Writing can be a very solitary endeavor. In the collective imagination, writers work in isolation and seldom have occasion to talk about what they do. The Loft community defies this stereotype!
I love how the Loft nurtures the literary community: avid readers come to readings to ask authors they admire about their writing process. Writers working intensely on a project get expert advice through online mentorships. Kids who are bursting with ideas take classes on craft are heartened by the fact that peers and teachers take their work seriously. Students who appreciate feedback in classes form their own writing groups and meet in the Book Club Room for ongoing critiques. The connections that writers form at the Loft inspire and motivate during the solitary act of sitting down with the blank page.
The Loft welcomes everyone who writes or is interested in writing. One example of this is the Open Book building that is accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities. Classrooms and the performance hall are navigable by wheelchair, and seating can be arranged to accommodate individual needs such as guide dogs, personal care attendants, and interpreters. An assistive listening system is installed in the performance hall and will be installed in classrooms later this year. Staff at the Loft and Open Book are committed to enhancing the building’s other accessibility features so that writers with disabilities can fully engage with the writing community here.
One way that all of us at the Loft can increase accessibility is by helping reduce the use of fragrance. Scented products can be harmful to the health of some people. I know a few writers in the neighborhood who I greatly wish could be more involved at the Loft, but it is not a safe space for them because of chemical sensitivities. We can make progress to include all writers in the Loft community by making sure that when we are at the Loft, our clothes have not been exposed to scented detergents or perfumes, and the personal care products we use are fragrance free. Author Peggy Munson’s website is a good place to start learning how to be fragrance free and why it matters.
Ari Edes is office manager at the Loft, and he’s convinced that the literary community in the Twin Cities is cooler than anywhere else he’s lived.
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