October 19, 2014 Library of Congress to Host International Writing Program Showcase Nov. 6

Sixteen writers from the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program (IWP) will be featured at the Library of Congress inaugural “International Writers Program Showcase” on Nov. 6.

Presented by The Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress, along with four area-studies divisions at the Library—Hispanic, African and Middle Eastern, Asian, and European—the event will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6 in the Montpelier Room, James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The showcase is free and open to the public. Tickets are not needed.

Participants will include writers, playwrights, poets, translators and essayists from around the world, who will read their works and be part of panel discussions organized according to the Library’s four area-studies divisions. The panels are as follows:

1:30 p.m.: Cynthia Edul (Argentina), Enrique Serrano (Colombia), Omar Pérez (Cuba), and Natasha Tiniacos (Venezuela), moderated by Hispanic Division Chief Georgette Dorn

2:30 p.m.: Boaz Gaon (Israel), Mujib Mehrdad (Afghanistan), Mamle Kabu (Ghana), and Ahmed Shafie (Egypt), moderated by African and Middle Eastern Division Chief Mary-Jane Deeb

3:30 p.m.: Binayak Banerjee (India), Bernice Chauly (Malaysia), Heekyung Eun (South Korea), and Chen Li (Taiwan), moderated by Asian Division Assistant Chief Victoria Hill

4:30 p.m.: Auguste Corteau (Greece), Gerður Kristný (Iceland), Laurynas Katkus (Lithuania), and Franca Treur (Netherlands), moderated by European Division Reference Specialist Taru Spiegel

A detailed schedule for the day can be found at www.loc.gov/poetry/events.

The showcase is presented in collaboration with the IWP and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

IWP Director Christopher Merrill said, “‘Only connect’ is the motto of the International Writing Program, and we are thrilled to connect these dazzling writers to the Library of Congress, the fountainhead of the written word, for an inspiring and imaginative tour of the world.”

Under the terms of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) works to build friendly, peaceful relations among the people of the United States and the people of other countries through academic, cultural, sports and professional exchanges, as well as public-private partnerships. See more at: eca.state.gov/about-bureau#sthash.tpMnutWs.dpuf External.

The University of Iowa International Writing Program (IWP) is a unique conduit for the world’s literatures, connecting well-established writers from around the globe, bringing international literature into classrooms, introducing American writers to other cultures through reading tours, and serving as a clearinghouse for literary news and a wealth of archival and pedagogical materials. Since 1967, over 1,400 writers from more than 130 countries have been in residence at the University of Iowa. See more at: iwp.uiowa.edu/about-iwp#sthash.M1B55zHc.dpuf External.

The African & Middle Eastern Reading Room is the primary public-access point for materials housed in the African and Middle Eastern Division (AMED) which include a variety of vernacular scripts, such as Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Georgian, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish, and Yiddish. Covering 77 countries from Morocco to Southern Africa to the Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union, the division's three sections--African, Hebraic, and Near East--offer in-depth reference assistance, provide substantive briefings on a wide range of subjects relating to these languages and cultures, produce guides to the Library's vast resources and cooperate in developing and preserving the division's unparalleled collections. For more information, please visit www.loc.gov/rr/amed/.

With collections of more than one million volumes, the Asian Division at the Library of Congress is the largest repository of Asian vernacular language materials outside of Asia. These materials reflect a broad range of subjects and include titles from East, South, and Southeast Asia, as well as Asian American and Pacific Islander materials. The Asian Reading Room is the primary public-access point for researchers seeking to use the Asian collections of the Library of Congress in the many languages of Asia. The reading room covers the area from the South Asian subcontinent and Southeast Asia to China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. With over 3 million books, periodicals and newspapers, a large number of manuscripts and electronic media, the collections are the most comprehensive sources of Asian-language materials outside of Asia. For more information, visit www.loc.gov/rr/asian/.

The European Reading Room is the primary public-access point for readers and researchers seeking to use the vast European collections of the Library of Congress, including those from Russian-speaking areas of Asia. The reading room is staffed by reference librarians and area specialists from the European Division, who offer in-depth reference assistance and work with other Library of Congress units in developing collections that meet the research needs of a varied constituency. For more information, please visit www.loc.gov/rr/european/.

The Library of Congress Hispanic Division was established in 1939 to acquire Hispanic and Portuguese-language materials in systematic fashion. Its holdings now constitute the world’s finest collection on the history and culture of Latin America, Iberia, and the Caribbean. The division’s collections include the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape, as well as government documents, manuscripts, music scores, posters, photographs, and films. Further information on the various Luso-Hispanic collections can be found in the Hispanic Reading Room. To find out more about the Hispanic Division, please visit www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/.

The Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center fosters and enhances the public's appreciation of literature. To this end, the center administers the endowed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry position, coordinates an annual season of readings, performances, lectures, conferences, and symposia, and sponsors high-profile prizes and fellowships for literary writers. For more information, visit www.loc.gov/poetry/.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 158 million items in various languages, disciplines, and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.