Friday, February 5, 7:00 PM

Mentor Series Reading

Shannon Olson, Karlyn Coleman & Anika Fajardo—

Open Book

$5/free to Loft members

The Loft’s 2009-2010 Mentor Series readings continue with a reading by fiction mentor Shannon Olson and program participants Karlyn Coleman (fiction) and Anika Fajardo (nonfiction).

Shannon Olson is the author of the bestselling novels Welcome to My Planet: Where English Is Sometimes Spoken, which was a finalist for the 2000 Minnesota Book Award in Fiction and was selected as a Quality Paperback, and Children of God Go Bowling, a selection for the Talking Volumes series aired on MPR. She has taught fiction and nonfiction writing and cotaught a humor writing course with Garrison Keillor at the University of Minnesota. She regularly teaches workshops at the Loft and at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and is currently Assistant Professor of English at St. Cloud State University.

Karlyn Coleman (fiction) is a fiction writer living in Minneapolis. Her first stories were published in Canvas, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s literary magazine. When not writing, Coleman is biking around the lakes of Minneapolis on a tandem bike, with a five-year-old pedaling backwards and a dog named Happy riding in a trailer hooked behind. She currently teaches writing to 6th and 7th graders and is working on a collection of stories that take place along California’s Pacific Highway.

Anika Fajardo (nonfiction) is a writer and librarian living in Minneapolis. Born in Colombia to an American mother and Colombian father, she grew up in Minnesota reading voraciously. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications including The Talking Stick, apt: an online literary journal, Savvy Women’s Magazine, Library Journal, and Writing and Publishing: A Librarian’s Handbook. She reviews women’s fiction for Library Journal and has presented at academic conferences. She is a 2009 winner of the Loft’s Latino Inroads mentorship program. Her current project is Let Them Eat Crepes: Stories and Recipes Featuring the French Pancake.

Tuesday, February 9, 5:30 PM

Fifth annual Literary Love Fest

A great lineup of speakers—Fifth annual Literary Love Fest

Kieran's Irish Pub

Raking Through Books celebrates love around Valentine’s Day. Local literati will read their own work or some of their faves as they riff on love, hate, community, family—whatever their hearts desire!

The line-up includes Antay Bilgutay, Jill Breckenridge, Carol Connolly, Pat Dennis, David Grant, Heid Erdrich, Phebe Hanson, C.M. Harris, James Lenfestey, Ardie Medina, Tim Nolan, Jonathan Odell, Lynette Reini-Grandell, Faith Sullivan, Katrina Vandenberg, Bryan Thao Worra.

Guaranteed to be an evening full of mirth, meaning, and yup, love.

Wednesday, February 10, 8:00 PM

Equilibrium: Spoken Word at the Loft presents:

—Send MN Poets of Color and Indigenous Poets to AWP!

The Loft, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

No door cost; donations will be accepted.

Equilibrium: Spoken Word at the Loft presents:
Send MN Poets of Color and Indigenous Poets to AWP!

A benefit show featuring Diego Vazquez, Marcie Rendon, Bao Phi, Robert Karimi, Tatiana Ormaza, Guante, Brittany Delaney, and more.
With music by DJ Nak
Wednesday, February 10, 8 pm

At the Loft, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

No door cost; donations will be accepted.

All donors will be entered in a drawing for door prizes from Toki Wright, Magers and Quinn, The Loft Literary Center, and many more.

If you can't make it to the event, you can still donate to the cause. Sent a check to the Loft or donate online. Make sure you note the donation is for AWP  POC.

Saturday, February 13, 6:00 PM

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Teen Movie Night

—

The Loft, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

free

Join us at the Loft for a teen movie night featuring Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Come in costume. You may win some wicked awesome prizes.

Download this poster.

Tuesday, February 16, 7:00 AM

Poetic Tools for Change

—A Nicaraguan Literary Tour

 
Poetic Tools for Change: A Nicaraguan Literary Tour
February 16 – 24, 2010                                                                   
Registration Deadline:
        Tuesday, November 24, 2009                                                                  
        Everyone is a poet until proven otherwise, it is often said in Nicaragua. On this nine-day Nicaraguan literary tour, you’ll travel to a place where poetry is cherished. Meet Nicaraguan writers of all ages and learn how poetry and literature have historically created a language of empowerment and hope, a voice for political change. Explore how people and poetry struggle to survive in the second poorest nation in our hemisphere. Join global visitors attending part of the Sixth Annual International Poetry Festival in the city of Granada, and meet fellow tour companions drawn to the power of poetry for creating a more just and peaceful world.
        Developed by the Center for Global Education at Augsburg College; interpreters will be provided. For more information, contact the Center at 800-299-8889 or globaled@augsburg.edu, or contact Loft member Karen Hering at karen@unityunitarian.org. The tour is cosponsored by the Loft, Curbstone Press, Project Minnesota-Leon, and Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul. Photo © Bria Knorr.
        Nicaraguan Tour Brochure PDF  View Nicaraguan Tour Article      
 

Saturday, February 20, 9:00 AM

a la carte: a Writing Buffet for Beginners

Acclaimed Writers from the Loft—Workshops, Performances, & Presentations

Open Book

TBA

a la carte: a Writing Buffet for Beginners
Saturday & Sunday, February 20 & 21, 2010

Have you always wanted to write a screenplay or a novel? A book for children or a poem?…but you don’t know how to begin? Let acclaimed writers from the Loft—the nation’s largest independent nonprofit literary arts center—show you how!

Like a banquet table filled with tempting appetizers, delicious main courses, sweet deserts, and tasty sides, the Writing Buffet for Beginners allows you to sample all our literary fare. Your menu choices include:
        • Children’s Literature
        • Graphic Novel
        • Novel
        • Poetry
        • Memoir
        • Screenplay
        • Short Story
        • Teleplay
You can try your hand at poetry writing in the morning and experiment with novel writing in the afternoon. Mix-and-match from our menu of sessions, served up with insights and inspiration for the writer’s appetite.

You’ll also learn about the writing life—how to start and keep writing, how to deal with rejection, and how to revise your work—from award-winning writers, along with a wealth of information about local resources for writers just starting out. Details and registration available in early November.