Wordplay Schedule
Archived 2020 Events: Week of March 30
Your Guide to Virtual Wordplay
Format: Webinar
Time: April 2, 2 p.m.
Join us for a live webinar with Wordplay festival director Steph Opitz. We'll discuss what we've got up our sleeve for virtual Wordplay, what kinds of programs you can get excited about, and how this virtual festival will all work. Bring your questions! A recording will be available if you cannot make the live event.
Archived 2020 Events: Week of April 6
This week's St. Kate's Critical Conversation is Charles Yu in Conversation with Bao Phi.
Olympic Training: Live Talk and Workout with Gold Medal Winner Jessie Diggins
Format: Webinar/Workout
Time: April 7, 11 a.m. CST
The Loft’s Wordplay kicks off with Olympian Jessie Diggins giving a live talk and Q&A about her memoir Brave Enough. Immediately following the Q&A join Jessie for a 15 minute gold medal workout. The only equipment you’ll need to participate is a book!
Spooky Story Time with Ben Percy
Format: Instagram Live (recordings to follow here)
Time: April 8, 8 p.m. CST
Benjamin Percy’s latest work, Suicide Woods, is a frightening collection of short stories of crime, of hauntings, and of horrifying acts that happen in the woods. All you horror fans out there: grab your flashlights, turn out the light, and tune in to a hair-rising live reading from Percy on the Loft’s Instastory.
Hoppy Hour with Samantha Irby
Format: YouTube
Time: April 9, 11 a.m. CST
Life is hard, that’s probably why Samantha Irby chose to dedicate her new book, Wow, No Thank You, to Wellbutrin. So in the interest of making things easy for you, please enjoy the YouTube of Wellbutrin, a video of a bunny while a recording of Samantha Irby reading one of her essays plays. It’s like a yule log for your quarantine.
Charles Yu in Conversation with Bao Phi
Format: Webinar
Time: April 9, 1 p.m. CST
**St. Kate's Critical Conversation of the week**
Charles Yu is joined by beloved Minnesota author Bao Phi as they examine the realities of Asian Americans living in a land indoctrinated with stereotypes against them and the damage these pervasive, narrow-minded roles can have on an individual's sense of self and belonging.
UnCHARTed Territory: Claire Comstock-Gay feat. C Pam Zhang
Format: Webinar
Time: April 10, 2 p.m. CST
Every week of Wordplay 2020, Claire Comstock-Gay will read a Wordplay author’s star chart and do a mini interview with that author. In the first installment of this series, Comstock-Gay will speak with Capricorn C Pam Zhang.
Archived 2020 Events: Week of April 13
This week's St Kate's Critical Conversation is National Book Foundation at Wordplay: Laila Lalami and Randy Ribay
Literary Stretch Break with Poupeh Missaghi
Format: Webinar
Time: April 13, 11 a.m. CST
During this disruptive change in everyone’s schedules, it’s important to take breaks throughout the day. Of course, be active and move around, but don’t forget to take care of your mind, too! Join us for a literary stretch break. Tune in for a 10-minute reading and short Q&A with novelist Poupeh Missaghi.
Literary Stretch Break with Rick Barot
Format: Webinar (Live Captioned)
Time: April 14, 11 a.m. CST
During this disruptive change in everyone’s schedules, it’s important to take breaks throughout the day. Of course, be active and move around, but don’t forget to take care of your mind, too! Join us for a literary stretch break. Tune in for a 10-minute reading and short Q&A with poet Rick Barot.
Poetry House Concert with Brian Laidlaw and Ashley Hanson
Format: Webinar
Time: April 15, 1 p.m. CST
join poet-songwriter Brian Laidlaw, author of poetry collection and accompanying album The Mirrormaker, and vocalist-instrumentalist Ashley Hanson of the folk/Americana band The Family Trade for a virtual concert.
National Book Foundation at Wordplay: Laila Lalami and Randy Ribay
Format: Webinar (Live Captioned)
Time: April 15, 3 p.m. CST
**St. Kate's Critical Conversation of the week**
Join highly esteemed writers Laila Lalami and Randy Ribay in conversation with Natalie Green from the National Book Foundation to discuss family, love, and identity as well as what it means to be a finalist for a National Book Award.
Jack El-Hai Investigates a Minnesota Tragedy
Format: Webinar
Time: April 16, 1 p.m. CST
In 1951, three brothers disappeared in north Minneapolis. Jack El-Hai (The Lost Brothers: A Family’s Decades-Long Search) will discuss with Donald Klein, a sibling of the missing brothers, why the case is still unsolved and how the siblings’ disappearance has affected his family over the years.
