The Iowa City United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) City of Literature received a grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation (WCRF) to help fund its One Book, Two Book festival, which is expanding to Washington County next year.

The One Book, Two Book festival is a writing festival for children in grades 1-8. Students submit one page of writing, completed during the same school year of the festival. Submissions can be of any kind from short stories to song lyrics to graphic novels. Two students in each grade receive awards and are invited to read their winning submissions at the festival.

Previously, only students in Lynn and Johnson Counties were eligible, but Executive Director John Kenyon says that next year’s festival will expand eligibility to students in Washington County as well.

The grant was awarded for $1000. The festival is held in February each year and costs between $4000 and $5000 annually according to Kenyon.