Phillip Lopate, the University of Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program’s first visiting writer of the academic year, will read from his work at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, in Room 101 of Biology Building East on the UI campus. The reading is one of several events scheduled around Lopate’s visit; all are free and open to the public.

UI sociologist Michael Sauder participates in a discussion about the history of higher education, including controversies surrounding college rankings at the turn of the 20th century.

Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate Michelle Herman will read from her book "Stories We Tell Ourselves" at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

Get a sneak preview into a powerful new imaging device to arrive at the University of Iowa this fall. Speakers at a symposium on Thursday, Sept. 12 will describe the 7 Tesla's research capabilities and uses. The UI will be one of only about 20 research institutes with the instrument.

The UI’s Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) and the City of Muscatine are launching a partnership focusing on key projects for the city’s long-term sustainability. Students in art, business, engineering, public health, rhetoric, and urban planning will work under the direction of UI faculty and Muscatine leaders.

Sydney Johnson, a Des Moines native, was determined to study abroad while at the UI. She chose a small Italian town off the beaten path to hone her language skills.

Liz Lerman, founding artistic director of the Dance Exchange and recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Grant,” will be in Iowa City as part of the Ida Cordelia Beam Visiting Professorships Program in September.

University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumnus John Falsey will offer a free presentation, “Basics of Screenwriting for Fiction Writers and Poets,” at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the Frank Conroy Reading Room of the Glenn Schaeffer Library, adjacent to the Dey House.

International Writing Program participant Craig Cliff shares his first impressions of Iowa with his readers back home in New Zealand.

University of Iowa alumnus Ryan Bartelmay will read from his novel, "Onward Toward What We’re Going Toward," at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the UI Writing University website.

Two-time Emmy Award-winner Marcos Villatoro will present a free reading at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, in the Frank Conroy Reading Room of the Glenn Schaeffer Library, adjacent to the Dey House.

The University of Iowa School of Music will present a performance by Kenneth Grant, professor of clarinet at the Eastman School of Music, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, in the University Capitol Centre Recital Hall in downtown Iowa City. The performance is a free, public event that is part of the Iowa Clarinet Festival held on the UI campus.