BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//CalDiscovery//caldiscovery//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH DESCRIPTION:Cedar Rapids: literary\, next 7 days (Thu Sep 17 to Wed Sep 23 \, America/Chicago). Rolling: the window moves forward every day\, so subs cribe rather than download. Discovered and maintained by CalDiscovery (htt ps://caldiscovery.com). Event details belong to their publishers. Contains information from CalDiscovery\, which is made available under the ODbL 1. 0. SOURCE:https://caldiscovery.com/cedar-rapids-ia/next-7-days-literary.ics X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT12H REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT12H X-WR-CALDESC:Cedar Rapids: literary\, next 7 days (Thu Sep 17 to Wed Sep 2 3\, America/Chicago). Rolling: the window moves forward every day\, so sub scribe rather than download. Discovered and maintained by CalDiscovery (ht tps://caldiscovery.com). Event details belong to their publishers. Contain s information from CalDiscovery\, which is made available under the ODbL 1 .0. X-WR-CALNAME:Cedar Rapids · literary · next 7 days · CalDiscovery BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Creekside Forest School Open House DTSTART:20260917T180000Z DTEND:20260917T190000Z DTSTAMP:20260908T181946Z UID:10002045-1789650000-1789653600@indiancreeknaturecenter.org CATEGORIES:community,literary DESCRIPTION:Skunk cabbage is one of the rare treasures you can find on the Indian Creek Nature Center trails.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The Secrets You Find When You Slow Downby Trail C oordinator Nick McGrath Imagine a beautiful natural landscape here in Iowa . Is it of towering trees\, expansive prairies\, or dazzling displays of w ildflowers in bloom? These bold features can easily capture our attention but only tell part of the story.  Found singularly within the canopy\, tu cked beneath shrubs and grasses\, nestled among rocks and against tree tru nks\, or quietly growing along woodland paths are countless plants that ma ny will pass by\, unaware of their uniqueness or importance in the landsca pe. They are quite easily overlooked\, but these plants add remarkable div ersity\, beauty\, and ecological value. Spread out across Indian Creek Nat ure Center’s property are a host of unnoticed plants that serve critical roles and bring vibrancy and a sense of fullness into the natural landsca pe.  Peeking out from the woodland edge is a non-aggressive plant called purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens). Most may pass this by\, albeit s lightly puzzled\, assuming it is a common milkweed that is out of place. U pon closer inspection\, the observer will find minute differences in size\ , texture\, shape\, and color.  The purple milkweed boasts a vibrant dark fuchsia color that seems to call out\, “Hey! Look over here by the tree line!” This particular milkweed thrives in a part-shade environment and\ , unlike the common purple milkweed\, does not spread through rhizomes\, u nderground stems capable of sprouting new plants\, making it much less com petitive. On your next mid-summer hike\, take a closer look around the tra ils immediately surrounding Amazing Space\, and you just might spot this p urple milkweed! A snowy trek along the Bena Brook area of ICNC could land you in the world of skunk cabbage\, so mind your nose and watch your step! Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is part of a very small group of pl ants capable of thermogenesis\, the ability to metabolically generate heat . In late winter and early spring the interior of a skunk cabbage can be u p to twenty degrees warmer than ambient temperatures\, helping to melt the surrounding snow and emit a truly pungent smell\, fitting of its name. Th e combination of heat and odor attracts and supports all manner of early s eason pollinators. Skunk cabbage falls into the botanical family Araceae\, characterized in part by a spadix and spathe. The spadix is most similar to a stem covered in tiny flowers while the spathe is a modified leaf that surrounds the spadix. An easily recognized example of this is the inflore scence (flowering parts) of a household peace lily\, also in the family Ar aceae. Other notable family members include monstera and philodendron! Ano ther Araceae member happily calls the Nature Center home and is quite fasc inating to see in person. Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) can be found throughout the property in deep\, moist woodland shade. This small\, unique plant gets its name from the arrangement of the spadix and spathe\ , resembling a preacher inside a pulpit. If you stumble upon this plant\, it is best to look but not touch due to significant amounts of calcium oxa late crystals throughout the plant. Do\, however\, count the number of lea ves! This long-lived plant stores energy underground and decides\, based o n available energy\, whether to emerge that year as a male or female plant . A single leaf usually indicates a male plant since it takes less energy to produce pollen than fruit. Two leaves (or the presence of fruit) indica te a female plant. Typically\, Jack-in-the-pulpit will revert to a male pl ant the year after fruiting to recoup energy and start again. These plants may not always demand our attention\, but they are an important part of w hat makes Indian Creek Nature Center such a rich and diverse place to expl ore. The next time you walk the trails\, slow down\, become an observer an d take time to notice the small\, often overlooked plants around you. You may be surprised by how much life is growing right at your feet! LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T181946Z URL:https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/event/creekside-forest-school-open -house-5/?utm_source=caldiscovery&utm_medium=ics&utm_campaign=cedar-rapids -ia X-SOURCE-NAME:Indian Creek Nature Center X-SOURCE-URL:https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Help with Writing DTSTART:20260917T230000Z DTEND:20260918T010000Z DTSTAMP:20260914T182010Z UID:10042777-1789668000-1789675200@downtowniowacity.com CATEGORIES:literary DESCRIPTION:Free help with writing at the Iowa City Library. Drop by with any project: \n\njob applications materials\, including resumes and cover letters\nschool assignments\, scholarship essays\, college application ess ays\, and materials\nemails\, social media posts\, website content\nletter s of all kinds\, including to judges\, immigration officials\, parole offi cers and landlords\nautobiographical writing\, family histories\, and loc al history projects\nspeeches and presentations\ncreative writing: short stories\, books\, plays\, poetry\nbasic Microsoft Word and web navigation skills related to writing\n\nThe Johnson County Community Writing Center is staffed and funded by the University of Iowa Writing Center and Kirk wood Community College. LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T182010Z LOCATION:Iowa City Public Library\, 123 South Linn Street\, Iowa City\, IA \, 52240\, United States URL:https://downtowniowacity.com/event/help-with-writing/2026-09-17/?utm_s ource=caldiscovery&utm_medium=ics&utm_campaign=cedar-rapids-ia X-SOURCE-NAME:Iowa City Downtown District X-SOURCE-URL:https://downtowniowacity.com/events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Regular Meeting of The Noble Pen DTSTART:20260918T000000Z DTEND:20260918T020000Z DTSTAMP:20260829T005002Z UID:event_316320565@meetup.com CATEGORIES:literary DESCRIPTION:Cedar Rapids Creative Writing Meetup Group\nThis is our weekly face to face meeting. Authors have the opportunity to submit their work f or critique\, and reviewers get the opportunity to read material from up a nd comers to published authors.\n\nWe meet at one of our member’s house. And\, for those so inclined\, you can bring your own bottle! LAST-MODIFIED:20260829T005002Z URL:https://www.meetup.com/cedar-rapids-creative-writing-meetup-group/even ts/316320565/?utm_source=caldiscovery&utm_medium=ics&utm_campaign=cedar-ra pids-ia X-SOURCE-NAME:Cedar Rapids Creative Writing Meetup Group END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Camille T. Dungy in conv with Donika Kelly - America\, A Love Stor y DTSTART:20260918T000000Z DTEND:20260918T010000Z DTSTAMP:20260915T060355Z UID:10047633-1789671600-1789675200@downtowniowacity.com CATEGORIES:literary DESCRIPTION:The 2024 Paul Engle Prize winner and celebrated poet Camille T . Dungy will read from her newest poetry collection\, America\, a Love St ory\, and will be joined in conversation with University of Iowa Associat e Professor and poet\, Donika Kelly. Described by publisher Wesleyan Unive rsity Press as a “powerful testament to living and loving as a Black wom an and mother