Hi everyone!

It’s officially spooky season! I absolutely love this time of year when the leaves have changed, and people are giving out candy left and right, but my favorite part (which I’m sure everyone can agree with) is dressing up for Halloween festivities! In college, the Halloween traditions are here to stay, and students often come prepared with multiple costumes to wear over the course of multiple nights. Personally, I have five costumes to choose from this year, but don’t worry! Most of them are from my closet, borrowed from my friends, or thrifted from the local flea market.

Still, it’s been a tradition for me to write about the costume hopefuls I want to see on campus every year, and since it’s my final year, I have to round out the tradition one more time! Below is a list of some costumes (and if you’re a student reading this, take these as some last-minute ideas) that I hope to see this year!

Famous Influencers

As a member of Gen Z, I am (sadly) chronically online like most people my age. However, doing a costume based on an online persona would definitely be recognizable, easy to put together, and it would be super relevant for the college student crowd. Some influencers I would love to see would be Alix Earle (a duo costume with her sister, Ashtin Earle, or her boyfriend, Braxton Berrios would be amazing!), Alex Cooper, or Brittany Broski!

Female Pop stars

This has been a huge year for the pop music genre with some incredible and memorable looks! I really want to see someone dressed up as Chappell Roan in one of her varied concert fits, or Sabrina Carpenter with one of her heart dresses, or Charli XCX with a hint of neon, or Taylor Swift in one of her Era’s Tours outfits.

For men, some notable male pop stars that I would love to see would be Troye Sivan or Harry Styles!

Iconic Movie Remakes

This year has also been a big year for remake movies!

Recently, the movie Joker was released, so I would love to see people pull out their Joker and Harlequin costumes! I feel like comic book villains are always a staple on Halloween and the timing is perfect with the movie’s release.

Another classic movie remake with some notable costumes would be Beetlejuice! The costumes in this film really set the Halloween vibe and I would love to see how people could get creative with each character look!

And even though it’s not out yet, I desperately need to see some costumes from Wicked! An Elphaba and Glinda duo would be super cute and relatively easy to do. At least for me, something like this would totally stand out in the crowd!

Netflix Shows

Some of the most recognizable characters are on TV and maybe on campus this year!

I would absolutely LOVE to see people do recreations of Jinx and Vi from Arcane, or a group of friends fresh out of the regency era in Bridgerton, or a girl group dressed up as each member of the pop group, Katseye! My favorite thing is that people can choose how intricate and simple they dress up, but still have a lot of fun playing the parts.

Fingers crossed that people take these costume ideas on!

Song/Song Lyrics

Lastly, I really want to see costumes that play with popular songs or song lyrics!

College students are some of the most creative people I know, and I would love to be surprised by someone who makes a costume out of their favorite song title or a super niche line from a popular song. Bonus points if I see someone also karaokes that song too!

Those are some costumes that I’m dying to see this Halloween season! I’m sure that the students on this campus will still find a way to surprise me and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Happy Halloween to everyone reading and keep an eye out for my next blog post!

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Hi everyone!

I know it’s a bit early to be thinking about the holidays, but you can blame this very early post on the senior-itis that’s currently hitting me! I promise, though, there’s more to this post than my hopes of a sooner winter break.

As an ambassador for the Admissions office, a tour guide, and an Experience Iowa blogger, I get a lot of questions about travel. Since I’m an out-of-state student from New York, a lot of prospective students and families ask me how I get home for the holidays. So, for this post, I thought I’d share some information on how the university helps its out-of-state students with cool resources that make traveling so much easier!

First off, the closest airport to Iowa City is the Cedar Rapids International Airport (CID) which is a thirty-minute drive from the university. Not bad, right? This makes it so much easier for families to visit their out-of-state students or for students who are looking to go home for the holidays (Thanksgiving break, winter break, returning from winter break, etc.). For students who need transportation to the airport, the university provides a low-cost shuttle system.

The shuttle system is the BEST resource that the university provides its out-of-state students. All you have to do is fill out a form or two to confirm you’re a registered student, provide your flight information, and when/where you’d like the shuttle to pick you up (typically, they’ll provide a few locations you can choose from).

Once you’ve filled everything out, the shuttle service will charge you, but luckily, the cost is $20!!! This totally beats paying for a $50 Uber and I know for me, this shuttle system has helped me out time and time again when I’ve been unable to gets rides from my friends. If you’re a prospective student worried about traveling to the airport, have no fear, because the shuttle service will make sure that everyone will get to where they need to be!

