Hancher

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa String Quartet Residency Program present the Isidore String Quartet for an intimate hour-long afternoon concert at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Frank Conroy Reading Room.

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa String Quartet Residency Program present the Attacca Quartet for an intimate hour-long afternoon concert at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Frank Conroy Reading Room. This event is free and open to the public.

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa String Quartet Residency Program present the Harlem Quartet for an intimate hour-long afternoon concert at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop Frank Conroy Reading Room. This event is free and open to the public.

For over 15 years, Sharon Van Etten has been a creature of evolution, her music moving across modes and styles. Her latest, self-titled record was conceived with a new band, The Attachment Theory. Join Van Etten as she discusses her latest work and the arc of her career.

An internationally acclaimed actor, writer, and director, Smith visits Iowa City to perform two solo shows: In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Frederick Douglass NOW. Join Smith as he discusses his career across stages, screens, and styles.

A soft-spoken, sharp-thinking comic, Josh Johnson is convincingly reinventing standup comedy with fully-formed sets dropping on YouTube on a weekly basis. Join Johnson as he discusses his process and philosophy with writing and performing comedy.

Kaveh Akbar and Eve L. Ewing's discussion will reflect upon the transformative power of language, the tensions between optimism and reckoning, and the role of art in envisioning a more just and imaginative future.

Roger Guenvuer Smith's Frederick Douglass NOW examines the life and work of the self-liberated abolitionist and pioneering orator Frederick Douglass. Smith has edited Douglass's 19th century texts into a jazz-infused narrative bookended by original writing.

Roger Guenveur Smith calls forth two essential figures of the American narrative. This performance is inspired by Smith’s friendship with the young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose meteoric rise was halted by his tragic death at the age of 27.

Josh Johnson is quietly, convincingly reinventing standup comedy and his fans delight in the steady stream of new thoughtful, laugh-inducing stories. Wired says he is “the funniest man on the internet.” We say he might be even funnier live on stage.