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Art of the Haibun with Katherine Larson

Join us for the “Art of the Haibun” with poet, Katherine Larson.

Katherine Larson is the author of two collections of poetry—Radial Symmetry (Yale University Press, 2011), selected by Louise Glück as winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets, and The Speechless Ones (Interlinea Press, 2016), recipient of the Vercelli

International Civic Poetry Prize (former recipients include Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Adam Zagajewski). Her forthcoming book, Wedding of the Foxes (Milkweed Editions, 2025), is a collection of lyric essays. Larson’s work has appeared in numerous literary journals including AGNI, Alaska Quarterly Review, Blackbird, Boulevard, Crab Orchard Review, Kenyon Review, The Massachusetts Review, Notre Dame Review, Orion, Poetry, and Poetry Northwest and anthologized in Read America(s): An Anthology, Prentice Hall’s Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, and Firsts: 100 Years of Yale Younger Poets.

She is the recipient of a Ruth Lilly Fellowship, a Kate Tufts Discovery Award, the Larry Levis Reading Prize, the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Poetry Prize, and the Foreword Indies Gold Medal in Poetry. She has taught in the Stonecoast MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine and the University of Arizona Poetry Center. She is currently active with organizations and artists dedicated to conservation and environmental education in the Sonoran Desert and Gulf of California.

Cost: $25 adults. Are you a Student? Choose “Student Ticket” & Enter “FREE” UNDER DISCOUNT CODE.

To register, click here!

This event is held in partnership with the Iowa State University MFA Program in Creative Writing and Environment Pearl Holgrefe Visiting Writers Series.

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In The Media News

Author Spotlight | John T. Price | Oct 9th 7 PM

Join the Ames Writers Collective & KHOI Community Radio Station for an evening with John T. Price—live at Fifth Street Writers on Thursday, October 9th at 7 PM.

This free community event features a reading, book signing, and conversation with John T. Price,  author of the novel, Goethe’s Oak–A Holocaust Story. Hosted in partnership with KHOI Community Radio, the evening celebrates literature, community, and creative storytelling.

About John T. Price: He is is the author of four creative nonfiction books: Not Just Any Land: A Personal and Literary Journey into the American Grasslands, Man Killed by Pheasant and Other Kinships, Daddy Long Legs: The Natural Education of a Father, and All Is Leaf: Essays and Transformations. He is the Regents/Foundation Distinguished Professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he directs the English Department’s Creative Nonfiction Writing Program, and is a faculty member in the Goldstein Center for Human Rights.

Visit KHOI to tune in!

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In The Media News

Member Open Hours | Mondays in Sept | 5 to 7 PM

This month, join us for Open Hours at Fifth Street Writers. Open hours are available for members only! Interested in becoming a member? Click here for more information!

Looking for a space designed for writers by writers? Or are you looking for a quiet area to focus on your most recent project? At Fifth Street Writers, we aim to provide just that from 5pm – 7pm on Mondays in September. There are a few exceptions, please check our events calendar for specific dates!

We have seating areas spread throughout the building at Fifth Street Writers that run the gamut from comfy club chairs to benches with tables, to larger tables with chairs. Limited parking is available in front of the building, with plenty of street parking. Our site host is communications intern, Acacia Coates.

The Art of the Haibun with Katherine Larson

Join us for the “Art of the Haibun” with poet, Katherine Larson.

Katherine Larson is the author of two collections of poetry—Radial Symmetry (Yale University Press, 2011), selected by Louise Glück as winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets, and The Speechless Ones (Interlinea Press, 2016), recipient of the Vercelli International Civic Poetry Prize (former recipients include Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Adam Zagajewski). Her forthcoming book, Wedding of the Foxes (Milkweed Editions, 2025), is a collection of lyric essays. Larson’s work has appeared in numerous literary journals including AGNI, Alaska Quarterly Review, Blackbird, Boulevard, Crab Orchard Review, Kenyon Review, The Massachusetts Review, Notre Dame Review, Orion, Poetry, and Poetry Northwest and anthologized in Read America(s): An Anthology, Prentice Hall’s Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, and Firsts: 100 Years of Yale Younger Poets.

She is the recipient of a Ruth Lilly Fellowship, a Kate Tufts Discovery Award, the Larry Levis Reading Prize, the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Poetry Prize, and the Foreword Indies Gold Medal in Poetry. She has taught in the Stonecoast MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine and the University of Arizona Poetry Center. She is currently active with organizations and artists dedicated to conservation and environmental education in the Sonoran Desert and Gulf of California.

TO REGISTER, click here! Cost: $25 adults.
Are you a Student? Choose “Student Ticket” & Enter “FREE” UNDER DISCOUNT CODE.

