Loft Themes
Loft Themes
Much like how an art museum might present a special exhibit, the Loft is introducing seasonal thematic programming. Our themes will help connect you across many of the Loft program offerings. We believe that poems and stories can be an important lens through which to view the world, and can be part of important issues and conversations in civic life. Loft themes will compel us all to look at the words we write and authors we read in new ways.
Sense of Adventure (Winter: Jan–Apr 2021)
Every time you open a book you are embarking on a new adventure. Many of us grew up loving stories of exploration into cold and treacherous places, on ships in distant seas, facing ferocious beasts and unknown destinations. Those pages were a safe way to take risks, go beyond normal boundaries, try new things, even to make terrible choices we’d never make off the page. There are also journeys more subtle and closer to home, explorations of new tastes or flavors. Every book is an invitation to walk in someone else’s shoes and see the world in a new way.
Through this theme, the Loft invites readers and writers to explore something (anything) from a new perspective with an unexpected outcome. Join us for a celebration of adventure and a chance to explore. We will present the work of explorers, adventurers, and guides.
Sense of Adventure Offerings
Here are the classes and events offered in the Sense of Adventure theme this winter.
ADULT CLASS: Reimagining the World—Crafting Compelling Nonfiction
Jan 20–Mar 17 | with Mishka Hoosen
This class will be an exploration of creative nonfiction, introducing students to a range of texts in the genre that explore topics as wide ranging as illness, travel, science, memoir, and more.
ADULT CLASS: First Steps Into Writing
Jan 27–Mar 17 | with Patricia Hoolihan
This is a class for those who are ready for the adventure of claiming or reclaiming who you are as a writer. Find out what you have to say!
ADULT CLASS: Dreaming a New World—Lessons and Teachings from Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower
Jan 27–Apr 21 | with SooJin Pate
This reading seminar will focus around a deep reading and examination of Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower.
YOUTH CLASS: Wilderness Adventure Writing for Teens
Feb 3–17 | with Kelsey Daly
During three one-hour long sessions, we’ll explore writing about wilderness adventure, including outdoor sports, the natural world, and environmental justice.
YOUTH CLASS: Build your Own Hero & Villain for Adventure
Feb 4–25 | with Kristi Romo
In this class, we will focus on how to create interesting characters by examining some of our favorite heroes and villains to see what makes them so memorable; we will learn what essential qualities they possess as we work to create our own original characters.
ADULT CLASS: Capture a Journey
Feb 6 | with Lisa Meyers McClintick
Join award-winning travel writer Lisa Meyers McClintick for this three-hour celebration of adventures both near and far. We’ll look at what elements come together for the most memorable and entertaining essays from some of the country’s best travel writers and authors.
ADULT CLASS: Natural Wonder—Poet as Scientist
Feb 10-Apr 7 | with Sarah Ann Winn
In this class, we'll consider the necessity of wonder and close observation to the poet and the scientist. We'll read and write poems of winged creatures and water dwellers, underwater volcanoes and melting glaciers.
EVENT: Monsters and Creatures with Matthew Kessen
Feb 12, 7 p.m. | with Matthew Kessen
Monster expert Matthew Kessen, the writer and performer of "Reverend Matt's Monster Science," will begin this online session with a short talk and presentation. And then we will allow the audience to pick from a list of creatures and ask Kessen a series of hypothetical questions.
ADULT FEEDBACK CLASS: Writing the Outdoors
Feb 21 | with Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Using strategies inspired by birdwatching and gardening, this genre-blurring workshop is for all levels of electric writing about nature and the outdoors. Students will give and receive feedback on up to 3-5 pages of writing and leave the class with notes for revision, expansion, and improving their craft.
Big Ideas: Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Carolyn Finney
March 5, 4 p.m. | with Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Carolyn Finney
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.
ADULT CLASS: Gallery View—Experiments in Narrative Ekphrasis
Mar 10–Apr 21 | with Anne Elliott
Ekphrasis—the literary response to visual art—often takes the form of poetry, but this class will be geared toward generating narrative prose and/or hybrid texts. All levels of experience are welcome; the goal is to think like a beginner, take risks, and discover new approaches to the page.
ADULT CLASS: Crafting Poetry from Nature and Space Documentaries
Mar 13 | with Aegor Ray
In this class, we will generate poetry using nature and space documentaries including selections from Blue Planet, The Planets, and Planet Earth. This class will expand your sense of lyrical and conceptual adventure without leaving the comfort of your home.
ADULT CLASS: Surprise! How Taking Chances Can Invigorate Your Poems
Mar 19–Apr 23 | with Emily Wolahan
Taking chances, common in experimental writing and art, has a lot to offer writers—even non-experimental ones. Experimentation doesn’t mean changing how you write—it means finding a more full understanding of who you are as a writer and where you can go.
EVENT: Member Meet Up featuring Trivia Mafia
Mar 24, 7 p.m. | with 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.
Upcoming Themes
Winter 2021 (Jan–Apr 2021): A Sense of Adventure
Previous Themes
Fall 2017 (Sep–Nov 2017): Vigilance
Winter 2018 (Jan–Mar 2018): True North
Spring 2018 (Mar–May 2018): To Be Honest
Fall 2018 (Sep–Dec 2018): Fairy Tales
Winter 2019 (Jan-Apr 2019): Needs
Fall 2019 (Sep-Dec 2019): If
Fall 2020 (Sep-Dec 2020): Choice and Chance
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