Rebalancing Health Care in the Heartland, the sixth in an ongoing series of forums designed to support Iowa policymakers in their efforts to improve health care for Iowans, takes place Tuesday, Oct. 15 in Des Moines and will focus on public-private sector strategies and the impact of the Affordable Care Act on business.

Former Iowa Writers’ Workshop faculty Margot Livesey will present a free reading at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the Frank Conroy Reading Room of the Glenn Schaeffer Library, adjacent to the Dey House.

Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduates Robert Fernandez and Mary Hickman will read from their poetry at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, 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.

John Freeman will be in conversation with Marilynne Robinson to talk about his new book, "How to Read a Novelist," at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The discussion also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

New Vice President for Strategic Communication Joe Brennan places a priority on telling the institutional story clearly and proactively, to help people outside the UI campus "understand better who we are and what makes this place wonderful." And he's a cycling enthusiast—and that might be putting it mildly.

Political philosopher Larry May will give a series of lectures on the University of Iowa campus Oct. 16-18 as an Ida Cornelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor.

The UI will host the American Conference for Irish Studies Thursday Oct. 10 through Saturday Oct. 12 at the Iowa Memorial Union. The conference draws upon Irish literature and its scholars to explore themes such as psychology and mental health, women, masculinity, and child labor.

Scientists from the University of Iowa and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have discovered—by studying the genetics of two families severely affected by eating disorders—two gene mutations, one in each family, that are associated with increased risk of developing eating disorders.

Phuong Nguyen-Hoang, assistant professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, examined the impact of school district income tax on property tax revenue in the State of Ohio. The data show that increases in school district income tax are not associated with proportionate decreases in property taxes.

A conference examining racial injustice in Iowa’s legal system titled "Racial Justice and Disproportionate Minority Incarceration" will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Lindquist Center on campus thanks to a partnership between community groups and the University of Iowa.

Kelcey Parker will read from "Liliane’s Balcony," a novella set at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 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.

In the case of James Clancy, the path to enshrinement in the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame began in ninth grade, when he was invited to play keyboard with a garage band called Webster’s Unabridged. The professor of prosthodontics in the UI College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics reflects on the honor.