in today’s America\, and her first book of poetry in almos t a decade\,” America\, a Love Story is praised by Charley Burlock of  Oprah Daily as an “electrifying new collection [that] arrives just on time\, offering a version of patriotism capable of meeting the present mo ment and carrying us through to a brighter future\,” while award-winning poet and novelist Kaveh Akbar says: “What a great fan I am of Camille D ungy’s work. I’ve spent so much time sitting at the foot of her langua ge\, just sort of learning what I can in slack-jawed wonder.” \nCamille T. Dungy is the author of Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden ( 2023). She has also written Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys int o Race\, Motherhood\, and History (2017)\, a finalist for the National Bo ok Critics Circle Award\, and four collections of poetry\, including Trop hic Cascade (2017)\, winner of the Colorado Book Award. Dungy edited Bla ck Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry (2009)\, and her work has appeared in Best American Poetry\, 100 Best African American Poems\, Best American Essays\, The 1619 Project\, plus dozens of venues in cluding The New Yorker\, Poetry\, Literary Hub\, The Paris Review\, and Po ets.org. A University Distinguished Professor at Colorado State University \, Dungy’s honors include the 2021 Academy of American Poets Fellowship\ , a 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship\, an American Book Award\, an Honorary Doct orate from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry\, and fellow ships from the NEA in both prose and poetry (weslpress.org). \nDonika Kell y is the author of the chapbook Aviarium and the full-length poetry coll ections The Renunciations (Graywolf)\, winner of the Anisfield-Wolf book award in poetry\, Bestiary (Graywolf)\, the winner of the 2015 Cave Can em Poetry Prize\, a Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and a Kate Tufts Discovery Award\, and The Natural Order of Things (Graywolf\, 2025). Kelly’s po etry has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award\, the Publishing Triangle Awards\, the Lambda Literary Awards\, and longlisted f or the National Book Award. A Cave Canem graduate fellow\, National Endowm ent for the Arts fellow\, and founding member of the collective Poets at t he End of the World\, she has also received a Lannan Residency Fellowship\ , and a summer workshop fellowship from the Fine Arts Work Center. She ear ned her BA in English from Southern Arkansas University\, an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin\, and a PhD in English from Vanderbilt Unive rsity. Her poems have been published in The New Yorker\, The Atlantic\,  The Paris Review\, and elsewhere. LAST-MODIFIED:20260915T060355Z LOCATION:Prairie Lights Bookstore URL:https://downtowniowacity.com/event/camille-t-dungy-in-conv-with-donika -kelly-america-a-love-story/?utm_source=caldiscovery&utm_medium=ics&utm_ca mpaign=cedar-rapids-ia X-SOURCE-NAME:Iowa City Downtown District X-SOURCE-URL:https://downtowniowacity.com/events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:HLC book club - September DTSTART:20260920T150000Z DTEND:20260920T163000Z DTSTAMP:20260915T192639Z UID:event_316216607@meetup.com CATEGORIES:literary DESCRIPTION:Humanists of Linn County\nHLC bookclub will meet 10 AM Septemb er 20th at Newbo market. Join us to discuss the topic of rest.\n\nThe book selection is:\nRest Is Resistance\nA Manifesto\nby Tricia Hersey\n\nIf yo u don't read the book\, no worries\, will also dedicate some time to discu ss whatever you're reading (bring your own book club).\n\nhttps://bookshop .org/p/books/rest-is-resistance-a-manifesto-tricia-hersey/72039c1cbdfea3ed ?ean=9780316365215 LAST-MODIFIED:20260915T192639Z URL:https://www.meetup.com/humanists-of-linn-county/events/316216607/?utm_ source=caldiscovery&utm_medium=ics&utm_campaign=cedar-rapids-ia X-SOURCE-NAME:Humanists of Linn County END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Nature Center Book Club DTSTART:20260922T203000Z DTEND:20260922T213000Z DTSTAMP:20260908T181946Z UID:10002024-1790091000-1790094600@indiancreeknaturecenter.org CATEGORIES:literary DESCRIPTION:Skunk cabbage is one of the rare treasures you can find on the Indian Creek Nature Center trails.