About Events

About Loft Events

The Loft offers a diverse array of literary events, reading series, book launches, and more. Please see our calendar listings—we encourage everyone to participate. Expand your literary network, get inspired, be entertained, or just support your local and global literary community.

Annual Events
Wordplay & Wordsmith

Each year, the Loft presents two major annual events—Wordplay and Wordsmith. Wordplay is a festival for readers of all kinds to come together, connect, and celebrate the year in books. Wordsmith is a career, connection, and craft conference for writers at all levels.

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Wordplay Wordsmith
Loft Themes
The Loft Presents If

Through the theme of If, the Loft will explore the most powerful question in starting a story: "What If?"

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Loft If Theme Graphic
Signature Events and Series

The Loft's signature, recurring events include the Mentor Series, Equilibrium, and Big Ideas. Learn more below.

Mentor Series Marker
Loft Mentor Series

The Loft Mentor Series holds six readings and craft conversations throughout the course of the program. Two emerging writers read from their work, along with one of the nationally acclaimed authors who is mentoring the participants. Readings are a blend of all three genres on which the Mentor Series focuses: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

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EQ Marker
Loft Equilibrium (EQ)

Equilibrium, EQ for short, is the Loft's ground-breaking and wildly successful series devoted to spoken word artists and audiences of color. Acclaimed as one of the nation's top spoken word venues, EQ combines an intimate, engaging atmosphere with energetic, packed houses. EQ has created a space where national talent shares the stage with local emerging artists.

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Big Ideas Graphic
Loft Big Ideas

Big Ideas is a series from the Loft that puts literature at the center of dynamic conversations and brings together readers and writers to explore the most pressing issues and questions facing our society today.

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Upcoming Events
Mar
1
2020
BOUNDARIES & BORDERS: More Than A Single Story: Transracial Adoptee Voices

As part of the Loft's Boundaries and Border Crossings theme, this More Than a Single Story discussion will explore the histories of transracial and transnational adoption in their communities.
Apr
11
2020
BOUNDARIES & BORDERS: Equilibrium: Whose Border? Featuring Bobby Wilson
As part of the Loft's Boundaries and Border Crossings theme, the Loft will host a special EQ showcase featuring artists troubling the notion of borders and enforcement. The Loft and Metropolitan State University’s Global Poetry proudly present Equilibrium (EQ), featuring Spoken Word Immersion Fellow Sham-e-Ali Nayeem, with other guests. The event features Bobby Wilson, with opening performances by Peuo Tuy, Roy G. Guzmán, and Kokou Doeh.

This event is cosponsored by the Minnesota Freedom Fund and the James H Binger Center for New Americans.
Apr
22
2020
Loft Spring Member Meetup
Members make everything possible at the Loft, so come make some bookish buddies at our members social hour.
Can I Read at the Loft?

The Loft is committed to providing authors and audiences with unique events that deepen their understanding of the craft of writing, and engage them in lively and thought-provoking discussions. We strive to produce events that encourage crowd participation, build audiences for diverse authors, and offer learning opportunities to the more than 4,000 students who take our classes. These goals are the foundation of our programming.

We receive many more requests than we can accommodate to produce events. Read on to learn about the types of events we host and sponsor, how to rent our performance hall for your own reading or event, and other ways we help promote authors' books.

Can I Read at the Loft?