Another common misconception with the Cedar Rapids airport is the wait time. However, it usually takes fifteen minutes to check your bag, get through security, and find your gate because the airport is so small! Just make sure you don’t have any liquids over 32 oz (this has happened to me multiple times and my hygiene products have been thrown out, so don’t make the same mistakes I did!)

Once you’re inside the airport, there are only seven gates (see what I mean? It’s so tiny!) so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding your gate and relaxing. The airport also has a few dining locations inside for snacks and drinks to tie you over before your long plane ride.

I hope this post de-mystifies how out-of-state traveling can look for prospective students! I know for myself and my family, the Cedar Rapids airport and the university shuttle system have been so helpful, so please take advantage of it while you can!

Thank you guys for reading my blog and keep your eyes peeled for the next one!

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Hi everyone!

It’s been a minute! The past couple months have been soooo hectic for me with going home for summer break, getting my dream internship, catching up with hometown friends, and completing some spontaneous vacation trips. Even though the rest of the undergraduate student body and I are well into the semester, I finally feel like I have a moment to sit down and breathe which is why I’m back to writing blog posts for Experience Iowa!

Don’t remind me how bittersweet this is, because I’m in my final year at the University of Iowa (scary, I know!). Thankfully, I still have some time to write more blog posts and leave my mark as I complete my final year and begin post-grad life!

Before I dive more into what it’s like being a Hawkeye student during the school year, I wanted to give you guys a quick overview of how I spent my summer in preparation for the end of my college career. With weeks of free time, I wanted to make the most of my summer by prioritizing the things that matter most to me. For current undergrads and/or prospective students looking for some direction on how to spend the slow summer season, continue reading below!

Spontaneous Trips with Friends

Something I’m always down for (whether that’s back in my hometown or in Iowa City) is going on a spontaneous trip somewhere new! While I was back home, my close friends and I ended up traveling to upstate New York where we spent a day hanging out, swimming in the nearby lake, and celebrating the end of our semesters. The long car drive and the scenic view of the lake was exactly the kind of relaxation all of us needed after a hardcore semester, and this trip really put into perspective how important this next year is for me with prioritizing my friendships.

Since so many of my friends will be moving away once they graduate, I want to pour so much of my energy into my relationships and I plan on carrying this idea well into the following year! This is a standard I think everyone should follow before heading into the workplace, so if you have the free time, check in with your friends and see what mischief you guys can get into!

Furthering My Career with Dream Internship

This past summer, I was lucky enough to be chosen as a marketing and publicity intern at HarperCollins Publishers; one of my dream workplaces from when I was young and starting to read books.

I worked four days a week (twice in their New York City office) and I was constantly surrounded with wonderful publishing professionals and talented authors. And because I was working in book publishing, I received sooo many free books!

Overall, this was the ideal internship for me and I’m so grateful for all the experience I gained while working there. For those of you considering a summer internship, I’d highly recommend it! This internship provided me with the clarity I needed to know for sure that working in the publishing industry is exactly where I want to be.

My advice: if you ever have the opportunity to apply for an internship, definitely do so!

New York City Activities

I know I just mentioned spontaneous trips, but there were some planned New York City activities that my friends and I did for fun to spice up our summer!

Whether it was lunch in Seaport or admiring the Met at night, I spent a good amount of my summer exploring the city and having fun wherever I ended up. For those of you close to a city and have the funds to indulge, I’d definitely recommend taking advantage of a city’s endless resources while you have so much free time!

If you have the money and time, see what memories you can make!

Catching Up on My Reading

What better way to spend my free time than by reading all the free books I received!?

This summer, I prioritized reading new and old books that I’d kept for years, especially since I’ll be moving out of my apartment and my parents’ house in a year or two. Getting my reading done and donating used books are slowly becoming a bigger priority for me as I continue to carve out time to read across genres. If you’re wondering what my recommendations from this summer are, you should pick up The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor and Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken.

While it doesn’t sound like I spent my summer doing too much, this was actually my most productive summer yet! I filled my time with work I am passionate about, friends I love, and stories that make me feel alive. Whether you’re a graduating high school senior or someone like me who’s nearing the end of their college journey, my biggest advice is to spend your free time doing things that make you happy! Because before you know it, that free time will fill right up again!

