Between the Lines in Chicago

When the 2008 floods hit Iowa City this June, many University of Iowa programs and departments were suddenly without a home. One of these displacements was the International Writing Program's pilot project 'Between the Lines,' a residency program which sought to bring 12 young writers from Arabic-speaking countries, aged 16-19, to the University of Iowa for a two-week writing workshop. With university buildings closing due to the flood, and the visiting writers already on planes and on their way to Iowa City, IWP staff worked quickly to relocate the accommodations and locations for the entire event. They eventually found safe harbor at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Read more >> Flooding forced UI writing programs to become improvisational artists

Also, the visiting writers describe their time in the United States and remark on the cultural, social and educational benefits of the program in this University of Illinois at Chicago article.

Read >> Middle Eastern teens diverted by floods, taken in by Hull-House