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The Secrets You Find When You Slow Downby Trail C oordinator Nick McGrath Imagine a beautiful natural landscape here in Iowa . Is it of towering trees\, expansive prairies\, or dazzling displays of w ildflowers in bloom? These bold features can easily capture our attention but only tell part of the story.  Found singularly within the canopy\, tu cked beneath shrubs and grasses\, nestled among rocks and against tree tru nks\, or quietly growing along woodland paths are countless plants that ma ny will pass by\, unaware of their uniqueness or importance in the landsca pe. They are quite easily overlooked\, but these plants add remarkable div ersity\, beauty\, and ecological value. Spread out across Indian Creek Nat ure Center’s property are a host of unnoticed plants that serve critical roles and bring vibrancy and a sense of fullness into the natural landsca pe.  Peeking out from the woodland edge is a non-aggressive plant called purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens). Most may pass this by\, albeit s lightly puzzled\, assuming it is a common milkweed that is out of place. U pon closer inspection\, the observer will find minute differences in size\ , texture\, shape\, and color.  The purple milkweed boasts a vibrant dark fuchsia color that seems to call out\, “Hey! Look over here by the tree line!” This particular milkweed thrives in a part-shade environment and\ , unlike the common purple milkweed\, does not spread through rhizomes\, u nderground stems capable of sprouting new plants\, making it much less com petitive. On your next mid-summer hike\, take a closer look around the tra ils immediately surrounding Amazing Space\, and you just might spot this p urple milkweed! A snowy trek along the Bena Brook area of ICNC could land you in the world of skunk cabbage\, so mind your nose and watch your step! Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is part of a very small group of pl ants capable of thermogenesis\, the ability to metabolically generate heat . In late winter and early spring the interior of a skunk cabbage can be u p to twenty degrees warmer than ambient temperatures\, helping to melt the surrounding snow and emit a truly pungent smell\, fitting of its name. Th e combination of heat and odor attracts and supports all manner of early s eason pollinators. Skunk cabbage falls into the botanical family Araceae\, characterized in part by a spadix and spathe. The spadix is most similar to a stem covered in tiny flowers while the spathe is a modified leaf that surrounds the spadix. An easily recognized example of this is the inflore scence (flowering parts) of a household peace lily\, also in the family Ar aceae. Other notable family members include monstera and philodendron! Ano ther Araceae member happily calls the Nature Center home and is quite fasc inating to see in person. Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) can be found throughout the property in deep\, moist woodland shade. This small\, unique plant gets its name from the arrangement of the spadix and spathe\ , resembling a preacher inside a pulpit. If you stumble upon this plant\, it is best to look but not touch due to significant amounts of calcium oxa late crystals throughout the plant. Do\, however\, count the number of lea ves! This long-lived plant stores energy underground and decides\, based o n available energy\, whether to emerge that year as a male or female plant . A single leaf usually indicates a male plant since it takes less energy to produce pollen than fruit. Two leaves (or the presence of fruit) indica te a female plant. Typically\, Jack-in-the-pulpit will revert to a male pl ant the year after fruiting to recoup energy and start again. These plants may not always demand our attention\, but they are an important part of w hat makes Indian Creek Nature Center such a rich and diverse place to expl ore. The next time you walk the trails\, slow down\, become an observer an d take time to notice the small\, often overlooked plants around you. You may be surprised by how much life is growing right at your feet! LAST-MODIFIED:20260908T181946Z URL:https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org/event/nature-center-book-club-9/?u tm_source=caldiscovery&utm_medium=ics&utm_campaign=cedar-rapids-ia X-SOURCE-NAME:Indian Creek Nature Center X-SOURCE-URL:https://indiancreeknaturecenter.org END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR