Coming Winter 2021

The Loft's theme for winter is Sense of Adventure, which offers more than a dozen classes and events framed around the how, why, and where of adventure: we'll examine mythical and true adventures, adventure spaces and why they're sometimes exclusionary, adventure narratives, and just how taking new risks in reading and writing can themselves be adventures. 

Let's be honest, 2020 was a hard year. The Loft wants to help you kickoff 2021 with renewed vigor. Not sure how to jump in at the Loft, looking for more connection, or just want some accountability? We're introducing a series of class samplers, writing hours, and other low-cost offerings to help get you started! Look for the graphics in our class listings.

We've heard the feedback ourselves. You want more options to get feedback on your work. This winter the Loft is offering more than a dozen classes specifically designed to get you feedback! Look for the purple graphic in the class listings.

This series includes the Blue Flower Arts series with visits from Maggie Smith, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Beth Ann Fennelly.

Join the Loft for a special new online series: Poetry, Prose, and Pastries. Featuring acclaimed authors, we'll dig into all things delicious, whether we're talking about books, baked goods, or both. Each hour-long session will begin with a chat about favorite treats and desserts, followed by discussion of emerging and under-the-radar literary artists, craft talk, and a Q&A with the live online audience.

The Loft offers all levels of personalized services to help you reach your goals. Our one-on-one coaching service is detailed below and is designed to help you have a video conversation with an expert to help you answer a specific question related to reading and writing. We currently have three literary agents on our roster and will be adding more in January to help with coaching around publishing, creativity, proposal writing, and more.

This winter the Loft is offering a series of after school classes for age groups 9–11; 12–14; and 13–17. In the Covid era these have been popular virtual offerings. Check out the options and sign up early!

March 5, 4 p.m. | We'll be announcing a date for this event soon, but you won't want to miss it. Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Carolyn Finney join us for this Big Ideas conversation on the ways our racial identities shape our relationships to the natural world. Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of the 2020 Barnes and Noble Book of the Year, World of Wonder, and Carolyn Finney is the author of Black Faces, White Spaces, an interrogation of Black Americans' underrepresentation in environmental movements and outdoor recreation.

You've asked us for more ways to learn about Loft teaching artists so as part of this new blog feature we'll be producing a series of video and text interviews with some teaching artists with upcoming classes. We'll add more and more as the winter goes on so stay tuned to this blog feature.

Wordplay 2021 returns for an all-virtual installment, May 2–8, 2021. Details and lineup coming soon.

Wordplay 2021 is made possible by presenting sponsor St. Catherine University.