The roots of the UICB lie in the work of three outstanding creators: the scholar-artist Kay Amert, the gently meticulous William Anthony, and the visionary leader Kim Merker. Building from the unique arts-and-humanities emphases of the University of Iowa, these maker-thinkers synthesized creative writing, cultural history, and studio practice. In 1986, the Center for the Book was officially born. Programming, courses, and apprenticeships led naturally to a Graduate Certificate credential beginning in 1995. Top-flight faculty, grant success, and wide-ranging creativity gave the program the ballast for an MFA degree beginning in 2009. All the while, the overlap and integration with humanists, librarians, designers, and conservators has kept the program lively and alert.
 
This issue of the Center's newsletter honors the extraordinary leadership of Kay, Bill, and Kim. We stand on the shoulders of giants! They live on, we hope, in the UICB today. The Center has been given a wonderful opportunity—UICB 2021—to keep that spirit going. The Windgate Charitable Foundation presented us with a challenge: if you raise 2.5 million dollars in the next twenty months, they said, then we will match that amount with a gift of 2.5 million dollars. You have to do it by December 31, 2021, they also said. We are humbled and stoked by the belief of the WCF and their remarkable gift.

Deadlines sharpen the mind! And they have spurred your incredible thoughtfulness. Through your generosity, we have raised 2.3 million dollars. We cannot thank you enough! And we are very grateful for recent donations that have pushed us closer to our goal. But we still are seeking around $200,000 to hit the match and we have less than two months. Can you help us? Please consider a gift. You can donate here and you can learn more about UICB 2021 here. Thank you!