Queens College GSLIS Research in Praxis Discussion Series

When: Mar 17, 2026 05:30 PM  in  Eastern Time (US and Canada), on Zoom

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Title: Mapping the Imaginary: Supporting Creative Writers through Programming, Prompts, and Research

Drawing on Mapping the Imaginary: Supporting Creative Writers through Programming, Prompts, and Research, this talk frames creative writing as a collective form of making in libraries, aligned with the Makerspace movement’s emphasis on learning through shared production. The session positions poems, stories, essays, and hybrid texts as outcomes of hands-on engagement with collections, databases, and reference tools. Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s claim that “the library is the real school,” the talk draws on Bateman’s experience as a trained librarian, graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and a teacher of writing workshops to show how facilitated group programming can transform collections into prompts, constraints, and sources of discovery through facilitative pedagogy. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for designing creative writing programs that deepen relationships between writers, collections, and library communities.

Micah Bateman is an assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He is co-author of Mapping the Imaginary: Supporting Creative Writers through Programming, Prompts, and Research, a practical guide to creative writing programming in libraries.

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