The Big Ten Network recently published an article and began airing a commercial about the Iowa Youth Writing Project, part of the MAGID Center for Undergraduate Writing. The IYWP does great work in our community, helping K-12 students find their voices through creative writing.

Adam is twelve years old, but he already understands the benefits of bilingualism. For dozens of Spanish-speaking children in Iowa City, however, Spanish continues to be a private language, used only with family. Many of them understand it, but they almost can’t speak it. The good thing is that in IC there are opportunities for children to practice their Spanish away from home. The Iowa Youth Writing Project, a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by graduate students from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, provides some of these opportunities.

Before Lena Dunham took the stage at the Englert for her sold-out book tour event on Tuesday, the writer and creator of HBO’s Girls was meeting with a select group of Iowa City writers: twelve aspiring student writers from Tate High School.

Read the "Wavy World" story by Madilyn, a student at Horace Mann Elementary, courtesy of the Iowa Youth Writing Program (IYWP).

Dozens of literature-related children’s activities will highlight the second annual One Book Two Book festival, Jan. 11-13, 2013, in and around Iowa City. Dubbed “A Celebration of Children’s Literature in the City of Literature,” the festival is organized by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature with support from presenting sponsor the Pearson Foundation.

At 5 pm on Sunday, April 1st at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City, IA, budding young poets from all over the state will join in a master class with nationally-recognized performance poets Amber Tamblyn, Beau Sia, and Derrick Brown. The students will have the opportunity to workshop their own original work in preparation for an evening performance. After the workshop session, students and professional performers will take the stage together to perform in a special edition of Working Group Theatre's monthly spoken word show, Was the Word, in collaboration with Iowa Youth Writing Project, Mission Creek Festival, and Poetry Out Loud.