New Delhi: America’s Iowa City has emerged as the literary capital of the United States, according to a report by CNN. Around every corner, bookstores are hosting aspiring writers and celebrated authors, making the city a powerhouse that continues to produce writers on an almost industrial scale.
Famous as a laid back midwestern city, Iowa City’s rise seems unlikely, given its physical distance from the publishing industry. The city is surrounded by agricultural land, largely farmed by traditional Amish communities.
The CNN report characterised this emergence as “liberal”, and even labelled it as a “regional oddity”.
“Pretty much everyone in this town is working on a book of some sort or the other, and you can feel it,” said Nialle Sylvan, owner of the Haunted Bookshop.
Where it all began
Iowa City owes its current trend to a decades-old workshop, organised by the University of Iowa. Since 1936, Iowa Writers’ Workshop has nurtured writers as a part of its academic programmes.
The university has alumni faculty members starting from Kurt Vonnegut, Curtis Sittenfeld, Philip Roth, Raymond Carver, to Flannery O’Connor. Today, the programme has made the city famous globally.
Iowa City is full of students for most of the year. The town’s streets, teeming with young students, sometimes gives the impression of an extended campus. The university, also known for its law and medical degree, is a key factor apart from claiming the title–UNESCO City of Literature, America’s first.
“There is this vibrant community here that punches up,” said Jordan Sellergen, owner of Little Village, a monthly news magazine. He added, “The way we present ourselves can seem conservative in a way. There is something about the small-town culture, we are very polite, but we are also very progressive.”
Literary festivals
In addition, various other festivals and programmes are organised in the city to keep the trend rising.
In October, the city will host the 18th Iowa City Book Festival, as well as regular readings at Prairie Lights bookstore. There is a summer Arts Festival. Various stages are set up across the downtown. During this time, the city is unrecognizable, jam-packed with cultural events and crowded restaurants.
But, when the students disappear over the summer break, Sellergen calls it days of heaven. “It is so quiet. There is parking everywhere. It is clean and it feels like you have the place to yourself. In winter, when they go on their break, it feels depressing, and you miss them”, said Sellergen. Plaques on the sidewalk reflect celebrated authors with local connections.
Iowa City offers a different flavour and vibe each season. After the unbearable winter seasons pass away, roads are lined with blossomed trees in spring. The entire city suddenly becomes a hang out spot, with friends drinking on the patios maintained by the Iowa City Downtown District, who have tried to preserve the old architecture and save it from the eyes of modern developers.