Story Time with Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox
Format: Webinar
Time: April 17, 10 a.m. CST
Dynamic duo, author Jonathan Stutzman and illustrator Heather Fox, read from their hilarious and outrageous children’s book, Llama Destroys the World, virtually accompanied by real llama sightings!
UnCHARTed Territory: Claire Comstock-Gay feat. Clare Beams
Format: Webinar
Time: April 17, 2 p.m. CST
Every week of Wordplay 2020, Claire Comstock-Gay will read a Wordplay author’s star chart and do a mini interview with that author. In the second installment of this series, Comstock-Gay will speak with Leo Clare Beams.
Archived 2020 Events: Week of April 20
This week's St. Kate's Critical Conversation is How To Be: A Conversation with John Freeman and Casey Schwartz.
Literary Stretch Break with Major Jackson
Format: Webinar
Time: April 20, 11 a.m. CST
During this disruptive change in everyone’s schedules, it’s important to take breaks throughout the day. Of course, be active, and move around, but don’t forget to take care of your mind, too! Join us for a literary stretch break. Tune in for a 10-minute reading and then a short Q&A with poet Major Jackson.
WFH Views with Hilary Leichter
Format: Blog post
Time: April 20
Explore a collection of short-short stories and work from home spaces curated by Hilary Leichter, author of Temporary, and friends, investigating what makes a workspace “work” for us.
NBCC Co-Presents Charles Finch Interviewed by Laurie Hertzel
Format: Webinar
Time: April 20, 3 p.m. CST
Laurie Hertzel and Charles Finch (The Last Passenger) discuss murder, deceit, and scandal in this session dedicated to the thrilling world of mystery.
My Dark Vanessa with Wisconsin Book Festival
Format: Webinar
Time: April 20, 7 p.m. CST
Exploring the psychological dynamics of the relationship between a precocious yet naïve teenage girl and her magnetic and manipulative teacher, My Dark Vanessa is a brilliant, all-consuming read that marks the explosive debut of an extraordinary new writer, Kate Elizabeth Russell.
Loft Wordplay and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Book Club with Kate DiCamillo
Format: Webinar
Time: April 21, 3 p.m. CST
Award-winning, beloved local children’s author Kate DiCamillo (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane) joins MSP magazine’s Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl for a no-spoilers book club and Q&A about The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
Let’s Get Visual: Gene Luen Yang and Minh Lé
Format: Webinar
Time: April 22, 1 p.m. CST
What makes a modern hero? Cartoonists and writers Gene Luen Yang (Dragon Hoops) and Minh Lé (Green Lantern: Legacy) explore this and so much more in an exciting visual presentation. Joining forces, Yang and Lé will discuss their work, real-world history, comic history, and what it means to be a hero today.
Rage on the Page with Amber Sparks and Laura van den Berg
Format: Webinar
Time: April 22, 3 p.m. CST
Short story luminaries Amber Sparks (And I Do Not Forgive You: Stories and Other Revenges) and Laura van den Berg (I Hold A Wolf By The Ears) give angry women their due.
Writers on Writers & Lovers: Lily King in Conversation with Peter Geye
Format: Webinar
Time: April 23, 11 a.m. CST
Award-winning Lily King (Writers and Lovers) tackles grief, loneliness, and student debt in her latest novel. Acclaimed author Peter Geye (Northernmost, forthcoming) joins King for a live conversation as she explores the layers of a life in transition, with audience Q&A to follow.
Danez Smith on Blackness, Friendship, and Solitude
Format: Podcast
Time: April 23
In this Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast episode, acclaimed poet Danez Smith, author of Homie, discusses the role friendship plays in their most recent collection of poetry, the isolating effect COVID-19 has had on black communities, using space on the page inventively, and writing about money.
The Loft's Wordplay and Montclair Literary Festival Combine Forces to Present: Try a Little Tenderness
Format: Webinar
Time: April 23, 3 p.m. CST
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (Starling Days: A Novel) and Douglas Stuart (Shuggie Bain) appear in conversation with Nancy Star (Rules for Moving) to explore the intersections of self-love and self-forgiveness in the realms of mental health, relationships, and forging new identities.
