Tag: FIFTH STREET WRITERS

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Author Spotlight | Karen Bermann

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LIVE and In Person at
FIFTH STREET WRITERS
612 5th St., AMES, IA
Thursday, November 20, 6:30 PM
Books for Sale & Author Signing

A vividly illustrated family memoir told in two voices, father and daughter, The Art of Being a Stranger explores the impact of displacement and historical memory across generations.

Karen Bermann is professor emerita of architecture at Iowa State University. She worked on sweat equity rehabilitation in her native New York and taught first-year design in Ames and fourth-year design in Rome, where she now lives.

This Author Spotlight is held in partnership with
KHOI Community Radio Station.

On Exhibit | Meet the Author/Artist |
Generative Writing Workshop:

Drawings from The Art of Being a Stranger
Thursday, Nov 20: 6:30 PM
Friday Nov 21 10:30 AM to Noon and 1 to 6:30 PM

Portraits of Stones – a drawing & writing workshop
Saturday Nov 22: 1:30 to 6:30 PM
Drop in anytime Saturday for drawing, writing, and chatting with two creatives. Art materials provided for watercolor & drawing as well as stones. Objects will be used to inspire short bursts of writing. Feel free to bring your own objects for inspiration and/or drawing/writing materials. Or just stop by to view Karen’s artwork on display.

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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!

Tumbling Words: An Evening of Writing & Creative Self-Expression

June 19 | 7–9 PM | The Dot Cafe

Join us for a low-pressure, high-vibe writing night built around connection, creativity, and handcrafted cocktails. Using poetry as a prompt, we’ll dive into Wild Writing, a fast, unfiltered practice that quiets the inner critic and gets words flowing.

Led by Ana McCracken, founder of Ames Writers Collective, this workshop invites you to write freely, sip slowly, and engage with a like-minded creative community. No writing experience necessary, just bring your curiosity.

Tickets include:

  • A handcrafted cocktail or mocktail

  • A journal and pen

  • A guided Wild Writing session

  • Post-workshop mingle + local handmade goods for sale

Presented in collaboration with The Dot, Lucky Star, and Ames Writers Collective.
A portion of proceeds supports community writing programs through AWC.

Click here to buy a ticket.

Author Spotlight with John T. Price

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

Fifth Street Writers Grand Opening

Join Us for Our Grand Opening!

We’re excited to invite you to the grand opening of our new space at 612 Fifth Street, Ames, IA on Friday, May 23, 2025!

Come explore the space, connect with local writers, enjoy appetizers and drinks in a welcoming creative atmosphere, and hear submission read by community members.

  • Doors open at 6:30 PM
  • Program begins at 7:00 PM

Interested in reading your work? Submit a piece that fits the theme Hit the Road Writing – New Beginnings Real or Imagined. Priority will be given to current members.

Submit your piece Here. 

We can’t wait to celebrate this new beginning with you!

Fifth Street Writers Grand Opening

Submit a Piece to Read at the Grand Opening

The theme is Hit the Road Writing—New Beginnings Real or Imagined. Submit a piece of writing Here. 

Event Details

Friday 05/23/2025 at 612 Fifth Street, Ames, IA

  • Doors open at 6:30pm 
  • Program begins at 7pm
  • Selected writers will read submissions
  • Appetizers & drinks will be served
  • Guests can explore the space and sign up  to be a member
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In The Media News

Seeking Art Submissions | Words Meet Art

Seeking Art Submissions – Words Meet Art

Call for Submissions | DEADLINE Aug 15

The Ames Writers Collective is seeking “two-dimensional original art” submissions for an exhibition at Fifth Street Writers located at 612 5th Street in downtown Ames, Iowa.

Media can be oil, acrylic, watercolor, collage, or photography. Pieces chosen for the exhibition will be featured at Fifth Street Writers Art Meets Words events.

At Words Meet Art events, writers come together to write in community prose memoir or poetry in response to the art or photography submissions. A public event will feature both the art work and the writers reading their responses written at FIFTH STREET WRITERS. These in-person events will happen on Friday evening (writing), November 14th, Saturday morning (writing), November 15th, and an Open Mic featuring the writers and artists on Saturday evening, November 15th.

WE ARE ONLY ACCEPTING ART SUBMISSIONS AT THIS TIME – NO WRITING!

Words Meet Art is a literary arts event demonstrating through words how art evokes feelings, triggers memories and stories, and inspires conversations across divides and demographics.

Fall 2025 Exhibition date November 15th.
Each artist may submit ONE (1) PIECE for consideration.
Submission DEADLINE is AUGUST 15 at 5 PM.

Interested in submitting your 2-dimensional art. Click here to FILL OUT OUR SUBMISSION FORM. 

Thank you, Discover Ames for your grant supporting our event.

 

Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam – Ames Qualifier

The 2025 IPA Poetry Slam Season is upon us! We are hosting a series of four qualifying poetry slams across the state in search of our 2025 IPA Poetry Slam Champion. The top three poets from each qualifier will automatically advance to the IPA Poetry Slam Finals to be held on April 5, 2024 as part of Poetry Palooza! The winner of the IPA Poetry Slam Finals will be named the 2025 Iowa Champion and earn an IPA-sponsored spot in the 2025 BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam. This year’s national slam will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on July 23-26, 2025.
Find a qualifying slam near you and save the date! Find the full slam rules and registration details at iowapoetry.com/slam.htm
If you didn’t register, no worries! Come on out to cheer on the poets, enjoy poetry, and/or volunteer to judge! All are welcome!
For questions, please contact Kelsey Bigelow at [email protected]
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In The Media News

Founder Ana Hays McCracken on Talk of Iowa

The Ames Writers Collective is thrilled to announce that our founder, Ana McCracken, will be a guest speaker on Talk of Iowa! Hosted by Charity Nebbe and presented by Iowa Public Radio, Talk of Iowa is a platform where Iowans come together to share ideas and learn from one another.

Ana will discuss the exciting plans for our upcoming physical space, Fifth Street, and how this new hub will serve as a vital resource for writers in Ames. She’ll also share how Fifth Street will help build connections within the Ames community.

Tune in to Ana’s session at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7th. You can listen live on News & Studio One (FM) or stream it online at ipr.org. If you miss the live broadcast, the episode will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and under “Latest Episodes” on Talk of Iowa.

We hope you’ll join us to hear Ana’s inspiring vision for the future of Ames Writers Collective!

1st Saturday Write Together at Fifth Street Writers

Join us at Fifth Street Writers on the 1st Saturday of each month from 10 AM to Noon. Together we’ll write in community on our writing projects.

What’s a Write Together?

  1. Bring your laptop or whatever you write with to work on your creative writing projects—novels, memoirs, poems, project outlines, your to-do list for the coming year if need be
  2. 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—some tables are shared spaces
  3. We’ll write in community for ~2 hours after sharing a brief comment about our creative project
  4. We have wifi
  5. We write, write, write in silence
  6. RULE: Cell phones MUST BE SILENCED, as well as laptop “dings”

Each month, we’ll open our doors at 9:30 am. Grab a coffee or tea and mingle with fellow writers. There’s plenty of street parking (metered) with a CyRide stop in front of our building at 612 5th Street in downtown Ames, Iowa.

While the event is free and open to all, we’re asking everyone to pre-register because space is limited. To register, click here.