Iowa City Book Festival 2026
Iowa City Book Festival is a literary event for readers, writers, and literary community members.
- Dates
- October 18–25, 2026
- Location
- Iowa City, Iowa
- Cost
- Most events are free to attend
TL;DR
- Iowa City Book Festival runs October 18–25, 2026, in Iowa City, Iowa.
- Most City of Literature events are free to attend.
- The 2026 program includes authors and presenters such as Marilynne Robinson, Yiyun Li, Nicholas Kristof, and Bonnie Jo Campbell.
About
The festival is organized by Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, a nonprofit 501(c)3 that manages the area's UNESCO City of Literature designation. The 2026 author and presenter roster includes Marilynne Robinson, Yiyun Li, Nicholas Kristof, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Tisa Bryant, Harriet Clark, Melissa Febos, Christopher Merrill, Scott Heim, Darby Harn, and Michael McCarty. Most City of Literature events are free to attend and supported by tax-deductible donations.
Who you'll find in the room
Readers, writers, and literary community members
The organizer identifies readers, writers, and literary community members as the festival audience.
Featured speakers
7 listedDarby Harn
Author/Presenter
Scott Heim
Author/Presenter
Yiyun Li
Author and Professor of Creative Writing · Princeton University
Michael McCarty
Presenter
Marilynne Robinson
Author
Nicholas Kristof
Author/Journalist
Bonnie Jo Campbell
Author
Questions people ask
6 answeredIowa City Book Festival 2026 runs October 18–25, 2026.
The festival is held in Iowa City, Iowa.
Most City of Literature events are free to attend.
The organizer identifies readers, writers, and literary community members as the audience.
It depends on your goals. A book festival is usually worth attending if you want to hear authors, discover books, or meet other readers and writers.
Choose comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and shoes, with a polished casual option for author events.
Related events
Find more events with this kind of reach.
We score 300,000+ B2B events by decision-maker density, so you can find the next one for your ICP.
Also listed in