How To Be: A Conversation with John Freeman and Casey Schwartz
Format: Webinar
Time: April 24, 11 a.m. CST
**St. Kate's Critical Conversation of the week**
Literary critic and editor extraordinaire John Freeman (Dictionary of the Undoing and The Park) and journalist and New York Times contributor Casey Schwartz (Attention: A Love Story) discuss connection and decency and the need to be around people in person.
UnCHARTed Territory: Claire Comstock-Gay feat. Alexis Coe
Format: Webinar
Time: April 24, 1 p.m. CST
Every week of Wordplay, Claire Comstock-Gay will read a Wordplay author's star charts and do a mini interview with that author. In the third installment of this series, Comstock-Gay will speak with Aquarius Alexis Coe.
A Chat with Emily Gould and Curtis Sittenfeld
Format: Webinar
Time: April 24, 2 p.m. CST
In Emily Gould’s latest novel, Perfect Tunes, sacrifice, music, and familial bonds flesh out the score for this sharply written novel about mothers and who they are to their daughters. Join us for a livestream conversation with Gould and the inimitable Curtis Sittenfeld (Rodham, forthcoming), audience Q&A to follow.
Poems on Demand with Bill Meissner
Format: Email correspondance
Time: April 25, 12–2 p.m. CST
Bill Meissner will spontaneously write a short, free verse, upbeat poem for anyone who requests one, and he’ll send it to you via email. You can suggest a subject for him or choose from one of his favorite topics: water/oceans/lakes, dreams, travel, writing/creating, or his favorite sport, baseball.
Shelter in Poetry Webinar Class
Format: Webinar Class
Time: April 25, 2–5 p.m. CST
Cost: $20 (or pay what you can)
In this webinar class, we’ll read and write poems about solace found in nature, the space around us, and the people we love. We’ll find strength in poetry by Joy Harjo, Penelope Shuttle and Barbara Crooker and more. Times listed are CST.
Archived 2020 Events: Week of April 27
This week's St. Kate's Critical Conversations are Nick Flynn in Collaboration with Musician Guy Barash and Translated Works: A Bilingual Presentation with Sara Mesa and Katie Whittemore
Dads during Social Distancing
Format: Webinar
Time: April 27, 9 a.m. CST
The Loft’s resident hero-dad Bao Phi will talk with author John Coy (Dads) about his new collaboration with photographer Wing Young Huie—a touching collection of photographs that celebrates fathers.
Literary Stretch Break with Lara Mimosa Montes
Format: Webinar
Time: April 27, 11 a.m. CST
During this disruptive change in everyone’s schedules, it’s important to take breaks throughout the day. Join us for a literary stretch break with poet Lara Mimosa Montes! Tune in for a 10-minute reading followed by a short Q&A.
Happy Hour with Alison Roman and Emma Straub
Format: Webinar
Time: April 27, 4 p.m. CST
Join New York Times columnist and Bon Appétit contributor Alison Roman, author of cook book Nothing Fancy, and New York Times–bestselling author of All Adults Here, Emma Straub for a virtual happy hour featuring Gray Duck Vodka.
Spellbound Squads
Format: Webinar
Time: April 28, 1 p.m. CST
How far would you go to get what you want? Join Quan Barry, author of We Ride Upon Sticks, and Rebecca Dinerstein Knight, author of Hex, in conversation with the Loft's Rachel Yang on the magic of group mentality and reckless abandon.
Nick Flynn in Collaboration with Guy Barash and Rachel Eliza Griffiths
Format: Webinar
Time: April 28, 3 p.m. CST
**This is a St. Kate's Critical Conversation**
Join Nick Flynn, author ofStay: Threads, Conversations, Collaborations, composer Guy Barash, and poet and visual artist Rachel Eliza Griffiths for a captivating reading, musical performance, and conversation on collaboration. Followed by a Q&A with the audience!
The Loft Literary Center and Wisconsin Book Festival Present Matt Goldman and Allen Eskens
Format: Webinar
Time: April 29, 11 a.m. CST
Hosted by the Mystery Writers of America, acclaimed authors Matt Goldman (Dead West) and Allen Eskens (Nothing More Dangerous) discuss secrets, plot twists, and intrigue in this session dedicated to the exhilarating world of mystery.
Mpls St Paul Magazine and the Loft's Wordplay Book Club: Edan Lepucki's Mothers Before
Format: Webinar
Time: April 29, 1 p.m. CST
Mpls. St. Paul Magazine’s Stephanie March and Edan Lepucki, author of Mothers Before, discuss Lepucki’s newest collection, a work that explores the question: Who was your mother before she became a mother?
