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book cover Welcome to the website for We Wanted to be Writers, a blend of interviews, commentary, advice, gossip, anecdotes, analyses, history, and asides with nearly 30 graduates and teachers who were at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in the mid-70s. They include John Irving, Jane Smiley, T.C. Boyle, Allan Gurganus, Sandra Cisneros, Jayne Anne Phillips, Michelle Huneven, Joe Haldeman, Jennie Fields, Marvin Bell, and many others. Here we will continue conversations begun in the book with regular blog posts, a word from the eds, and more. We Wanted to be Writers is full of insights and inspiration for readers, teachers, and anyone who ever “wanted to be a writer.” (Buy the book.)

WW2BW Blog (see all blog posts >>)

  • Books by Kyle Minor's Bed 05/17/2013: Kyle Minor is the author of two collections of short fiction: In the Devil's Territory (2008) and Praying Drunk (20...
  • A Poem in Homage 05/16/2013:                                                                            Poem for Mom By Priscilla Galligan P...
  • Virginia Woolf as Mother 05/14/2013: Portrait of the Artist as a Mother By Geri Lipschultz We Wanted to Be Writers’ call for favorite literary moms st...
  • Books by Don Wallace's Mom's Bed 05/10/2013: Don Wallace is a former classmate from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a regular contributor to this blog. &n...
  • From Ross Howell for Mother's Day 05/09/2013: Wash Day  By Ross Howell Ross followed a career in academic fundraising, public relations, book publishing, and m...
  • Excerpt from Kurt Sipolski's Novella 05/08/2013: Kurt Sipolski began writing as a reporter in Sydney, Australia. His work has appeared in The Desert Sun, Palm Sprin...
  • Moms in Lit 05/07/2013: Responding to our invitation to include noteworthy mothers in literature in our May Mom Project, Gary Iorio rec...
  • Book Giveaway 05/06/2013: The Mom Project In honor of the inimitable place they occupy, we're putting mothers front and center all month. ...
  • Our May Newsletter Is Out! 05/01/2013: Mother's Day is just around the corner, and we have a sure-to-be-loved gift suggestion: the monthly We Wanted to Be...
  • Oregon Ho! 04/30/2013: We're coming to you, Eugene. Eric Olsen will present “Pumping Irony: Pros on Prose (and Running)” at the Willamette...