This event is held in partnership with the Iowa State University MFA Program in Creative Writing and Environment Pearl Holgrefe Visiting Writers Series.

2025 Ames Artists’ Studio Tour at Fifth Street Writers

2025 Ames Artists’ Studio Tour at
Ames Writers Collective Fifth Street Writers
612 5th St, ames
Writing & Spoken Word
SATURDAY ONLY

Designed to serve as a hub for writers, Fifth Street Writers provides a quiet and inspiring environment for writing while also offering a range of programs, classes, and special events tailored for writers of all ages and experience levels. This new space furthers the Ames Writers Collective mission to create healthy communities through the art of writing, while also supporting writers in the region.

During the studio tour, Fifth Street Writers will offer space and supplies for creatives to create poetry collage postcards and “Tumbling Words Wild Writing” sessions from 11 to Noon and 2 to 3 PM. We’ll supply a pen and paper.

Author Nicole Baart | The Publishing Journey

Nicole Baart | The Publishing Journey | A Publishing Talk & Workshop

Location: Ames Writers Collective, Fifth Street Writers

Saturday, November 8 | 11 AM – 12 PM:  Nicole Baart, The Publishing Journey & book-signing
FREE and open to the public

Saturday, November 8 | 1 PM – 3 PM:  Pitching Your Work
Publishing practicum workshop

Fee: $25 general admission, Fifth Street members receive a 10% discount, and Students Free. CLICK HERE to receive a discount code.

TO REGISTER for general admission, CLICK here.

Nicole Baart is the author of several novels, including Where He Left Me and Everything We Didn’t Say. The cofounder of a nonprofit and mother of five, she lives in Iowa with her family. Learn more at NicoleBaart.com.

This event is held in partnership with the Iowa State University MFA Program in Creative Writing and Environment Pearl Holgrefe Visiting Writers Series.

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Blog

Meet Adela Solano Osmundson!

Adela Solano Osmundson, a recently graduated senior, has a passion for the written word. She started crafting poetry in 2023 because of the Langston Hughes writing workshops as part of the Swift Youth Writers program facilitated by the Ames Writers Collective.

In 2024, Adela won the Swift Youth Poetry Contest. Her poem, “Demon Tongue,” highlights the struggles of growing up mixed race and the desire to connect back to the culture of one’s parents. Caleb “The Negro” Poet Rainey performed the winning submission at a poetry showcase for the Langston Hughes Project, accompanied by an original score that was written in response to the poem.

Once a student in the Swift Youth Writers Workshop, Adela spent a week in summer of 2025 volunteering to help other students develop their craft. As an aspiring teacher, Adela has a passion for cultivating the art of writing in others. Her own teachers as her inspiration, Adela hopes to one day inspire future generations to write. Watch this video to learn more about her!

Octagon Third Thursday Poetry Slam

The Octagon in partnership with the Ames Poetry Slam & the Ames Writers Collective is hosting its first ever poetry slam!

Come hear original work from local poets of all ages and styles. The event on Thursday, August 21st will begin at 5:30pm and poets will take the stage at 6:00pm. This is a free event, for attendees and poets alike. We prefer that poets sign up in advance at this link: Poet Registration. However we will allow same-day sign up at the event.

This event is held at the Octagon Center for the Arts at 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames IA 50010.

We hope you’ll join us, as a poet or a spectator, and support the poets in our community.

Member Open Hours

This month, join us for Open Hours at the Ames Writers Collective. Open hours are available for members only! Interested in becoming a member? Click here for more information!

Looking for a space designed for writers by writers? Or are you looking for a quiet area to focus on your most recent project? At Fifth Street Writers, we aim to provide just that from 5:30pm – 7:30pm on Tuesdays in October. There are a few exceptions, please check our events calendar for specific dates!

We have seating areas spread throughout the building at Fifth Street Writers that run the gamut from comfy club chairs to benches with tables, to larger tables with chairs. Limited parking is available in front of the building, with plenty of street parking. Our site host is communications intern, Acacia Coates.

Categories
In The Media News

Octagon Third Thursday Poetry Slam

The Octagon in partnership with the Ames Poetry Slam & the Ames Writers Collective is hosting its first ever poetry slam!

Come hear original work from local poets of all ages and styles. The event on Thursday, August 21st will begin at 5:30 and poets will take the stage at 6:00. This is a free event, for attendees and poets alike. We prefer that poets sign up in advance at this link: Poet Registration. However, we will allow same-day sign up at the event.

We hope you’ll join us, as a poet or a spectator, and support the poets in our community.