Queer Brown Desire
Format: Webinar
Time: April 29, 6 p.m. CST
Acclaimed poets Natalie Diaz (Postcolonial Love Poem), Jake Skeets (Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers), and Roy G. Guzmán (Catrachos), moderated by Lisa Marie Brimmer, discuss how they use poetry to address love, heritage, and queer identities.
Middle Grade Round Table
Format: Webinar
Time: April 30, 9:30 a.m. CST
Join your favorite middle grade authors—Max Brallier, Kacen Callender, Omar Mohamed, and Jacqueline West—as they discuss their newest releases, discuss their quarantine hobbies, and answer your questions.
Black Girl Magic
Format: Webinar
Time: April 30, 11 a.m. CST
Tune in for a conversation with literary powerhouses Junauda Petrus, Patrice Caldwell, and Ashley Woodfolk on being a queen, the importance of Black Girl Magic, POC and LGBTQ+ representation, and female friendship. Followed by a Q&A with the audience!
Translated Works: A Bilingual Presentation with Sara Mesa and Katie Whittemore
Format: Webinar
Time: April 30, 1 p.m. CST
**This is a St. Kate's Critical Conversation**
Sara Mesa, author of Four by Four, and Katie Whittemore, translator of Four by Four, discuss gaslighting, power dynamics, and gothic intrigue amid the dark halls of academia in this event, presented in both Spanish and English.
Illustrator Draw-off with Brooklyn Book Festival
Format: Webinar
Time: May 1, 9:30 a.m. CST
Wordplay and the Brooklyn Book Festival are coming together for a draw-off, hosted by Ruth Chan. Illustrators will be given prompts and make quick sketches, and the audience will vote on their favorites. Last one standing is the winner!
Literary Stretch Break with Raymond Luczak
Format: Webinar
Time: May 1, 11 a.m. CST
During this disruptive change in everyone’s schedules, it’s important to take breaks throughout the day. Join us for a literary stretch break with novelist Raymond Luczak! Tune in for a 10-minute reading followed by a short Q&A.
UnCHARTed Territory: Claire Comstock-Gay feat. Jenny Zhang
Format: Webinar
Time: May 1, 2 p.m. CST
Every week of Wordplay, Claire Comstock-Gay will read a Wordplay author's star charts and do a mini interview with that author. In the third installment of this series, Comstock-Gay will speak with Capricorn Jenny Zhang.
Debuts Brunch
Format: Webinar
Time: May 2, 11 a.m. CST
Miss socializing? Join us for a book club brunch. Highly anticipated debut authors Kawai Strong Washburn, Gabriel Bump, Brandon Taylor, Rita Woods, and Dennis Staples join festival founding director Steph Opitz for a chat about their works over the most important meal of the day.
Archived 2020 Events: Week of May 4
The St. Kate's Critical Conversations this week are Tightrope with Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Truth Worth Telling with Scott Pelley, and Role Models with Karine Jean-Pierre, Jennifer Steinhauer, and Sylvia Acevedo
Teen Scene featuring Debbi Michiko Florence and Sayantani DasGupta
Format: Webinar
Time: May 4, 11 a.m. CST
Join middle-grade authors Debbi Michiko Florence (Keep It Together, Keiko Carter) and Sayantani DasGupta (The Chaos Curse) as they talk about navigating first crushes, changing circumstances, and exciting fantasy worlds.
Works in Translation: Icelandic Fiction
Format: Webinar
Time: May 4, 3 p.m. CST
Kristín Eiríksdóttir (A Fist or a Heart) and translator Larissa Kyzer (A Fist or a Heart) detail the dizzying relationship of two Icelandic women. Moderated by editor Gabriella Page-Fort, Eiríksdóttir and Kyzer will talk about the process of working together on this heart-racing and page-turning project.
Space and Privacy
Format: Webinar
Time: May 4, 5 p.m. CST
Tracy O’Neill (Quotient) and Teddy Wayne (Apartment) untangle the complexity of shared spaces and how they affect our relationships and lives as they discuss privacy (or lack thereof), space-sharing, and having a book release during a pandemic.
Loft Wordplay and Virginia Festival of the Book Host Deb Olin Unferth and Jeff VanderMeer
Format: Webinar
Time: May 5, 11 a.m. CST
In her latest, Deb Olin Unferth (Barn 8) wryly takes on animal activism with a heist at a chicken farm. Jeff VanderMeer (Dead Astronauts) builds a world in the shadow of a nefarious company where strange animals and happenings abound. Join us as these writers discuss how urgent environmental concerns impact and inspire their work.
Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope
Format: Webinar
Time: May 5, 3 p.m. CST
**This is a St. Kate's Critical Conversation**
Pulitzer Prize–winning husband and wife duo Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope) discuss the narratives of addiction, poverty, and the hope of restoration in their illustrated compilation of working-class American realities.
YA Round Table
Format: Webinar
Time: May 6, 11 a.m. CST
Join your favorite young adult authors—Melissa de la Cruz (The Queen's Assassin), Len Vlahos (Hard Wired), and Deborah Wiles (Kent State)—as they discuss their latest works, quarantine happenings, and all things YA. Followed by a Q&A with the audience.
Coworking Whodunit with Andrea Bartz and The Coven
Format: Webinar
Time: May 6, 3:30 p.m. CST
People are dying to get into the hottest women-only coworking space, but would they kill? Join Andrea Bartz (The Herd) as she discusses her page-turning whodunit, along with Alex Steinman from Minneapolis’s own female + non-binary + trans co-working space The Coven.
Object Lessons: An Exploration with Laura van den Berg
Format: Webinar Class—$20
Time: May 6, 5–7 p.m. CST
Cost: $20
The objects that appear in our stories and novels have the potential to open powerful news doors in our fictive worlds—to alter and deepen the path of a moment, a scene, even an entire narrative. Together we will explore the role of objects in fiction, looking at the ways objects can help us forward plot; complicate character; shape structure; navigate time—and more!
Truth Worth Telling with Scott Pelley
Format: Webinar
Time: May 7, 11 a.m. CST
**This is a St. Kate's Critical Conversation**
Host of CBS News’ 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley, author of Truth Worth Telling, discusses the various challenges of reporting and the importance of constructing honest narratives in a climate where misinformation and fake news run rampant. Moderated by Jana Shortal.
Facing Demons featuring Stephanie Danler and Erin Khar, produced in partnership by the Loft’s Wordplay and the Portland Book Festival
Format: Webinar
Time: May 7, 3 p.m. CST
In these deeply personal accounts, Stephanie Danler (Stray) and Erin Khar (Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies That Nearly Killed Me) they discuss their relationships with addictions and the demons they faced to move forward in their lives.
Wordplay Closing Ceremonies
Format: Webinar
Time: May 8, 10 a.m. CST
As our virtual Wordplay adventure winds down, join us for for a celebratory recap of all our favorite festival moments. Led by various Loft staff with special appearances from Wordplay authors and friends, we'll look back on the best bookish conversations from the past weeks.
Conspiracies and Cover-Ups: A Conversation with Mara Hvistendahl and Jan Stocklassa
Format: Webinar
Time: May 8, 11 a.m.
Correspondent Mara Hvistendahl (The Scientist and the Spy) and journalist Jan Stocklassa (The Man Who Played with Fire) untangle the complicated process of investigating true stories of international conspiracies and cover-ups from across the country and across the globe.
UnCHARTed Territory: Claire Comstock-Gay feat. the Loft's Abby Frank Taylor
Format: Webinar
Time: May 8, 1 p.m. CST
Every week of Wordplay 2020, author Claire Comstock-Gay read another Wordplay author’s star chart. Now, we turn the tables, and the Loft’s Abby Frank Taylor will interview Claire to talk about the stars and what they have in store for us and her new book.
Ask Scalzi Anything
Format: Webinar Class—$20
Time: May 8, 3–5 p.m. CST
Cost: $20
John Scalzi knows you have questions about writing, the publishing industry, and how to manage the day-to-day realities of the writing lifestyle—and in this two-hour session, he answers them, fully and frankly, providing answers based on his own experiences in a three-decade-long career as a professional writer.
Help Tom Angleberger Draw a One Page Graphic Novel
Format: Webinar Class—$20
Time: May 9, 10 a.m.–noon CST
Cost: $20
Help inspire Tom Angleberger (Origami Yoda) to write and draw a comic book page ... live! Tom will need help from viewers to pick characters, write dialogue, draw, ink and color the comic. When we're done we'll have created a masterpiece.* (*If your ideas are really good!)
Role Models: A Conversation for All Ages
Format: Webinar
Time: May 9, 1 p.m. CST
**This is a St. Kate's Critical Conversation**
Karine Jean-Pierre (Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America), Jennifer Steinhauer (The Firsts: The Inside Story of the Women Reshaping Congress), and Sylvia Acevedo (Path to the Stars) discuss women trailblazers who are changing the game.