Iowa Chapbook Prize reading and reception May 4 at Prairie Lights Bookstore

Thursday, May 2, 2019

posterThe Magid Center for Undergraduate Writing will present the winners of this year's Iowa Chapbook Prize on Saturday, May 4th, at 5 p.m., at Prairie Lights Bookstore. Free copies of this year's winning manuscripts will be available while supplies last. There will also be a celebratory reception immediately following the reading.

This year, the Iowa Chapbook Prize received a record number of submissions. Students enrolled in WRIT:3000 Publishing Practicum served as editors for the prize, and their mission was to use the series as a platform for innovative writing. Each manuscript was reviewed and considered openly, honestly, and fairly. The editorial board was interested in (but was not limited to) work that was adventurous in form and content, precise in its language usage, effective in its ability to elicit emotional and intellectual investment from readers, purposeful in its presentation of characters and narration, and inclusive of underrepresented/marginalized voices. Through their selections, the editors aimed to share work that would bring new voices to the ever-expanding landscape of contemporary literature.

In addition to calling for and reading submissions, selecting manuscripts, and working with each winning author to edit and fine-tune the writing, students in WRIT:3000 were also responsible for laying out the interior of their manuscripts and designing the cover. This one-of-a-kind experiential learning course aimed at giving University of Iowa students the chance to gain skills necessary for a career in editing/publishing is offered each spring, and students must apply in the fall prior to enrollment.

The winners, finalists, and semi-finalists for this year's prize:

Winning Manuscripts:

  • A Practical Guide to House Hunting by Alex Chasteen, University of Iowa | Nonfiction; Jeff Piekarz, Editor
  • Flush by Betsy Butcher, University of Iowa | Nonfiction; Rebecca Cammenga, Editor
  • Initialing by Melissa Lauer, University of Iowa | Nonfiction; Eilidh Spery, Editor
  • Maksur by Rana Hewezi, University of Iowa | Nonfiction; Tian Liu, Editor
  • Sin Has Been Kissed by Nathaniel Kreeger, University of Iowa | Poetry; Tess Koetting, Editor
  • Terminal Velocity by Lauren Webb, University of Iowa | Fiction; Suchaeta Hegde, Editor
  • What Feels Like Sunshine by Hannah Gellman, University of Iowa | Poetry; Lily Goodman, Editor
  • Where Clarinets Breathe by Timothy Nguyen, University of Iowa | Poetry; Lauren Whitney, Editor

Finalists:

  • Shoveling Shit, Jeffrey Budz, Loras College; Sophomore Slums, Chase Koening, University of Iowa; The Fisherman, Addison Bushnell, University of Iowa; Vitiation, Kailey Blunk, Coe College

Semifinalists:

  • An Engagement, Daisy Morales, Grinnell College; Learning to Love The Alien, Joy Jarme, University of Iowa; Letters to Vietnam and Friends, Aubrianna Lantrip, University of Iowa; Mind's Eye, Sydney Kinzy, University of Iowa;Muchness, Shay Shafer, University of Iowa; Scarecrow, Delany Breitbach, University of Iowa; Self-Realized Lettuce, Travis Coltrain, University of Iowa; Silver Bird Fly, Jessica Biggs, University of Iowa; When I Was Younger, Sam Bilsky, Grinnell College

More information about the event can be found here.

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.