Loft Literary Center, The
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Center
SCHOLARSHIP:Available
CONTACT: Chris Jones
PHONE: 612-215-2575
EMAIL: cjones@loft.org
WEBSITE: http://www.loft.org
The Loft supports the artistic development of writers, fosters a writing community and builds an audience for literature. The Loft serves 600,000 individuals each year with classes and festivals for writers at all levels of development; in-person and broadcast readings and spoken word performances featuring national and local writers; programming by and for teens; age specific activities for children and families; and fellowships, mentorships, and career initiative awards for Minnesota writers.
The Loft is a center dedicated to readers and writers. Every year, more than 4,000 students participate in classes, conferences, and mentorships both at the Loft and online. Readings and performances range from students reading their work for the first time to such notables as Bernard Cooper, Andre Dubus III, Martin Espada, Rita Dove, Claudia Rankine, Sandra Benitez, Mark Doty, Tracy K. Smith, Derek Walcott, Giles Li, and Bassey Ipke. The Loft also supports writing and reading discussion groups; rents studios to writers; and offers a wealth of resources and articles on its active website.
Faculty
Featured Writers Include:
The Loft contracts with 400 teaching artists to offer classes and present at writers' festivals throughout the year. Teaching Artists include winners of the Pushcart Prize, Nimrod International Pablo Neruda Poetry Prize, Native American Prose Award, American Book Award, Academy of American Poets Prize, Hollywood Screenplay Discovery Award, Lambda Literary Award, Edgar Award, American Library Association's Alex Award, Midland Prize, and others. Instructors have also taught at a wide variety of educational institutions, including colleges and universities. Mentors for emerging writers have included prose writers Louise Erdrich, Grace Paley, Charles Baxter, and Michael Ondaatje, and poets Rita Dove, Galway Kinnell, Li-Young Lee, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Gary Soto. Biographies of current teaching artists and mentors, plus applications to become a teaching artist are available at www.loft.org.
Genres
Poetry, Fiction, Creative nonfiction, Playwriting, Screenwriting, Children's literature
Open Book
Location
1011 Washington Ave S
Minneapolis
Minnesota, United States
55415
The Loft Literary Center
The Loft is a haven for readers and writers. Our mission is to advance the artistic development of writers, foster a thriving literary community, and inspire a passion for literature.
This work is essential. We believe that story, verse, and writing aren’t just nice things to have, or to put up on a shelf, but are core to a full existence. At their best, words help us connect, entertain, mourn, provoke, educate, and empathize.
We accomplish our work by bringing essential conversations, artists, readers, and learning opportunities together under one roof. In any given year, the Loft serves more than 12,000 people and enriches our literary ecosystem through contracts, awards, and grants that pay writers more than $400,000.
Learn more at www.loft.org.