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Apply to be a 2023 Wordplay Author!

Wordplay is BACK and IN PERSON! This year’s festival will return to Downtown Minneapolis for a one day celebration on Saturday, July 8, 2023! 

This year’s Wordplay will be specifically curated around the Loft’s 2022/2023 theme: Narrative Power. 

Toni Cade Bambara said, “The job of the writer is to make the revolution irresistible.” The Loft’s programming will explore how writers exercise narrative power to lead and influence movements for social change.

We are specifically interested in featuring authors in all genres whose books inspire revolution in any of the following topics:

• Racial Justice
• Health and Wellness
• Climate Change
• LGBTQIA2S+ Rights
• Gender Equity & Equality

Please complete the following application form in order to be considered for Wordplay 2023. We expect a large number of submissions this year and are unable to respond to every submission individually. Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis, so apply early!

We are thrilled to be offering Wordplay in person once more, and we wish we could accommodate everyone for travel expenses, but like so many other nonprofits, our financial means have been stretched by COVID. We want to be as transparent as possible and say that it's not guaranteed that everyone's travel and stay will be fully covered, though we will do our absolute best to make it so. If you or your author will be going on a publicity tour or attending another festival within a similar timeframe, we recommend including Wordplay in your publicity budget just in case we aren't able to fully cover it.

If you have any questions about the application process or about Wordplay 2023, please email Director of Special Events, Shahenda Helmy, at shelmy@loft.org.

Volunteer at Wordplay

Wordplay 2023 is coming. Help us make it happen by volunteering.