The Loft Literary Center

08/26/2026

🎤✏️ TODAY (8/26) at the Loft at Open Book: https://loft.org/events/lofts-2026-diversifying-writers-mixer-open-mic

4-5:30 PM: Mixer - Come write at Open Book for happy hour or socialize at the cafe downstairs
5:30 PM: Performance Hall doors open
6- 7:30 PM Diversifying Writers Open Mic/Reading

$10 for the public, $5 for Friends of the Loft, or just pay what you can!

Join us as we celebrate our writing community! During this social/writing hour, we encourage current and prospective friends of the Loft to come write with us for the first hour and half at Open Book, expand your network, and join us for the Diversifying Writers Open Mic Reading afterwards. Plus, si...

08/19/2026

✏️ Heid E. Erdrich. Junauda Petrus. Could YOU be the next Poet Laureate of Minneapolis?

📬 Applications are now open for 2027-2028! Bring your poetry into our city through public events, community engagement, teaching, and more. The two-year term includes a $16,000 honorarium. You must reside in Hennepin County to be eligible.

⏰ Deadline: October 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT.

✅ Apply + learn more: https://loftlit.co/mplspoetlaureate

ℹ️ Free info session on Sep 10 at the Loft: https://loft.org/index%2ephp/events/info-session-minneapolis-poet-laureate-2027-2028-application

08/19/2026

TONIGHT at the Loft at Open Book!

Celebrate some of the Loft's most vibrant new voices. Join us to discover fresh perspectives, hear compelling live excerpts, and connect in conversation. We'll be joined by MPR's Emily Bright, and award-winning writers Anika Fajardo and Ty Chapman. Following the readings, stay for a casual reception...

08/18/2026

🎟️ There’s been a change of plans…unfortunately, Alexandra Sifferlin will no longer be able to join us for this event tomorrow night at the Loft at Open Book. But the show must go on! Please still come to support the other three authors: Ty Chapman, Anika Fajardo, and Emily Bright. Tickets are $5 or pay-as-you-can. Click the link to register and learn more about their books!

Celebrate some of the Loft's most vibrant new voices. Join us to discover fresh perspectives, hear compelling live excerpts, and connect in conversation. We'll be joined by MPR's Emily Bright, and award-winning writers Anika Fajardo and Ty Chapman. Following the readings, stay for a casual reception...

08/06/2026

Great opportunity for young writers!

https://mnhumanitiescenter.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4T10qsghaz9rqom

MHC is seeking poetry submissions from Minnesotan teen writers (age 13-19) reflecting on the themes of America’s 250th Anniversary. All accepted work will be published in Voices Forward, a chapbook that invites young writers to imagine futures for themselves, their communities, and the nation—in their own words!

Contributors will receive a $100 honorarium, feedback on their work from working Minnesota poets, and copies of the published chapbook. Poets will also be invited to read their work at a showcase at the Bell Museum in St. Paul on August 20 (presence is not required for publication).

Submit your work by August 7! Submission instructions are available at mnhum.org/voices-forward.

07/28/2026

☀️🎤 At the end of each week during our summer camps, students have the opportunity to share what they’ve been working on at an open mic for friends, family, and supporters. Last Friday, the weekly youth open mic was standing room only! It was such a joy to see these young writers confidently take the stage and read their stories, their faces beaming with pride.

✏️ Here’s a poem that one student debuted:

“Quiet yet playful / funny faces / instead of words / friendship / I stuck / out / and / regretted it / I couldn’t escape / even now / I felt / self-conscious / the / difference / had / seemed meaningless / I / shifted my gaze”

🔗 Browse all classes and camps for kids and teens: https://loft.org/classes/youth-offerings

07/23/2026

📚 Learn more about the books from our featured Loft Connect Live authors! Books will be for sale from Subtext Books at the event on August 19 at the Loft at Open Book in Minneapolis.

🔗 https://loftlit.co/august-connect-live

07/23/2026

📖🎤 Join us on August 19th for Loft Connect Live! This showcase of Loft talent will feature New York Times health columnist Alexandra Sifferlin, MPR's Emily Bright, and award-winning writers Anika Fajardo and Ty Chapman.

🧡 All of them have deep connections to the Loft through teaching, fellowships, awards, and more. One even took a youth class with us when she was younger! It’s amazing to think about how far these incredible authors have come, and we can’t wait for you to hear their latest work.

🔗 https://loftlit.co/august-connect-live

These books include an investigation into the crisis of undiagnosed illness, a powerful YA poetry anthology about policing, a novel about a woman pursued by outspoken dead relatives and family secrets, and a poetry collection exploring nature, ancestry, and connection across time and distance.

🏫 The Loft at Open Book in Minneapolis
⏰ 6:30-8:30 p.m.
📚 Books for sale by Subtext Books
🥂 Reception after the reading
🎟️ $5 or pay-what-you-can

07/23/2026

Thank you, Star Tribune! This is an awesome read featuring Sun Yung Shin and Arleta Little. Check it out!

“Every voice has something unique to offer to the world. But not all writers have had a platform to tell their stories, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds. That’s why The Loft Literary Center’s Diversifying Writers Series gives writers from these communities a space that centers both their work and who they are as people.”

Loft Literary Center