Attention local artists, you still have time to showcase your talent and refresh the Library's Art To Go collection! The Library's Art Purchase Prize contest is open for submissions until April 28th. Enter your original art pieces now!
If you're an artist over 18 living, working, or exhibiting in the Iowa City area, you can submit two works suitable for covering in Plexi and framing. Your finished works should be at least 12 x 12 and smaller than 34 x 34, with pricing not exceeding $300. The Library will take responsibility for covering and framing the art.
Submit your entries (in the form of digital images) to candice-smith@icpl.org. Two rounds of judging will take place, and the winning pieces will be added to our Art To Go collection, available for check-out by all ICPL cardholders.
For more information, including specific criteria and timeline, click here. If you have any questions, please contact Candice Smith at candice-smith@icpl.org or 319-887-6031.
Don't miss this opportunity to showcase your work and contribute to the Library's Art To Go collection!
May is National Historic Preservation Month and we celebrate with Irving B. Weber Days. Please visit our calendar to find out about all of the events for all ages to celebrate Irving B. Weber’s legacy.
About Irving B. Weber (1900-1997)
Irving B. Weber was instrumental in helping Iowa City preserve its history. Weber wrote more than 800 articles for the Iowa City Press-Citizen detailing what it was like to grow up in Iowa City, details like the best places to buy penny candy, the joys of cooling off in Melrose Lake in the summer, and of sledding parties on closed-off streets. In recognition for his work in recording local history, Weber was named Iowa City's Official Historian in 1989.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023 Noon to 1:30 p.m. Zoom event
The City of Iowa City’s Office of Equity and Human Rights, and the Iowa City Public Library are partnering to host a virtual book talk with author Adrienne Berard, award-winning journalist, and author of Water Tossing Boulders.
Unearthing one of the greatest stories never told, journalist Adrienne Berard recounts how the Lum family fought for the right to educate Chinese Americans in the white schools of the Jim Crow South. Using their groundbreaking lawsuit as a compass, Berard depicts the complicated condition of racial otherness in rural Southern society. Through extensive research in historical documents and family correspondence, Berard illuminates a vital, forgotten chapter of America’s past and uncovers the powerful journey of an oppressed people in their struggle for equality. For more details, visit our calendar at icpl.org/calendar.
For questions or if you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please contact Kristin Watson at 319-356-5015 or kwatson@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.
Thursday, May 4, 2023 7 to 9:00 p.m. The Englert Theatre, 221 E Washington St
Rumaan Alam is an author whose work explores the beauty and horror of daily existence, as well as complex ideas about fate and privilege.
Rumaan's other writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Buzzfeed, and The New Republic, where he is a contributing editor. He also co-hosts two podcasts for Slate.
Tameka Cage Conley is a literary artist and creative intellectual who writes fiction, poetry, plays, essays, and librettos. She was born in post-Jim Crow Shreveport, Louisiana and was reared by a tightly knit matriarchal family led by her great-grandmother who told stories about injustice and resistance – these stories inform her commitment to social justice in her literary craft.
Friday, May 19, 2023 7 to 8:00 p.m. Meeting Room A
Join Prairie Lights Books and ICPL for an evening with award-winning young adult author Ruta Sepetys as she promotes her newest book, "You: The Story." Peer through the lens of memory and discuss creative writing with #1 New York Times bestselling author Ruta Sepetys. Sepetys will present her new book on writing and also discuss the approach to her novels. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and book signing. The first 50 copies sold of "You: The Story" will come with a complimentary custom writing journal.
Her previous books include "Between Shades of Gray," "I Must Betray You," "Salt to the Sea," and more.
Interested in browsing the Bookmobile shelves but planning for just a brief visit to the Iowa City Public Library mobile library? Start your search online! You can now narrow your search in our catalog to show only Bookmobile items.
This update is particularly helpful for those who may only have a brief window of time to visit the Bookmobile. Instead of browsing the shelves and hoping to stumble upon something interesting, you can search for specific titles or topics ahead of time. This makes your visit more efficient and productive.
