The Free Generative Writing Workshop is Iowa City's only monthly writing workshop that brings together adult writers of all levels to have their imaginations sparked by our area's most talented writers and teachers, at absolutely no cost. The goal is to create a supportive environment where participants can generate new writing and meet others interested in the same. Each month a different talented writer-teacher from our area will invite us to write from an original prompt—and then compose along beside us as we explore where that prompt leads. After writing, we'll have the option to share what we've created and receive feedback.

This month's leader: Stephen Lovely

Stephen Lovely was born in Dallas, Texas and spent most of his childhood in Ohio. He attended Kenyon College, where he majored in English, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he studied with Deborah Eisenberg, Margot Livesey, Ethan Canin, and Frank Conroy. His first novel, Irreplaceable, was published by Hyperion/Voice in 2009 and translated into German, Dutch, and Chinese. Irreplaceable received the Dana Award for the Novel and a James Michener-Copernicus Society of America Award. Since 2005 Stephen has been the director of the Iowa Young Writers' Studio, a summer, residential creative writing program for high school students at The University of Iowa. He currently lives in Iowa City with his wife and dog and cats. He is working on a second novel. It is taking longer than he expected.