UI Press celebrates an award-winning 2025

A cream and tan limestone Colonial Revival house sits along Riverside Drive, just west of Hancher Auditorium. Built about 1840, the Kuhl House is one of the oldest surviving structures in Iowa City - a local landmark representing the transition from frontier town to a growing cultural center.

It's also the home of University of Iowa Press, which has evolved from fledgling book publisher in 1969 to a respected publishing house known throughout the region and globally.

Although quiet and unassuming, UI Press is becoming harder to overlook. For years, a small sign in its office joked, "UI Press. We're not a dry cleaner. We're not the university newspaper." Today, the press' visibility is much broader and growing, bolstered by their slate of notable book awards in 2025.

"The recognition they're getting nationally and internationally is a testament to the incredible work the folks at UI Press do in support of advancing literature and scholarly work in a truly impressive way," says Daniel Khalastchi, executive director of the UI's new Office of Writing and Communication.

UI Press consistently wins national and international awards for publishing books by experts in their fields, but last year, fiction shined especially bright. Three titles were longlisted for the PEN America Awards:

• Marguerite Sheffer's The Man in the Banana Trees
• Cally Fiedorek's Atta Boy
• Amy Frykholm's High Hawk

Jessica Laser's poetry collection, The Goner School, was longlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize, an award founded in part by author Margaret Atwood.

And one of the year's biggest accolades went to Darrell Kinsey's Natch, which won the prestigious Center for Fiction First Novel Prize - competing against titles from major commercial houses, including three of the Big Five: Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Hatchette Book Group.

Competing with the Big Five

Together, the Big Five publish about 60,000 books a year and have massive distribution and marketing power. In contrast, UI Press releases 30 books a year with a staff of just seven.

"I like to think of us as more of an artisan press. It's not a lot of books, so we are very selective," says Jim McCoy, director of UI Press. "It allows us to put our full effort into each book."

UI Press, which reports to the Graduate College, mainly aligns its publishing program with the strengths of the university - producing scholarly and creative works by UI and regional authors. But they regularly attract national and international authors - which this year includes writers from Denmark, Hong Kong, and Australia - and institutions ranging from Ivy League universities to small liberal arts colleges.

"The awards put us on more radars - particularly for New York agents and other agencies that represent fiction writers," McCoy says. "When I approach an author, I can show them what we bring to the table. The proof is in the pudding."

Where great writing begins, and authors return

University presses are known for launching careers of new authors like Kinsey or writers from their institutions. But UI Press is increasingly attracting established writers from large commercial houses. Among them are UI alum Lucas Mann, author of Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances; Holly Goddard Jones, who published her acclaimed Antipodes: Stories with the press; bestselling author Tom Piazza; and Ted Geltner, author of Flagrant, Self-Destructive Gestures: A Biography of Denis Johnson. The biography chronicles the fascinating, chaotic life of Johnson - UI alum, Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, former faculty member, and author of Jesus' Son and Train Dreams.

"Once authors work with us, they really understand that we know what we're doing," says McCoy. "They want the more personalized experience we provide."

Allison Means, associate director and marketing director, agrees. She describes their editorial and production approach as collaborative from start to finish.

Means says supporting authors includes helping them navigate the awards landscape. "We ask authors what their expectations are and which awards matter most to them," she says. "Then we research, find the right fit, and submit."

UI Press - where the next generation of publishers begin

Means is, in many ways, a product of UI Press - she interned there. As a UI student unsure of her next steps, she visited the Pomerantz Career Center and was encouraged to explore publishing. Not quite sure what publishing would entail, she visited the UI Press, struck up a conversation, and was hired as an intern shortly after. Today, she manages the internship program that launched her career.

"I love being able to pay that forward," she says. "Because of our staff size, students get real-world experience."

Interns assist with award research and planning, manuscript review, bibliographies, indexes, and more. By the end of their internships, McCoy says, students are prepared to step into publishing roles well above entry level.

"I get calls from other press directors all the time. People know that we produce good interns - good employees," says McCoy. "They know if I'm going to refer someone, that candidate is more advanced than the typical undergrad."

The importance of a publisher at the 'Writing University'

Khalastchi says UI Press is a key element of Iowa's identity as the "Writing University." Having an onsite publisher with global reach and bona fides elevates the brand.

"At Iowa, we believe in the power of words," Khalastchi says. "UI Press is essential to how we show the world our commitment to writing and communication, and we are grateful for the books they continue to publish."

He added that the press' 2025 achievements prove something important: A small university press can compete with the publishing industry's largest players - and win. It's just another way of saying Iowa is the place to be.