University of Iowa to Halt Summer Writing Festival, Youth Writing Project

Your support keeps truth alive in Decorah—donate to local news today! The University of Iowa is shutting down two summer writing programs, citing continued difficulties with funding. The UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences posted messages online to those involved in the Iowa Youth Writing Project and Iowa Summer Writing Festival this week stating both initiatives will end on Dec. 31, 2025, not because of any issues with staff or participants, but due to "the realities of the resources required" to keep them running. UI Public Relations Manager Steve Schmadeke said in an email both canceled programs were supposed to be sustained financially by enrollment but ended up with average costs exceeding revenue by $115,000 on average annually over the past five years. The Magid Center for Writing, which receives its funding through its programming, private gifts and the liberal arts college, has been providing support for the writing projects to keep them going. "Both the Iowa Summer Writing Festival (ISWF) and the Iowa Youth Writing Project (IYWP) are well-regarded outreach programs that have enriched the Iowa writing community in unique ways; but after careful assessment, CLAS has determined they cannot be sustained financially," Schmadeke said in the email. "The university's primary focus is supporting writing education at the undergraduate and graduate levels." Schmadeke said in his email five positions are being eliminated as a result of the program closures, and the five employees filling them are being laid off. There are currently no plans to continue with the youth writing project and festival in a limited format or in any other way, he said. The Iowa Youth Writing Project has been in operation since 2010, according to the message posted online, and has hosted writing workshops for young people across Iowa. The Iowa Summer Writing Festival was launched in 1987, welcoming adult writers from all over the U.S. to Iowa City for workshops and more. "We are forever grateful to all those writers who have participated in the festival over the decades, with many of you coming back year after year," the message to the writing festival community stated. "You made this festival what it was and brought creativity and energy to Iowa City each summer." This has been a year of changes for UI programming relating to the written word, with the university's international writing program seeing federal funding cuts that led to reductions in programming and the number of residencies it could support. A new office of writing and communication is also being established at the UI, announced in July, that will serve as a hub for collaboration and resources for writing groups across campus. Magid Center for Writing Director Daniel Khalastchi was announced this week in a news release as the new office's executive director, and will spend his first year in the role establishing the office's structure and goals and making connections in other units. "Writing and communication are essential in every discipline, and Iowa has long been a place where these skills are nurtured, celebrated, and elevated," Khalastchi said in the release. "I'm honored to serve in this new role and excited to help expand the partnerships and opportunities that make this such a powerful environment for students." Unlock a world of knowledge! Sign up for free DecorahNews.com newsletters and receive local news, local events and everything that is happening in and around Decorah.