Between the Lines

Dear Friends: We write today with a difficult update. On Wednesday, Feb. 26, the International Writing Program (IWP) learned that its grants with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, were being terminated. This notification explained that the IWP’s awards “no longer effectuate agency priorities,” nor align “with agency priorities and national interest.” The immediate result was the cancellation of Between the Lines (the IWP’s summer youth program), and the dissolution of Lines and Spaces Exchanges, Distance Learning courses, and Emerging Voices programs. The overall Fall Residency cohort will be reduced by around half due to the loss of federally funded participants; the IWP’s other long-time funding partners, including a combination of donors, grants, foreign ministries of culture, and NGOs, will continue to support writers.

We are devastated by the abrupt end of this 58-year partnership and are working closely with University of Iowa General Counsel and Grant Accounting to review the terminations, understand their full impact, and respond in the best interest of the organization. Despite this disappointing turn of events, the IWP’s mission to promote mutual understanding through creative writing and literature remains unchanged; with the help of a limited number of other partners, we will still hold a 2025 Fall Residency even while pursuing new sources of funding. To support the IWP as we begin to rebuild, please visit this website: bit.ly/support-iwp

BTL alumni! We hope your 2025 is off to a wonderful and productive beginning. What have you been writing lately? What about reading? Please let us know. Please also help us spread the word about this year's program, which is currently accepting applications from international participants, and will soon be accepting applications from U.S.-based students as well. We would really appreciate it if you would share this post with anyone you know who might be interested, as well as this link: bit.ly/btl-int25

Between the Lines (BTL) is now accepting applications from international students! BTL is an annual summer youth program that brings together young writers (ages 15–18) from around the world for two weeks of cultural exchange and creative writing instruction on the University of Iowa campus. Students will broaden their literary horizons, share in open-hearted discussions, and deepen their empathy and understanding of one another's cultures. This year's program will take place July 12 through July 26. The program is currently open to applications from students in participating countries outside the U.S. Get all the details at bit.ly/btl-int25.

Participation in BTL is fully funded for all international students, thanks to the support of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. Department of State. In order to apply, international students must be from one of the countries listed below, and they need to be nominated. If you would like to be nominated, please contact your U.S. embassy's or consulate's Public Affairs Office. If you need assistance in making that connection, we're happy to help—please email [email protected].

The countries participating in BTL this year are Algeria, Armenia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, India, Iraq, Malawi, Morocco, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Ukraine, Qatar, and Zimbabwe.

We'll be hosting a Between the Lines info session on January 30th at 8:00 AM CST; interested students and their families are invited to join the discussion and ask any questions they may have at bit.ly/btl-info25.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact the IWP in advance at [email protected].

Exchange Programs - U.S. Department of State

Thank you to Kate, Gautam, Faith, and Amna for being part of our amazing doc crew! While we can’t hide our disappointment that BTL: Identity and Belonging is coming to a close, we remain grateful for all the beauty, insight and wonder they’ve cultivated during their time here! Between prepping for open mic, special poetry workshops, catching the sunset as it spills over the river, and more— our students have made memories that they’ll carry for years to come!

“Amna on doc crew today! We had an enriching creative writing workshop today with the amazing mansoura and Jose!” -Amna

Day 2 of BTL Identity and Belonging: Hawkeye Poncho Edition!
We are thankful for to the IWP team, as well as BTL faculty and staff, and University of Iowa officials for their support during the severe weather warnings on Tuesday night. The rain and changes in schedule didn’t stop Zara and Tony from capturing some great doc crew moments!
“What an adventurous first day of classes! Although we juggled with schedule changes and rain delays today, we were super stoked with meeting and with our mentors José and Mansoura. We ended the night with a fun game night with everyone” -Tony.
Even when things go unexpectedly, it’s amazing to see our students respond safely, bravely, and with a positive attitude. Check back in later today to see our students enjoying more class, the campus area, and yesterday’s special movie night, catered with popcorn and beverages from the Iowa Memorial Union!

From yesterday’s doc crew, we get great insights into students’ creative and artistic experiences during their time in Iowa. Participants enjoyed a special dance workshop with an Iowa dance instructor and MFA student, Lauren. They also shared more photos from open mic and karaoke. Last night, our faculty gave a tremendous reading at Prairie Lights that garnered a crowd of over 100 people! We are beyond honored to have such insightful and talented faculty and students in the BTL community. Thank you for hosting and to Felix and Neda on doc crew!

The second week of BTL has had many fun activities for our participants in store— from our evening Eid celebration dinner in Shambaugh House to karaoke to sunny walks to class chats in Schaeffer Hall, we can’t believe that there are only two days left of this session!
We are grateful that Musfirah and Jenna captured such sweet moments!

Welcome to week 2 of BTL: Peace and the Writing Experience! Our students had a fun weekend full of outings, including (but not limited to): the Farmer’s Market, various boba tea spots, the mall, City Park, and more! Thanks to Kelsy and Colette for documenting this weekend’s activities!