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 part of our community.

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.

 

• From the University of Iowa: Iowa Arts Offers Social Justice Events Throughout October
  
  The initiative, called “Art and the Pursuit of Social Justice,” includes music and theatre productions framed by discussions to place them in a social context.
   

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  From the Iowa Review archives: Sarah Good, Imprisoned, 1692, Rebecca Dunham, 2007
  
  "Motherhood's an omen / that pricks & pinches, a needling in / the gut, drenching us all in blood-soaked / rags that we change in a privy's oak / dark shame, & oh, we  are all afflicted."
   

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  From the UI Press: A new 5Q interview with UI Press author Erika Billerbeck, author of "Wildland Sentinel: Field Notes from an Iowa Conservation Officer"
  
  "it always helps to head down and watch the water flow by on its way to the reservoir"
   

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•  From the the University of Iowa: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson released the latest novel this week!
  
  Read the interview with Robinson from the fall issue of Iowa Magazine.
   

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  From our Online Writing Courses: How Writers Write Fiction -- Storied Women
  
  This MOOC-Pack will lead you through a progressive study of how authors from around the world approach each aspect of writing fiction, from voice and dialogue to plot and narrative structure.

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