Since 2008, Between the Lines (BTL) has hosted young writers at the University of Iowa for a cultural exchange program that focuses on the art and craft of creative writing. Participants ages 15-18 come together in Iowa City for an intensive two-week session.
BTL will transcend social distances by offering an intensive creative writing program combined with the exciting discoveries of intercultural exchange. Through honing their craft together and engaging in open-hearted discussions, a new community of young writers will connect the dots between their home cultures, sparking friendships throughout the U.S. and around the globe.
BTL writers will spend 2-4 hours of 14 consecutive days (many 2020 participants considered these hours their favorite hours each day!) in creative writing workshops and global literature seminars. Each step is designed to broaden their literary horizons and deepen their empathy for and understanding of one another’s identities and stories.
BTL offers two, two-week summer sessions—Between the Lines: Identity and Belonging (for students from the U.S. only) & Between the Lines: Peace and the Writing Experience (for students from the U.S. and 20 select countries that change year to year). Both sessions will be led by a faculty of prize-winning poets and writers from the U.S. and abroad, who are also experienced creative writing teachers. Guest artists will bring focus to special craft topics, participants will perform in an open mic, and a faculty reading webinar is hosted by Iowa City’s iconic bookstore, Prairie Lights. Whether it’s a “roommate” chat or a movie night, plenty of fun social and cultural activities encourage dialogue and strengthen the bonds we build into a vibrant BTL community. At the program’s end, everyone’s new work will be published in the annual camp anthology and each participant will receive a graduation certificate.
