Wordplay

Kaitlyn Greenridge’s beautiful historical novel, Libertie, opens with magic. The protagonist and title character, Libertie, witnesses her mama pry open a cabin, feed the man therein thirty magical seeds, and then whack him until he sputters back to consciousness.

Our community in the Twin Cities has been engaged for nearly a year in the uprising that followed the murder of George Floyd—an uprising that keeps rising in wave after wave. In a moment of transformation like this, good books, true books, often become guides and illuminators.

See some new faces in the Wordplay 2021 lineup? This year’s festival features several debut and up-and-coming authors who we’re so excited to share with you. To guide you as you explore these less-familiar faces, we’ve connected each new author with several books in similar styles.

We're in the final stretch of Wordplay, but never fear—all of our webinars are recorded and ready to be consumed at your convenience. So sit back, order up a complimentary treat, and enjoy these groupings of Wordplay events.

These artists truly embody what it means to be a young person growing up in 2020. Wordplay is for everyone, and these authors and their books are not just for young adult readers. These books explore themes of gender, sexuality, race, immigration, and other topics that are universal and powerful.

An accompaniment to her reading, this post pulls out popular listener questions—Can you talk about the process and the experience of researching for this collection? Do you collaborate across media as an artist? What does collaboration bring to your work?—and Lara's responses to them.

Wordplay author Hilary Leichter brings us super-short stories based on author work-from-home views! Hilary's debut novel, TEMPORARY, follows a young woman's quest for permanence through a series of bizarre temp jobs.

Works of fiction often reflect parts of ourselves and show the emotions that we thought no one else felt or even knew about. It offers us the opportunity to escape into daring adventures, to gain perspective and grow, to feel giddy when the lovers finally meet, or, simply, to laugh and cry.

With Virtual Wordplay 2020 quickly approaching, I bet you’re itching to get a closer look into all the amazing authors and their works coming to your screens in a matter of weeks! Therefore, I have brought to you a breakdown of all the beautiful and intriguing fiction works coming to Wordplay 2020! 

With Virtual Wordplay 2020 quickly approaching, I bet you’re itching to get a closer look into all the amazing authors and their works coming to your screens in a matter of weeks. Therefore, I have brought to you a breakdown of all the beautiful and intriguing fiction works coming to Wordplay 2020! 

Wondering what your kids might be interested in from this year’s Wordplay lineup? Not sure what books your elementary student and middle schooler might both find interesting? Need some new picture book suggestions with gorgeous illustrations? Look no further!

Poetry is not just a niche genre, and we’re bringing in some big names in the poetry scene to our virtual Wordplay this year. These guys are masters of the craft, so be sure to read their books, attend their online sessions, and become big fans!