Thank you guys for reading my first blog post of the semester and stay tuned for more posts about my life as a Hawkeye.

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Hi everyone!!!

We are officially in finals week and I’m feeling sooo nostalgic right now! The past couple of months have been an absolute whirlwind and the experiences, stories, and people have really shaped this semester for me. Before heading home and sharing all these wonderful moments with my hometown friends and family, I wanted to take a second to reminisce about this spring semester and some of the special moments that made this semester really stand out to me!

Iowa Women’s Basketball Games

This year was MASSIVE for Iowa women’s basketball, and I feel so lucky to have been on campus while Caitlin Clark and the rest of the women’s basketball team worked to get to the National Championship game! The spirit on campus was palpable for every gameday whether it was downtown in a restaurant or at home watching from television. I know that wherever I ended up, I really felt like I could feel the excitement and Hawkeye spirit, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be in a city where everyone was rooting for the same team. I’m definitely going to be cherishing those memories for a long, long time!

Getting Published in Eight Magazines (And Counting!!!)

This year has been amazing for my writing, and I was lucky enough to have gotten published in eight different publications and counting! Most of my publications were through on-campus magazines with the exception of one being online but I’m excited to say that I actually have two more pieces coming out over the summer that will be featured in East Coast magazines!

As I get older and wiser in my writing career, it’s nice to see how my writing has improved and how it’s been celebrated in the wider community. Being in a city of all writers is what I dreamed of when I was first searching for colleges, and it never fails to amaze me how much creative writing is celebrated at the University of Iowa and in Iowa City.

Traveling to Kansas City and New York

I was able to go on two trips this past semester; one to Kansas City for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Convention, and the second to New York (my home state) where I was able to see my friends and family.

With both trips, it was nice to catch up with people I’ve known my whole life or people I met this past year. I’m also really fond of traveling, and I truly feel like there’s no better way to travel than with a buddy by your side! Both these trips were ten times more fun than I imagined because of the people I spent it with.

Getting Closer To Friends

Sort of mentioned in the last point, one of my goals for this year was to put more time and attention into my friendships, and I can happily say that it absolutely paid off! I’ve gotten so much closer to my writer friends, my tour guide friends, and even some friends who I lost touch with over the years but was finally able to reconnect and hangout with before this semester came to a close.

As I near my final year at college, I really want to continue fostering my college friendships into the next year and beyond!

Launching earthwords Issue 44

I posted about this in one of my previous blog posts, but I have to give it one more shout-out! I’ve been working on literary magazines for all three years of college (and I’ll be returning to earthwords for my fourth year!) and I’ve really found that the literary magazine community is one of my favorite communities on campus.

I love launch parties (especially when we get fun pictures out of it) and I can’t wait to work on another one this upcoming year!!!

The Solar Eclipse

This year, a solar eclipse passed over Iowa City, and everyone went outside to enjoy it! It was so cool seeing all the Hawkeyes out on the grass with glasses on and gazing up at the sky in awe. Me and my friends found a spot on the Pentacrest, and we joined in on the fun!

Seeing John Green

This semester’s main guest speaker was author, John Green, and I was absolutely floored when I was able to see him in person! My friends and I waited in line for hours, and the wait was totally worth it because we got second-row seats!!!

I swear I made eye contact with John at least three times, and my middle school self who read all his books was geeking out for the entire show. It was truly amazing!

Getting an Internship with HarperCollins

This technically hasn’t happened yet, but I do want to plug it in since I got the news this semester!

This past spring, I was informed that I had been chosen as an intern for HarperCollins in the summer and that I’ll be commuting into NYC twice a week to work in their office space! Isn’t that crazy!?!

I feel so lucky to have this opportunity, and I can’t wait to see what I end up learning over the next two months while I’m working.

Making a Field Guide

This year, I was in the Publishing II class in which our final project as a class was to make a field guide.

I had so much fun getting to know people in my class, working with a variety of student work, and overall, just having a finished book in my hand! Our launch party was also very special since we had it in the new Nonfiction Writing Building, and we had some guest speakers from the Iowa Writers Workshop.

I even got to read my published piece too which was such a nice surprise!

Making a Dent in My Reading Goals

Compared to some of the other stuff I mentioned, this isn’t as big and exciting, but it’s still something I’m really proud of.

