Good afternoon! We hope you had a wonderful winter break, holidays, and Happy New Year!
We are so glad to be back and ready for action. You’re most likely receiving this newsletter because you signed up at an event or table or by word of mouth! If you no longer want to receive these emails, please scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and click unsubscribe.
We have a ton of cool events lined up these first few weeks that we want you to explore!
First things first, let’s set up a time to meet you! We’re in the works of setting up biweekly meetings that will serve as open mics and as meetings to share important info and catch up! Please fill out the outreach survey as soon as possible!
If you didn’t see us at the 2026 Spring Organization fair, we’ll fill you in here! We are currently selecting a random student to give away a gift card to a local business. All you have to do is:
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Fill out that outreach survey!
(Optional: tell your friends about our super cool club!)
TONIGHT! Thursday January 29th, starting at 7pm: Final Thursday Reading Series. 2026 starts out with an event featuring recent winners from the Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate program. Come share your own best five minutes of original work starting at 7:00. This is a recurring event!
February 11th, 7pm: The 2026 IPA Qualifier! This will be in the interpreter’s theatre in Lang hall. Please review all links and information about this competition. This is an amazing opportunity and can connect you with poets all over the nation!
The 2026 IPA Poetry Slam Season is upon us! The Iowa Poetry Association is hosting a series of qualifying poetry slams across the state in search of our 2026 IPA Poetry Slam Champion. The winner of our slam will be named the 2026 Iowa Poetry Slam Champion, receive a cash prize, one year's membership to IPA, publication in Lyrical Iowa, and an IPA-sponsored spot in the 2026 BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam. This year's national slam will be held in Overland Park, Kansas on July 23-26, 2026. The second- and third-place poets from finals will receive cash prizes, one year's membership to IPA, and publication in Lyrical Iowa.
Register to compete ahead of the qualifier. Don’t want to compete? No worries! Come on out to cheer on the poets, enjoy poetry, and/or volunteer to judge! All are welcome!
February 21st, 9-4pm: The (ISLE) Iowa Student Leadership Experience is a one-day leadership conference that brings students together to collaborate, engage, and practice meaningful leadership. ISLE is a collaboration between Iowa State University, the University of Northern Iowa, and the University of Iowa and is open to students from all three campuses. This year, ISLE will be at the University of Northern Iowa, Saturday, February 21st 9-4pm. Lunch will be provided at the conference. Register here!
