Salvatore Marici and Davenport Public Library invite you to a bold and rising celebration of place, elements, smells, taste, a transformation of mundane into magic. Join us Monday, February 1st at 6:30 pm and board into an evening of intermingling fantasy, nightmares, science, good times, and the realities of our journeys through enhanced senses as Sal performs poems from his collections of three books along with newer works in his upcoming 2021 collection. This program will be held virtually using GoToMeeting. Information about how to join is listed below. Local Author: Salvatore Marici Mon,... Read More

Flowing Water, Falling Flowers by Xixuan Collins, a new tome from Midwest Writing Center Press + Xixuan Collins, will be released during a livestream from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight on Zoom and Facebook Live. The event is free. Local book fans are invited to join MWC  for the release of Xixuan Collins’s debut novel, Falling Water, Falling Flowers. The event will include a reading from the book, conversation between Collins and author Misty Urban, Q+A, and giveaways. Email sarah.elgatian@mwcqc.org to RSVP to the Zoom event! Xixuan was born in Hechuan, Sichuan Province, China, grew up in Kangding, on... Read More

A native of China, Xixuan Collins has lived in Iowa since 1997, but has only written in English since 2015. Her debut novel, “Flowing Water, Falling Flowers” from the Rock Island-based Midwest Writing Center Press, will be released in October. “I’m still not sure I actually have the confidence even now as a writer,” Collins, 52, said recently. “But I have taken a lot of workshops through MWC and have learned a lot about the craft of writing fiction. Through MWC, I also met some amazing writers and writing instructors, and their encouragement and affirmation have helped me greatly. “I... Read More

Relatively few Quad-Cities artists and arts organizations have received Covid-19 relief funding from Iowa or Illinois, and both states are proceeding in their next round of grant awards. Illinois Humanities recently gave out 24 emergency relief grants (of $2,500 each) – including the Rock Island-based Midwest Writing Center and Bishop Hill Heritage Association. These general operating (non-project) grants aim to help smaller humanities organizations throughout Illinois to weather the current pandemic. “Especially in this moment of duress, Illinois Humanities is proud to support not-for-profit... Read More

The Midwest Writing Center will host Young Writers Studio for young writers in the Quad Cities at their offices on the ground floor of the Rock Island Public Library Downtown branch on the third Thursday of each month in 2020. Dates are Feb. 20, March 19, April 16, May 21, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. The Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Studio is a new casual writing workshop/critique group for young writers in and around the Quad City area. The YEW Studio is an extension of MWC’s successful Young Emerging Writers Summer Internship Program, which is currently accepting applications for the summer of 2020. All... Read More

Valentine’s Day is this week, and we at QuadCities.com are giving you our own gift from the heart with the most and best positive news about the Quad-Cities! So, in partnership with our friends at KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live,” every month we give you What’s The Good News? A column here on our site written by yours truly, and an on-air segment presented again by your truly on Paula’s show every month. It showcases some of the great things going on in our community, including some great opportunities for young writers in the Quad-Cities! So, what’s the good news for February 2020?... Read More

It’s a new year and a new decade, and everyone is making resolutions for a more positive life, and we at QuadCities.com are sticking to our resolution to give you the most and best positive news about the Quad-Cities! So, in partnership with our friends at KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live,” every month we give you What’s The Good News? A column here on our site written by yours truly, and an on-air segment presented again by your truly on Paula’s show every month. It showcases some of the great things going on in our community, including some great opportunities for young writers in the... Read More

What: Young Emerging Writers Studio When: Third Thursdays of each month (Jan. 16, Feb. 20, March 19, April 16, May 21), 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Where: Midwest Writing Center (ground floor of RIPL, 401 19th St. Rock Island, IL 61201) The Midwest Writing Center will host Young Writers Studio for young writers in the Quad Cities at their offices on the ground floor of the Rock Island Public Library Downtown branch on the third Thursday of each month in 2020, beginning January 16, 2020. The Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Studio is a new casual writing workshop/critique group for young writers in and around... Read More

It’s almost the end of the year, and it’s time for everyone to flashback on the past 300-plus days, and we at QuadCities.com are right there with you. We’re taking a glance in the rearview at the past 365 to run down the top 30 stories of the year for our site! Of course, since we cover entertainment, sports, and features, that’s all we’ve got going on here. For stories on the flood, politics, crime and such, please feel free to check out our news media partners at KWQC-TV6. For the criteria on how we picked the stories, check out my column on the countdown. As always, it’s interesting... Read More

The Young Emerging Writers (YEW) Summer Internship Program will host a two-part launch party for the latest issue of the Program’s literary magazine THE ATLAS on Thursday, August 15th in downtown Rock Island. The event will start at 5:00 p.m. with a Family and Friends Reception at the Rock Island Public Library Community Room. The interns will give a brief reading of their work, and the Tim Curry Outstanding Intern award will be presented to one of the interns. Then, at 8:00 p.m. the party will move down the street to Rozz-Tox, where the interns will read different selections from the magazine,... Read More