I decided to set a goal of reading 30 books this year since I usually only read 24-25 books a year. So far, I’ve finished reading 11 books which means that I’m still on track to finish all 3o books by the end of the year! Fingers crossed I stay on that track. With summer right around the corner, maybe I’ll even get ahead on my reading!

These are just a few highlights of my semester! It still feels unreal that the next time I write a blog post, I’ll be a senior. It’s both exciting and terrifying, and I can’t wait to take you guys on that journey with me.

Until next time!!!

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Hi everyone!

Here at the University of Iowa, we’re in the final stretch of classes with less than three weeks until the official end of the semester! I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t believe how fast these past couple of months have flown by. It already seems so unreal that I’m going into my final year as an undergraduate, so I know my main priority this next year is to continue to spend time with my friends, celebrate my clubs/organizations, and really make the most out of my education and classes.

One big thing that I’ve been involved with on campus since my first year has been on-campus magazines. I started my first year as the Editor-in-Chief of InkLit magazine, and in my second year, I was the nonfiction editor of earthwords magazine. This past year, I was promoted to managing editor, and I’m excited to say that I’ll be returning again as the managing editor for my final year.

All of that being said, I love working on literary magazines which is why I wanted to dedicate a blog post to one of my favorite parts of the process: having the launch party! And I’m not kidding when I say this was probably the most beautiful launch party that I’ve been to yet!

For this year’s launch party, earthwords really leaned into the nature theme (you can also see that with the fish and pastel palette on this recent issue’s stunning cover!). So, to continue to foster the nature vibes, we decided to host the launch party at an event space downtown called The Greenhouse.

In the past, launch parties have mainly been held at coffee shops or university event spaces, but The Greenhouse is a newer location that has continued to be an open, inviting, and yes, green space for different organizations to use. Overall, the executive team thought it would reflect earthwords the best and I’m so glad we went with our guts because The Greenhouse was the right choice to showcase our newest issue to the community.

Thanks to our phenomenal Executive Editor, Sarah, we were able to have snacks, cake, and copies of the magazine ready for the contributors and their friends when everyone arrived. I know myself and the rest of the team were shocked by how many people came to get a copy of the magazine, support their writer friends, and enjoy the undergraduate literary community on campus. Our event was so much of a success that we actually ran out of magazines to give to people!

For the event itself, Sarah introduced the contributors who offered to read their work, we had a special speech from Danny, our publisher, and we were able to introduce our next Executive Editor, Sophia, who will be running earthwords next year! As for me, I was tasked with taking photos of the event to post on the official Iowa Admissions social media page, so I was on my feet the whole time! As you can see, the pictures came out beautifully!

The event came to a close way too soon and it really hit me how much I’m going to miss this staff next year. We have a majority of staff members returning, but our seniors are so near and dear to our hearts that it’s daunting to feel like I’m going to be a senior that needs to take up the earthwords mantel in a couple months. But overall, I have full faith in the incoming team and I’m so excited to see the direction that the magazine goes next year!

If you’re interested in joining a literary magazine on campus, I would HIGHLY recommend interviewing for it. You can apply even if you aren’t a liberal arts major since the staff applications for all magazines are open to ALL majors. So, even if you’re just interested in learning more about literature and writing, this is definitely a space where you can foster that interest.

But to those of you who are big readers and writers like myself, I honestly feel like the literary community is exactly the kind of community I wanted to find when I left high school. I came to the University of Iowa to be with people who love reading and writing just as much as I do, and the staff members of these literary magazines have definitely been those people.

So, if you’re thinking about coming to campus (or you’ve already decided to accept your offer!), please apply for literary magazines!

We’d love to have you!

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Hi everyone!

It’s been a minute since I’ve written a blog post. As I’m sure you can imagine, I’ve been a bit swamped with internship interviews, homework, and preparation for my upcoming finals, so the majority of my free time has been spent sifting through all of that! But that being said, I did make sure to clear my schedule for an important part of Iowa history that I’m sure many of you also tuned in (or at least heard about!). This past week, I had the opportunity to watch the Iowa women’s basketball team go head-to-head with our rivals from last year, Louisiana State University.

For those of you who don’t know the history leading up to this anticipated event, last year, our Iowa women’s basketball team made it to the final round of March Madness, and we faced off against LSU in one of the most televised women’s basketball games in sports history. The game ended with a lot of press releases, social media buzz, and an unfortunate loss for the Hawkeyes that was felt across the entire state of Iowa. Everyone was absolutely devastated for the team and rumors quickly started about us potentially playing them again for a rematch in the following year.

