Iowa Literaria, the electronic journal of the Master of Fine Arts in Spanish Creative Writing program at the University of Iowa, is online. Created with the support of the UI’s Digital Studio for Public Humanities, it has been designed as a space to reflect on the art of creativity, to approach the complexities and challenges of creative writing, and to publish a variety of literary pieces.

The inaugural issue contains a dossier on the great Chilean poet Óscar Hahn, who just received the National Prize on Literature of Chile, the most prestigious literary award in that country. Hahn was professor of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese here at the university for more than 30 years. He is now retired.

In its inaugural presentation, Iowa Literaria is publishing a collection of short stories by young Bolivian writers, essays on the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo, and poetry by Master of Fine Arts students. It also contains an exclusive interview with the Argentinean writer Federico Falco, who came last fall to Iowa City by invitation of the International Writing Program (IWP).

The journal strives to become a link to the Spanish literary community in the U.S. and around the world, hosting the works of that community’s writers. It also aims to connect to the growing Hispanic audience in the state of Iowa and contribute to the significance of Iowa City as a UNESCO City of Literature.

Iowa Literaria is published completely in Spanish. Its executive board comprises professors of the Master of Fine Arts in Spanish Creative Writing program and its editor is professor and writer Horacio Castellanos Moya.

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is part of the Division of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.