ICSF Conference

SATURDAY, 9/6 12:00-1:00 PM — Kicking off the ICSF Conference is a conversation with festival headliner Joy Oladokun. Joy’s music spans many genres from folk to r&b to pop and centers around social and political issues from her perspective as a queer person of color. Her poignant, sharp lyricism combined with a radio-friendly sound has helped her establish herself as one of the leading voices in a wave of young, socially-conscious pop songwriters, and has earned her collaborations with some of the biggest names in the business including Chris Stapleton, Noah Kahan, and Maren Morris. Come hear Joy dive into the art of creating catchy, accessible music with a radical, defiant voice.

This conversation will be moderated by Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey. Caleb is an author, performer, and event producer. He hails from Columbia, Missouri, and holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Iowa. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, became Amazon’s #1 new release in African American poetry, and was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize. His second book, Heart Notes was published in 2019 and was featured on Iowa Public Radio. Caleb was the reciepent of the 2024 Iowa Author Award for Poetry. He also co-founded the literary magazine Black Art; Real Stories, was published in Iowa’s Best Emerging Poets – 2019, the Little Village Magazine, and wrote a monthly column for The Real Mainstream. He released two spoken word albums, a studio version of Look, Black Boy, and a performance album titled, Heart Notes Live!And for three years in a row he was named Best Poet/Spoken Word Performer in Cedar Rapids & Iowa City.

SATURDAY, 9/6 1:00-2:00 PM — Three writers coming from three different places: Ken Pomeroy, a powerful voice hailing from an Oklahoma music scene bursting with raw, honest talent, She Returns From War, an Americana outsider from the swamps of Charleston, SC now making her own path through the well-worn tracks of Nashville, and Willy Tea Taylor, a veteran journeyman and native of the Stanislaus River in California who leaves a wake of stories and tears on the road. In this discussion these writers will explore their differences and commonalities in their approaches to the craft.

This conversation will be moderated by Alayna Becker. Alayna is a Portland-based writer and editor whose work appears in The Harvard Advocate, Autostraddle, Pacifica Review, and the Shout Your Abortion anthology (PM Press). She serves as managing editor of Moss Lit, championing emerging and established voices from the Pacific Northwest.

SATURDAY, 9/6 2:00-3:00 PM — Songwriter, poet, and painter Courtney Marie Andrews is spending the entire week of ICSF in Iowa City engaging in a workshop, a poetry reading, engagements with our scholars, and two intimate performances. In this conversation with Englert Nonfiction Fellow Lauren Childs, learn how this multi-disciplinary artist uses inspiration across mediums, how those different forms influence each other, and what these two artists have learned after diving into the Iowa City community.

This conversation will be moderated by The Englert’s 2025 Nonfiction Fellow, Lauren Childs. Lauren is a second-year MFA candidate in the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program. Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, she developed a keen curiosity in intuition and the natural world at a young age and started journaling before she could spell. Her years of training in sense memory and acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City continue to inform and shape her writing and teaching. She is The Englert’s 2025 Nonfiction Writing Fellow and a member of the Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles. Her essays have been published in Entropy Magazine, Litro Magazine, Bamboo Ridge: Journal of Hawaiʻi Literature and Arts and elsewhere.

Presented by Little Village Magazine

SATURDAY, 9/6 3:00-4:00 PM — Iowa City has long been lauded for its writing community, anchored in the University of Iowa’s Writers Workshop and being named the first UNESCO City of Literature in the United States. However, somewhat beneath the surface, Iowa City has been a hub for songwriting as well. In this discussion, Iowa City songwriters from multiple generations will detail what about Iowa City makes it great for writing, what areas can still improve, and what life is like as a songwriter in the City of Literature. Panelists include Dave Moore, James Tutson, Deb Talan, and Elly Hofmaier.

This conversation is moderated by Jordan Sellergren. Jordan is an Iowa City-based singer-songwriter whose warm, soulful folk sound blends sharp lyrical storytelling with rich, expressive vocals. Performing both solo and with her band, she has released multiple albums of original music, including Sweet, Bitter Tears and From the Land. In addition to her music, Jordan is a visual artist and the owner and publisher of Little Village magazine.

SATURDAY, 9/6 4:00-5:00 PM — One of the most beloved American songwriters of the past 50 years and patriarch of the lauded Wainwright family, Loudon Wainwright III joins Studio One’s Tony Dehner to discuss his incredible career, spanning 30 albums. Come learn about how Loudon has made a career out of incisive wit and an intuitive understanding of what makes life in America beautiful, absurd, and heartbreaking.

This conversation is moderated by Tony Dehner. Tony is Senior Music Producer at Iowa Public Radio’s Studio One, where he has spent over 20 years curating AAA music and championing Iowa’s local music scene. Known for his artist interviews and “Artist of the Month” features, he was awarded PMJA’s 2024 Visual Storytelling award for All Access: IPR’s Music Magazine.