In a crazy turn of events, both teams excelled into the Elite Eight and sure enough, April Fool’s Day was the official date where LSU and Iowa would face off in a heated rematch that all of Iowa City (and the country) would be tuning in for!

As someone who recently got into women’s basketball, I was ecstatic to watch the game on Monday night. Over the weekend, I was quick to rally up my friends and we made the decision to go to one of the restaurants in downtown Iowa City since none of us have cable. Plus, we wanted the luxury of being able to enjoy some good food while watching a suspenseful game!

Originally, we were hoping to get a seat at Mickey’s, one of our favorite places to eat and watch sports events, but we ended up at Scout’s Honor instead which is a newer restaurant in town designed to look like a campsite!

My friends and I got seven seats toward the back of the restaurant, which was perfect because we had five television screens surrounding us at all angles. We were also lucky to show up when we did, because only minutes after we sat down, the rest of the booths and tables were snatched up by everyone else! I was extra happy to have gotten a table because I was craving a burger and Scout’s was having a deal on burger baskets that night!

We ordered our burgers and the game started in no time. Right out of the gate, Iowa scored multiple points against LSU and every time a point was scored, the entire restaurant erupted into applause and cheering. People were clapping, yelling, screaming, and rising up from their seats as the game went back and forth. The school spirit was unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. It was palpable and electrifying to be surrounded by so many people all rooting for the same team, and it was one of many moments throughout my college journey where I was so incredibly proud to be a Hawkeye!

By half-time, both LSU and Iowa were tied and the tension in the air was running at an all-time high! Everyone was hurrying to the bathrooms or chatting nervously with friends at other tables as we waited to see what the second half would bring. The whole restaurant was buzzing with nervous energy since Iowa had started off strong, but LSU had come back even stronger, so by this point, it was anyone’s game.

The second half of the game proved to be brutal. No one dared get their hopes up and the excitement this time around was to a minimum as Iowa slowly racked up points one after another. As the game drew to a close, it felt like the entirety of Iowa City was slowly lifting in spirit. It looked like the women’s team was about to grab it and the moment that Angel Reese fouled out, everybody in the city shot up from their seats in applause and cheering. It was the confirmation everyone needed before we watched Iowa win the rematch and move into the Final Four.

As I mentioned earlier, the Hawkeye spirit was incredible. People were hugging, cheering, and smiling from ear-to-ear as the clock counted down its final few seconds. It was the most fun I’d ever had while watching a sports event and because of that, I definitely plan on attending more women’s basketball games shortly.

For those of you looking into the University of Iowa, I encourage you to get involved with sports on campus whether that’s from the sidelines or out on the court! Seasoned tickets will be available to students within a few short months, so keep an eye out for that and get hyped for what’s bound to be an amazing basketball season!

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Hi everyone!

For those of you who are students and/or families of students, I hope you all had an amazing spring break this past week! Whether that was flying to a beach in a foreign country or simply staying home and enjoying the rest and relaxation, spring break was sooo needed to get back into the swing of things.

In the past, I’ve typically stayed in Iowa City over spring break, but I decided this year to return to my home state of New York and see my friends and family. I’m finding that as I get a bit older and my college journey is slowly coming to an end, I’ve been feeling a lot more homesick than usual which is why I made the decision to go home for break.

But even though I only had a short amount of time in New York, I really feel like I made the most of my trip! Below are just a couple things I did to maximize my time with my friends and my family.

Hadestown on Broadway

I was so incredibly lucky to land tickets to see Hadestown with my mom on Broadway!!!

What made this day trip so exciting was the fact that the two main stars, Orpheus and Eurydice, were played by two of my favorite actors: Lola Tung and Jordan Fisher! They were only playing the parts for a short amount of time, but I was lucky enough that it ran into my spring break so I could see them perform. Even as a resident New Yorker, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Broadway show so well-casted and sung so beautifully.

This performance was definitely a main highlight of my time back home and I know for a fact that I’m going to take advantage of more Broadway musicals whenever I go home again!

Mall Trip to Connecticut

My brother, mom, and I all ended up going to the closest mall to get some shopping done!

