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University of Iowa

University Libraries

Aug 29 2007

East Asian Writers Focus of Library Exhibit

Posted byThe University of Iowa LibrariesPosted inNews

hp.jpgIn the fall of 1967 a handful of writers from around the world came to Iowa City to participate in a unique writing experience: The International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. From those very early days through this year’s 40 plus invited participants, writers from East Asia have been an integral part of the program which aims to promote world literatures as well as international understanding.

To celebrate IWP’s anniversary, the UI Libraries presents “East Asia in the Midwest: 40 Years of East Asian Writers at the International Writing Program” in the North Exhibition Hall of the Main Library. This exhibit highlights prominent authors from China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan who participated in the program.

Of the over 1100 IWP novelists, poets and essayists, nearly 150 writers have come from these three East Asian countries. Until a diplomatic relationship resumed, Iowa City was one of a very few places where an encounter between Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese writers and intellectuals could occur, after thirty years of mutual isolation. And this inspiration is felt by all the writers in the program. Much literary collaboration continues long after IWP writers leave Iowa City and return to their home countries.

“The IWP brings the world to Iowa, and there is no more important part of the world to learn about than East Asia,” says Christopher Merrill, Director of the International Writing Program. “The writers featured in this exhibit give us the inside stories about places crucial to our understanding of what it means to be alive today.”

A reception and reading by distinguished visiting Chinese-language IWP alumni is scheduled for Thursday, October 11 from 5:00-6:30 p.m., in the Main Library. Information about other anniversary events can be found on the International Writing Program website.

The exhibit, held through October 2007 in the Main Library’s North Exhibition Hall, will be open during regular library hours. Admission is free.

For more information about the exhibit, please visit the UI Libraries website .