Literary Cedar Falls
Discover local literary connections and build a getaway made for readers.
Browse independent bookstores, sip coffee surrounded by books, discover local literary connections and build a getaway made for readers.
Books have a way of changing how you see a place. In Cedar Falls, a literary day might lead from an independent bookstore to a quiet coffee shop, through the University of Northern Iowa campus, or into a local story you didn't know before you arrived.
Browse, read, linger, and follow the chapters that interest you.
Coffee, Books & a Good Place to Sit
A good reading spot needs very little: a comfortable chair, something to drink and permission to stay awhile. Cedar Falls has coffee shops and cozy corners where slowing down feels entirely appropriate. Bring the book you packed for the trip, or better yet, read the one you just bought.
Build a Literary Day
Start with shelves worth browsing, add coffee and something good to eat, then leave a little room in the day for an unexpected find. Cedar Falls is compact enough to combine bookstores, downtown stops, campus and other local favorites without spending your day getting from one place to the next.
Stories with Cedar Falls Connections
The literary side of Cedar Falls goes beyond bookstore shelves. Writers, educators, students and storytellers have been part of the community for generations, with the University of Northern Iowa adding its own connections to writing, literature and the arts.
Look a little closer and you’ll find stories rooted here—from poet James Hearst and novelist Bess Streeter Aldrich to Ruth Suckow, Nancy Price, and Robert James Waller—along with collections that preserve pieces of Iowa’s literary past.