I always feel so nostalgic whenever I go back to the Danbury Fair Mall since this was my childhood mall growing up on the border of New York and Connecticut. Every time I come home, I love going back and stocking up on new clothes/makeup, just so that I have everything I need while I’m back.

This time around, I went shopping for some nice work clothes since I’ll hopefully be getting an internship in NYC this summer. Fingers crossed that happens and if it does, I now have the most perfect outfits to get me started!

Getting Some Reading/Writing Done

One of my favorite things to do during any break is catch up on my reading and writing.

For this break, I was reading “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace which is a romance novel I picked up about a hockey player and ice skater. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to read much of it this past month, but thanks to spring break, I was able to make such a big dent in it, and now I’m nearly finished!

I was also able to focus on a couple short stories that I wanted to clean up and it felt so good to be able to devote the necessary time and attention to my writing after the past couple of weeks of being stuck in classes!

Visiting My Friends at the University of Albany

Another massive highlight of my trip was visiting two of my best friends at the University of Albany!

One of my other besties and I drove all the way to the state capitol and surprised them for the last couple of days of my break. While there, we got dinner, toured the campus, and explored the downtown area which was such a perfect way to make the most of my mini road trip within a trip. It was also really cool to get a glimpse of another college campus and meet some of the students going there.

Soon, I’ll definitely make a trip back to Albany since I miss my friends terribly and I can’t wait to see them again!

As I mentioned earlier, it was a quick trip home, but I really feel as if I made the most of it! I’m so glad I was able to spend some quality time with my friends and family, and I can’t wait to see them all again in about a month and a half when the semester officially ends.

Until next time, thank you so much for reading and I’ll chat with you guys soon!

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Hi everyone!

Since Valentine’s Day just passed us, I thought I’d share a few first-date ideas I have for incoming students (or even current students) living in Iowa City and looking to impress that very special someone. Despite being smaller in size, Iowa City has plenty of activities to offer its local community, so let’s get into some potential date ideas for you and the person you’re hoping to get to know better!

The Stanley Museum of Art

A hot spot for first dates is Iowa City’s newest museum! It’s free admission for students (so save your money for a nice dinner afterward!) and the museum is constantly changing its exhibits, so you and your date can enjoy multiple floors of new art and design even if you’ve visited in the past.

If you’re looking to do an activity while inside, the museum often has scavenger hunts, so you and your date can grab a sheet and start running around to check off all the boxes together! This is a great way to have some fun while still taking the time to chat with one another.

Dinner Downtown

As I mentioned above, you and your date should get a bite to eat and luckily, Iowa City has plenty of spots for resident foodies to enjoy! Within downtown, they have restaurants offering American, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, and all types of cuisine, so whatever you and your date are in the mood for, I’m certain you’ll be able to find something to satiate your needs!

A personal favorite of mine is Pullman (if you’re okay spending a little bit of money), but if you’d like something a little cheaper, next door is a place called Nodo that’s just as great! If dinner isn’t the move, Iowa City is also a hub for local coffee shops. Overall, no matter where you go, all of these options should suffice for you and your date.

Seeing a Movie Together

A classic first date idea that will never go out of style has always been seeing a movie together. Iowa City has two different movie theaters: one in the Chauncey and one in the Ped Mall downtown. Since both theaters are small businesses, they’ll usually put on a combination of both new films and old films along with special deals for students.

If you and your date are looking to catch a movie that’s a bit more niche and unheard of, I’d definitely look into the many movies that both locations will be showcasing and see if anything catches your and your date’s eye.

Spare Me Bowling

Speaking of Chauncey, if a movie isn’t really your vibe, what about some good old-fashioned bowling? Located in the same building as the theater, Spare Me is a modern bowling alley with food and arcade games to go around! You and your date can have some fun playing games and getting to know one another over good food and video games as a nice and easy way to break some of the first date jitters.

This is also a great way to bring some other friends into the circle if you’re having a double date and looking to have fun as a group!

Yotopia

I know I can never say no to a sweet treat, so getting frozen yogurt would definitely be a fantastic first date idea for me! Located right on one of Iowa City’s main streets, Yotopia has a range of flavors, a wide variety of toppings, and places to sit, so you and your date can enjoy your frozen yogurt and get to know each other between each spoonful.

If dinner and coffee aren’t the vibe, this might be a great idea between the two!

