The Anne Frank Initiative will welcome internationally recognized artist and environmental advocate Katie Holten to Iowa City for a conversation about her acclaimed project and book The Language of Trees.

The Language of Trees: A Conversation with Katie Holten 
Date & Time: Thursday, October 1, 2026, 5:30-6:30 p.m. (CDT) 
Location: Senate Chamber, Old Capitol Museum

Blending literature, visual art, and ecological thinking, The Language of Trees invites readers to see trees as storytellers, communicators, and keepers of cultural memory. During the event, Holten will discuss the ideas behind the project and explore how language, nature, and place intersect in Iowa City and beyond.

Holten will be joined by Andy Dahl, urban forestry supervisor and campus arborist at the University of Iowa; Karen Carcía, associate professor of practice at the UI Center for the Book and mixed media editor of Prompt Press; and Kirsten Kumpf Baele, associate professor of instruction in German and director of the Anne Frank Initiative, who will facilitate the conversation.

Following the discussion, Prairie Lights will host a book signing with Holten in the Senate Chamber.

The event is sponsored by the Anne Frank Initiative and co-sponsored by the International Writing Program, Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, Pentacrest Museums, UI Center for the Book, and the Stanley Museum of Art.

For more information, visit the Anne Frank Initiative website.

About the Speaker

Katie Holten is an internationally recognized visual artist and environmental advocate whose work explores the relationships between language, ecology, and human perception. Her book The Language of Trees blends literature, visual art, and environmental thought, introducing a creative “tree alphabet” in which letters are represented by different tree species. Through essays, visual works, and contributions from writers, the project invites readers to reconsider how they read, write, and connect to the natural world while exploring trees as carriers of cultural memory and communication.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Shereena Honary in advance at (319)-335-2010 or shereena-honary@uiowa.edu. 
 

International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement.  IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.