Youth Offerings

The Loft’s Young Writers’ Program offers year-round, high-quality, enrichment-based creative writing instruction across genres, to all levels, for kids and teens ages 6-18. Many classes are taught by award-winning, published writers. Loft classes are process based, rather than product based, and seek to support children and teens as they become excited, engaged writers and readers. 

The Loft offers a variety of youth opportunities at the Loft (online and in person), as well as through community partnerships with local schools and libraries through Bring the Loft to You and Academic Support Services.

Half-day and full-day summer camps are offered in person at our Minneapolis location at Open Book, Tuesday through Friday, for ages 6-18 from June through August. The Loft's summer camps are led by acclaimed and published writers, who are experts in their field and passionate about books and mentorship. Some camps may be offered in partnership with the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, so please register separately on their website for those accompanying classes.

These camps cover a variety of genres—including fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction—our camps provide young writers with dedicated writing space, interactive exercises to spark their imagination, and personalized guidance from experienced, professional writers. With only 8–10 campers per session, participants thrive in a collaborative and supportive environment. Beyond honing their skills, our camps build confidence and inspire a lifelong love for writing.

Camp dates for 2025 are June 17-20, June 24-27, July 15-18, August 5-8, and August 12-15 for Grades 1-9 and 10-12. Camp hours are 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tuesday-Friday.

The Loft's Summer Writing Intensives offer young writers a vibrant community to connect with fellow storytellers and explore their creative voices. Led by published and acclaimed writers, each workshop is designed to foster self-expression, creativity, and a passion for writing. Throughout the week, participants will engage with several teaching artists across various genres, gaining new perspectives on the craft of writing while building lasting friendships with their peers. By the end of the intensive, campers will have completed at least one piece of new writing and have the opportunity to participate in a public, final celebratory reading and contribute to the youth anthology. Open to writers of all skill levels! Registration opens in January.

Camp dates for 2025 are July 22-25 for Grades 5-8 and July 29-August 1 for Grades 9-12. Camp hours are 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Tuesday through Friday.

Registration is open as long as there is space available in a class. You can register  your child or teen online at www.loft.org or by calling 612-379-8999. We are  here to help. A detailed confirmation letter will be emailed once your registration  has been processed. Please note that you will be asked to fill out a Health and Safety form after registering, which will be included as a link in your confirmation letter. 

The grade ranges listed for each class are suggested guidelines, but before  registering your child for a class outside of their grade range, please consider  that teaching artists propose classes based on age ranges they are comfortable  teaching. Suggested grade ranges also consider socialization, as well as more mature class discussions; you may have an incredibly gifted child who excels at  writing and learning, but please consider whether they would be comfortable in a class with children much older/younger, comfortable participating in more mature class discussions pertaining to writing for older audiences, and how it would affect  the learning environment for the other students. Please note that grade levels  reflect the grade the student will be entering in the fall. If you have questions, please call 612-379-8999.

Children and teens with special needs or disabilities are always welcome at the  Loft! Please call us at 612-379-8999 if you would like to discuss how the Loft can  accommodate the needs of your child or teen (hearing or sight impairments, children with PCAs, learning challenges, closed caption needs) in order for them to  more fully participate in and enjoy Loft classes!

In the event the Loft has to cancel a class, you will be notified in advance and issued  a 100% refund. If you need to cancel, notify the Loft education office before the start  of the second class meeting to receive our standard 85% refund. Unless the Loft  cancels a class, no 100% refunds can be given once registration has taken place,  as there is a registration fee of 15%. No refunds will be given after the start of the  second class meeting.