Stand-Up Comedy at Joystick

A hidden gem in Iowa City has to be all the stand-up comedy shows that happen! Every Thursday and Sunday night, Joystick has open mics for anyone willing to get up on stage, but scheduled shows happen sporadically (just check Joystick’s calendar to know the exact dates!)

If you’re looking for something a bit more lowkey and underground, they also have Secret Stand-up which happens across Iowa City in secret locations which could be really fun to go and locate with your date!

In conclusion, these are only a few ideas of the many, many, many things you could do in Iowa City for a perfect first date. All that matters is that you enjoy your time with the other person, and you get to know one another as much as possible.

Enjoy the date and I hope these ideas helped!

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Hi everyone!

I just returned to Iowa City from one of the most exciting trips I’ve had in a while and I knew when I came back that I had no choice, but to write about it! This past weekend, I attended the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Convention (also known as AWP) and had the opportunity to listen to panels with authors/industry professionals, network with MFA programs, buy plenty of discounted books, and of course, get so much closer to my amazing earthwords magazine team! For this post, I’m going to walk you through the entire trip and some of the cool opportunities I found while wandering the convention.

On Thursday morning, it was an early wakeup for me and the rest of the team as we lugged our bags to the parking lot at 4:oo in the morning. Luckily, the drive proved to be quick, easy, and beautiful as we watched the sunrise on our way to Kansas City, Missouri. We were starstruck by all the Superbowl decorations since this weekend happened to be the weekend where the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the 49ers, so we were a bit overwhelmed with city spirit as we drove up to our hotel and stretched our legs after the long drive. But upon arriving, we wasted no time in booking it to the convention to attend panels and get a feel for the book fair as our official first day as attendees.

I was astounded by how massive the convention center was and the number of people, booths, and paneling rooms available to all the attendees. The possibilities were endless and even though I would have loved to explore more than I was capable of, I created a tight-knit schedule for myself beforehand which started at a panel about the ethics of writing fiction based on fact.

With a couple earthwords friends, we sat in as three authors talked and discussed the challenges of writing about the people we know, whether or not we should give loved ones a heads up before certain pieces come out about them, and the harm/good that can happen when new perspectives take on a story. It was an incredible panel to kick off my AWP experience and as someone who regularly writes about the people I know, I found it really informative to my writing process!

But there was no time to waste because I quickly left for my second panel which featured a handful of literary agents who talked about the dos and don’ts of querying novels, the ins and outs of the publishing industry, and how agents take care of their clients and the work that they do. This panel provided great insight into the first aspect of getting a book traditionally published and how authors can better their odds when querying their debut novels to agencies.

After this panel, it was time for lunch, so my friend, Fareeha, and I, settled on some ramen which ended up being delicious! Afterward, we had some time to kill before our next panel, so we walked around the book fair, took pictures of books we wanted, chatted with small literary magazines/presses, and won fun prizes like stickers, magnets, and pens before heading back to the panels.

This final panel featured a handful of small booksellers who spoke about ways that authors can build better relationships with indie bookstores and the local community. In all honesty, it was a bit on the boring side for me, but I still got some great notes for it if there comes a day that I drop everything and open a quaint bookstore later in my life.

Once the excitement of the first day was over, the rest of the earthwords team got dinner at a bar and grill where we sat at a long table, talked about our experiences, and ate our fill. I’m sure I can speak for everyone that our first day was absolutely exhausting, but overall, it was a great way to kick off such a memorable experience for the rest of the weekend!

The very next day, Friday, is what I considered my “busy day” because of how many panels I ended up going to! I started the morning strong at a 9am panel about social media and how reviewers online play a massive role in book sales today. On this panel, the social media influencers spoke about their roles, their relationships with authors/readers, and the balance between a full-time job and reviewing new titles day-to-day. Even though I’m not much of an influencer, it was really cool to hear about the effects of BookTok through the eyes of the people running it.

Next, I rushed to a panel called, “Draft, Draft, Goose” which was all about revising writing projects. This room was filled to the brim with people, and I felt so engrossed in each author’s presentations as they stood in front of the crowd, displayed their messy first drafts, and then walked us through how they edited/revised them into their final version. Not only was I so impressed by each writer’s process, but also by the fact that they had the guts to show hundreds of people their unedited work! I’m not sure I could ever be convinced to do something like that and I have so much respect for the authors who put themselves in front of the crowd to do something so daunting!

