Hello there!

There is so much to do (and not do) these days, and our collective bandwidths are being strained in enormous ways. At the University of Iowa, we love our writers, our programs, we love our graduates and our students -- and we love the wealth of literature that they gift us, simply by being here.

We have created "5 Reads for Friday" as an easy, laid-back series, compiling a short list of inspirational, helpful and fun treasures from our family to yours. Enjoy what you find, take what you need, and be well.

• Hey Iowa, What Should I Read?: We've got you! Ten Books to Get You Through The Pandemic
  
  Not only can reading be a great way to pass the time while one is in quarantine, it can provide a needed escape. Here are 10 titles with ties to the University of Iowa to consider diving into during the coronavirus pandemic.
  
   

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• From our Free Online Courses: Hidden Meanings: Creative Fiction, Non-fiction, and Facts MOOC-Pack
  
  This MOOC-Pack takes a creative fiction and non-fiction approach to understanding and recognizing information, misinformation, and disinformation.

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  From the Iowa Review: Eula Biss: Time and Distance Overcome (2008)
  
  "Even now it is an impossible idea, that we are all connected, all of us."  The history of the telephone, and our subsequent connectedness, from Eula Biss.
   

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  From the University of Iowa Press: Just Checking In: UI Press author William Fargason
  
  "Had good coffee, listened to good music, and have the entire afternoon in front of me to read and play video games." University of Iowa Press author William Fargason shares his quarantine routines, writing tips, book suggestions and playlists this week!
   

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  Iowa Long Read:  The Spring Issue of Exchanges: Journal of Literary Translation
  
  The Iowa Translation Workshop's journal Exchanges has launched its Spring 2020 issue, Enclosures! Check out some amazing pieces of literary translation from Croatian, Indonesian, Portuguese, Romanian, and more!
  
  Exchanges is going LIVE on Facebook to celebrate their Spring '20 issue! Join them for a reading of literature in translation by the students of the Literary Translation program.

And that's it!
We hope you enjoy. And check back each week for a new list!

^{Photos by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash, and Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash}