As a high school junior or senior, you will get your test scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation in order—but what about that last crucial item, the college application essay? How can you convey your goals, personality, and sense of self in just a few hundred words?

In the middle of May, the Iowa Youth Writing Project, in collaboration with the University of Iowa's College of Education Teaching and Learning Department, Iowa Reading Association, and Eastern Iowa Reading Council, hosted a reading and celebration for the 2025 Southeastern Iowa Short Story and Poetry Contest winners!

We're turning 15! Come celebrate with a night of trivia at The Green House on May 12th from 7p-9p.

This event will include a short presentation from Dr. Liz Corson about how families can help support developing childhood literacy skills, several guided writing activities with all supplies and snacks provided

Iowa-City area young writers: submit a short story or poetry to our contest by April 7th, 2025!

Join the IYWP for an online course aimed to help you generate and polish your college application essay!

Is Iowa City a City of Literature for all ages? The Iowa Youth Writing Project (IYWP), a community-based program, hopes to address just that.

“As someone who does not inherently enjoy writing, I was very much hesitant to enroll in Writing and Community Outreach,” honors student Josh Hutton admits. He goes on to say, “My hesitations were quickly dismissed, however, because the class was much more than that.”