After this panel, a lunch break was very much needed, so Fareeha, Sophia, and I got tacos and chatted for a bit before we split off to go to our afternoon panels.

My third panel of the day was all about literary magazines and how writers can make their submissions stand out in the slush pile. If I’m being honest, this was a bit of a bleak panel since it’s hard to stand out when magazines are getting 10k submissions every season, but something I did learn was that submitting to contests is actually a lot more helpful than I first thought! Because of this panel, I feel a lot differently about the benefits of contests, so maybe I’ll consider submitting to a couple in the near future.

For the fourth panel of the day, Fareeha, I, and a handful of people on the earthwords staff met up to watch a panel run by all female writers who spoke about girlhood and coming-of-age stories including how to get those stories into an industry that is historically male. I was really impressed with the advice that these women were providing us and how honest their conversations were about their writing process, the querying process, and how they went about writing unconventional female characters. It was a great panel to end on and then Fareeha, Amritha, Maia, Kelsey, and I packed up our stuff, left the convention center, and headed to an off-site event in downtown Kansas City called, “Women Who Leave.”

One of the many wonderful things about AWP is that they schedule events around the city alongside events within the convention center! This allows attendees to still have the chance to partake in some literary magic while exploring some of the cool places in Kansas City. For the “Women Who Leave” event, I and everyone else went to Nighthawk (an old speakeasy located at the bottom of a hotel!) where we managed to find a seat at the very front of the stage.

We listened to four incredible female authors talk about their experiences with leaving romantic relationships and how that real-life event shaped their writing. It was such an empowering conversation about topics of love, money, womanhood, and happiness, that me and everyone else at the event were brought to tears multiple times! Afterward, it was pretty obvious that we all wanted to buy their books, and my friends and I were lucky enough to get our copies signed by the authors too! We were geeking out the whole time and it was by far my favorite event of the weekend!

Tired and hungry, I and half of the earthwords staff found a sushi restaurant to eat dinner. It took us a while to get on the waitlist, but luckily, we came across some live music that we got to sit around and listen to as we waited to be called in for a table. At dinner, we got to know one another so much better, and it was a great way to end our second day in Kansas City and prepare for our final day of panels.

The next day, Saturday, marked the last chance to see any panels/roam the book fair which was so sad to come to terms with! I know I wanted to stay at AWP forever, but unfortunately, we had plans to return to Iowa City that night.

I started that final day with a few others on staff as we attended a 9am panel called, if you can believe it, “Writing the Literary Sex Scene!” This panel was so unserious, so funny, and so informative, even though it was early in the morning. After that panel, me and Fareeha wandered the bookfair and spoke to some universities including the University of Baltimore, the University of Belmont, Columbia, Yale, Northwestern, Emerson College, and more! It was really cool to chat and network with some MFA students, alumni, and faculty, and then get their contact information to reach out at a later point. I definitely felt more confident in some of my choices on the off chance that I pursue an MFA someday.

Our book exploration had to take a pause though as me and Fareeha attended our last panel. This panel focused on debut YA authors and their experiences working in publishing. The authors were insanely transparent about the positives and negatives of being a debut author, how they found their agents, the struggle of a work/life balance, and what they would do differently if they could debut again. It was really insightful to see how these authors have handled being published and I definitely need to pick up their books sometime in the future after hearing them all speak!

Before finishing our day, Fareeha, Kelsey, Madeline, Lily, and I all got pizza for lunch before we toured the rest of the book fair and bought some last-minute books. By the end of the trip, I had seven books in tow which ranged from literary magazines to chapbooks, and to full-fledged novels. Currently, I’m reading one of the chapbooks I bought called, “Notes on Shapeshifting” by Gabi Abrao which I’m absolutely in love with!

Exhausted and in much need of coffee, me and Fareeha left the convention center for the very last time and trekked to a Cuban coffee shop where we got coffee, read, and waited for the rest of the team to join us before we all packed our things and made for the long drive back to Iowa City. The drive was filled with laughter, smiles, and shared experiences of all the things this incredible trip has taught us. I can say confidently that not a single person regretted the experience and every single one of us returned to Iowa City with fresh eyes and a whole new appreciation for the literary community.

That’s the breakdown of my trip! I appreciate you guys sticking around to listen to my experience and if any of you are interested in attending AWP next year, the convention will be held in Los Angeles, California. If you try it out, I can assure you that you won’t regret it!

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