Around the Loft

Twenty years ago, Bao Phi—poet, author, and genius behind our events and awards—waltzed into the Loft Literary Center, a whirlwind of change for the better following close behind. As a staple of our community as well as our organization, Bao possesses experience and expertise we can all learn from.

Novel Writing Month is right around the corner! To help prep, we've compiled a Loft roundup of every offering that just may get your fingers in gear to hit those daily word count goals.

It was just two hours. Yet, since class, I feel a quiet confidence. I’m more protective of my time. In fact, that’s what led to the grumpy robot doodle. Throughout Wordplay I noticed authors talking about the time they needed to create their works, the quiet.

It’s an exciting time for Midwestern bibliophiles. The complete list of authors for The Loft Literary Center Wordplay festival— Minnesota's largest celebration of readers, writers, and great books—has been announced and the lineup is being called, “the Coachella of Book festivals.”

It’s the season for making resolutions. As we remember last year, 2019 is waiting, poised to usher in all things new and refreshed.

Not only is Wordplay a great place to find beloved literary legends (here’s to you Stephen King), but it’s the perfect place to discover new authors and the fresh talent that will be dazzling your shelves and awards lists for years to come.

Lacy M. Johnson’s "The Reckonings" is one of the most necessary and powerful essay collections to come out this year. Each essay grapples with an injustice: from sexual assault to the death penalty to white supremacy to environmental disaster.

There is a lot that goes into building a first-ever festival like Wordplay. Founding Wordplay Director Steph Opitz explains her excitement and thinking in this blog post.

As the holiday season gets closer and the bitter winds of winter filter into each breath, I am grateful to experience a sense of clarity in the process of letting go, that this time of year often brings.

I cannot remember the first poem I wrote, but I do remember the first time literature discovered me in my adolescence longing, and how spiritual of an experience it was, to feel as though I had been found.