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.

Find an Annual Event
Learn More
Wordplay Wordsmith
Loft Themes
The Loft Presents Choice and Chance

Through the theme of Choice and Chance, the Loft will explore how much control we really have in our stories and lives and what do we leave to chance?

Learn More About Choice and Chance
Choice and Chance
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.

Learn More
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.

Learn More
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.

Learn More
Upcoming Events
Mar
5
2021
Big Ideas: Sense of Adventure with Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Carolyn Finney, and Anthony Taylor
Many of us in Minnesota revel in the joys of getting outside but the "great outdoors" isn't necessarily as transcendent, as universal, or as one-size-fits-all as it's often been portrayed. 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. This conversation will be moderated by Anthony Taylor.
Mar
24
2021
Sense of Adventure: Member Meet Up featuring Trivia Mafia

While we can’t meet in person, we can give our literary noggins a communal workout thanks to a virtual member meet up featuring Minneapolis’ beloved Trivia Mafia. Honing in on questions that call upon our Sense of Adventure theme for the season, teams will explore a world of literary trivia. Winners will receive a special prize! Plus! Stay until the end to learn more about the virtual Wordplay Festival’s lineup for May 2-8, 2021.
Apr
1
2021
Pastries, Poetry, and Prose: Ross Gay and Patrick Rosal
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. This event will feature Patrick Rosal and Ross Gay.
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?