Drue Denmon was a student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Young Writers Institute when she met and worked with professor Tameka Cage Conley. Conley, a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, detailed their first encounter at the Writers of Color Reading Series on April 8.

Conley said to the crowd of the event that she still remembers Denmon and her work. Pulling her aside after class all those years ago, Conley told Denmon words that still resonate today.

“Whatever it is you think you might want to do, become a writer. You could do that for the rest of your life,” Conley said to Denmon.

Denmon is now a student at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and does work in Iowa City to help amplify writers of color in the community. Through Mission Creek’s literature events, Denmon and other organizers hosted an event with the festival’s Writers of Color Reading Series. 

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The event invited undergraduate and graduate students of color from the University of Iowa and Iowa City community to read their work. Conley was invited as a special guest, and closed the day by reading an excerpt from her work titled You, Your Father.

The interconnectedness of the writing community within Iowa City was made clear when Conley took to the microphone before she began reading. She spoke to friends, she spoke to colleagues, she spoke to former students — she called out to people in the audience that she knew, thanking them for their part in supporting Iowa City’s writing community.

Andre Perry, who was recently named director of Hancher Auditorium, gave introductory comments at the Writers of Color Reading Series, and presented Conley to the audience. In his prewritten introduction, Perry spoke of Iowa City as a home for writers of all disciplines, thanking both Conley and all of the writers in the community. 

“Tameka, this is a home. You have many homes, I know, but Iowa City — we are family. We are your people, which is funny, because a lot of us aren’t from here, but we made it here. We made something together,” Perry said. “That’s the beauty of Iowa City, granting us the freedom to make our community like so few other places.” 

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The Writers of Color Reading Series has hosted events since 2015 with Perry and Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate T. Geronimo Johnson. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the series was transformed into a podcast presented by the Englert Theatre. 

The most recent Writers of Color Reading Series was organized by Denmon at Prairie Lights. The event brought together readers to share their work with the community. Seven writers read from their work, including a variety of disciplines, with prose, sonnets, and classic poetry. 

Bookshelves surrounded the seating area as people filtered into the space. The crowd filled the second floor of the bookstore, with employees bringing out additional chairs for the high demand of guests. After each reader completed their work, the audience consistently broke into loud applause, supporting those who shared their art. 

As an introductory statement, Denmon commented on the aspect of community as well. Living in a UNESCO City of Literature, it is not surprising that Iowa City has become home for so many talented writers. Denmon said that she was happy to call Iowa City her home, where she and her peers can grow.

“I feel so lucky to live in a city like this where there are so many incredible writers and a community that appreciates and celebrates storytelling across so many forms,” Denmon said. “It’s been such an important home for my writing and I feel so lucky to find this community of writers of color who nurture, challenge, and inspire my work and others’ work every single day.”