Authors Scott Phillips (Hop Alley) and Jon McGoran (Deadout) read from and discuss their latest books.
Author Reading: Sean Strub and Terrence Holt
11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in Meeting Room A
Authors Sean Strub (Body Counts) and Terrence Holt (Internal Medicine) read from and discuss their new books.
Irish Poetry Reading
1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in Meeting Room A
In this second of three programs presented in partnership with the Dublin City of Literature, three Irish poets -- Siobhan Campbell, Joseph Woods, and Stephen James Smith -- will read from their work.
Author Reading: Edward Carey
1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Teen Center
Edward Carey reads from and discusses his new YA novel, Heap House.
A Tribute to Donald Justice
2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in Meeting Room A
Ten years after his passing, the work of Donald Justice continues to resonate. A panel of poets, led by 2013 National Book Award winner Mary Szybist reads from and discusses the work of the late poet in this special event.
Author Reading: Jessie Ann Foley
2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Teen Center
Jessie Ann Foley will read from and discuss her 2014 Helen Sheehan YA Book Prize-winning novel, The Carnival at Bray.
Author Reading: Paddy Woodworth and Jeff Biggers
4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in Meeting Room A
Paddy Woodworth (Our Once and Future Planet) and Jeff Biggers (Reckoning at Eagle Creek) will read from their work and discuss the idea of regeneration as it relates to climate change.
Panel: At Language’s Edge
3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, in Meeting Room A
International Writing Program participants Natasha Tiniacos (Venezuela) and Sabata-Mpho Mokae (South Africa) join poet Marilyn Chin and Waukon-based translator Mary Jane White in a discussion about what it means to translate, and to have their work translated into other languages.
Panel: Religion and Writing
4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, in Meeting Room A
International Writing Program participants Binayak Banerjee (India), Gerður Kristný (Iceland), Enrique Serrano (Colombia), and Abdullah Al Wesali (Saudi Arabia) discuss how religious heritage shapes an author’s writing.
For a full schedule of events, visit www.iowacitybookfestival.org/schedule/.