The University of Iowa’s International Writing Program has been an impactful staple on campus since it was founded in 1967 by Hualing Nieh Engle and her husband Paul Engle.

Since the beginning, the program has connected over 1,600 people from more than 160 countries. The International Writing Program promotes mutual understanding by providing writers the space to be able to create work and collaborate in an intercultural setting.

According to the International Writing Program, the main aspect of the program is the residency program, which spans over 11 weeks and includes 30-35 writers and literary professionals from all over the world. During their time in the residency program, participants are given the time and space to write. Participants complete projects and begin new ones while creating relationships with colleagues and faculty.

As the program continues to thrive almost 60 years later, its legacy and success continues to live on even after Hualing Nieh Engle’s peaceful passing on Oct. 21 at her home in Iowa City.

According to a document provided by Alumni Records Coordinator Nataša Ďurovičová at the International Writing Program, Hualing Nieh Engle was born in 1925 in Hubei, China.

Hualing Nieh Engle and her family later relocated to Taiwan, where she supported her family as an English teacher and taught creative writing courses at Taiwan National University.

Hualing Nieh Engle also joined the Free China Fortnightly, which was a liberal intellectual magazine. At the magazine, she became an editor and eventually the editorial board’s youngest and only female member.

Then, in 1963, Hualing Nieh Engle met Paul Engle, who at the time was the director of UI’s Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a graduate-level program that offers Master of Fine Arts degrees and focuses on intensive workshops and mentorship, while the International Writing Program is a residency program aimed at cultural exchange and global literary collaboration.

Paul Engle then invited Hualing Nieh Engle to attend the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree and began discussing the idea of the International Writing Program with Paul Engle.

Hualing Nieh Engle spent the next four decades of her American career as a fiction writer, translator, editor, researcher, teacher, and arts administrator. She wrote several pieces of work, such as “Mulberry and Peach,” “Black, Black, the Most Beautiful Color,” “Images of Three Lives,” and others.

For her work, Hualing Nieh Engle received several awards, such as the American Book Award in 1990 and the International Impact Award in 2018, according to the UI. She also received several honorary doctorates, a Governor’s Arts Award for distinguished service to the arts, and a medal of merit from Poland’s Ministry of Culture. In 2008, Hualing Nieh Engle was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.

Director Christopher Merrill of the International Writing Program since 2000 said Hualing Nieh Engle was the heart and soul of the program and a vibrant presence.

“I was always learning from her and getting a larger perspective on the world,” Merill said. “She introduced me to China and just so many fabulous Chinese writers, all of whom revered her, and I felt in her presence, that I was with one of the real geniuses of the age.”

Merill said that each participant who attended — and will attend — the International Writing Program will know that Hualing Nieh Engle was one of those rare individuals who had invented something new that has thrived and endured.

RELATED: UI’s International Writing Program celebrates 55th anniversary with new exhibit at Main Library

Mike Finn, a native of Ireland and a former participant in the International Writing Program, shared fond memories of his time at the UI and his interactions with Hualing Nieh Engle.

“[The International Writing Program] was absolutely terrific. I really enjoyed it, and it was so fruitful,” Finn said. “I learned so much, taking part in various discussions, listening to other people do their readings, taking part in panel discussions, and going on field trips.”

In addition, Finn discussed the importance of the program as it adds to cultural diplomacy in the current global context, while also emphasizing the need for greater understanding between peoples and countries.

He credited the program’s success to Hualing Nieh Engle, as her work and passion for the program inspired everyone.

“[Hualing Nieh Engle] hosted a number of events in her beautiful house, and she was utterly charming,” Finn said. “We were aware of how important she had been for the whole program…She was kind of the grand old lady of the program…We could sense how well she was regarded by everybody in the university, in the city, in the entire state.”

Finn hopes that those participating in the program will gain experiences that will influence their work and promote greater worldwide understanding.

Ďurovičová spoke more about how the program came to be and how Hualing Nieh Engle will be remembered.

“By the time Hualing showed up in Iowa City, there was already a solid ground laid for an international program, or an international cohort,” Ďurovičová said. “Then the program arose out of their kind of joint effort in 1967, and it’s been going on ever since.”

The Engles co-directed the International Writing Program for decades, with Hualing Nieh Engle playing a central role in establishing its reputation, especially in the Chinese-speaking world, Ďurovičová said.

After Paul Engle’s death, Hualing Nieh Engle remained involved with the program, helping to prevent it from being shut down and continuing to advise on programming.

According to Ďurovičová, the International Writing Program has evolved over the years, as it expands its digital and cultural diplomacy initiatives while maintaining the core residency program.

Ďurovičová said Hualing Nieh Engle’s legacy will continue to live on through her literary work, her memoir, and the continued impact of the program, which she helped shape over her decades of involvement.

People from around the world will continue to share their memories and interactions with Hualing Nieh Engle — keeping her work and legacy alive.

In the future, the UI and the International Writing Program will continue to honor Hualing Nieh Engle as well through exhibits and memoirs.

“We hope to be able to continue this Chinese aspect, but of course, she was the kind of fulcrum, and so we’ll have to kind of think about new ways in which that can be continued, even within her absence,” Ďurovičová said.