The Loft Literary Center

09/07/2026

“I stayed too long in that life I thought was mine.”

Buy the book: https://loftlit.co/stayingstill

💚🎤 Don’t miss the unforgettable Hieu Minh Nguyen at the Loft on Saturday, September 12!

🗓️ Craft seminar | 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
🔗 https://loftlit.co/littlerooms

🔥 Reading + conversation | 6 - 8 p.m.
💞 With Danez Smith and Aurora Masum-Javed
🔗 https://loft.org/events

09/07/2026

✨ Want to work for the Loft? We are seeking an Education Program Manager to join our team! This full-time, hybrid Minneapolis role supports the Loft’s adult and youth classes, teaching artists, and broader education programming.

💰 $56,000–$60,000
⏰ 32-hour work week
🏢 3 days/week in office + 1 work-from-home day
🧡 Benefits

➡️🔗 APPLY NOW: https://loft.submittable.com/submit/365848/job-postingprogram-manager-education-2026

09/06/2026

What can words do?

Kwame Alexander has built a national platform around the extraordinary power of words — as a poet, storyteller, educator, and dynamic speaker whose work reaches far beyond the page.

A Newbery Medal–winning author and one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literature, Kwame brings poetry to life with energy, humor, rhythm, honesty, and an infectious belief in what’s possible.

His mission? Changing the world, one word at a time.

Whether you’re a reader, writer, educator, parent, grandparent — or simply someone who believes creativity and language matter — this is a chance to experience Kwame Alexander live.

Sunday, September 20 | House of Hope
Part of Children & Family Weekend
Children & youth attend FREE.
tickets: our.show/kwame

09/06/2026

It’s no wonder that Hieu Minh Nguyen’s new book, Staying Still (Tin House, 2026), was named a Top Ten Most Anticipated Poetry Collection for Fall by Publishers Weekly. As Safia Elhillo said, “These poems make a clear and devastating cartography of distance, of longing, of love. I would follow them anywhere.”

💚 Come spend your Saturday with Hieu at the Loft! In the morning, stretch your creative muscles with a craft seminar on transforming observation into poetry. In the evening, enjoy a reading and convo with Danez Smith + Aurora Masum-Javed.

🗓️ Saturday, September 12
📍 The Loft at Open Book in Minneapolis

✏️ Craft seminar: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
🔗 https://loftlit.co/littlerooms

📖 Reading + conversation: 6 - 8 p.m.
🔗 https://loft.org/events/fire-here-staying-still-hieu-minh-nguyen

🛒 Buy the book: https://loftlit.co/stayingstill

09/06/2026

Apply for the Minneapolis Poet Laureate role at the linked application below. Image above: Junauda Petrus, 2025-2026 Poet Laureate

08/26/2026

🎤✏️ TODAY (8/26) at the Loft at Open Book: https://loft.org/events/lofts-2026-diversifying-writers-mixer-open-mic

4-5:30 PM: Mixer - Come write at Open Book for happy hour or socialize at the cafe downstairs
5:30 PM: Performance Hall doors open
6- 7:30 PM Diversifying Writers Open Mic/Reading

$10 for the public, $5 for Friends of the Loft, or just pay what you can!

Join us as we celebrate our writing community! During this social/writing hour, we encourage current and prospective friends of the Loft to come write with us for the first hour and half at Open Book, expand your network, and join us for the Diversifying Writers Open Mic Reading afterwards. Plus, si...

08/19/2026

✏️ Heid E. Erdrich. Junauda Petrus. Could YOU be the next Poet Laureate of Minneapolis?

📬 Applications are now open for 2027-2028! Bring your poetry into our city through public events, community engagement, teaching, and more. The two-year term includes a $16,000 honorarium. You must reside in Hennepin County to be eligible.

⏰ Deadline: October 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT.

✅ Apply + learn more: https://loftlit.co/mplspoetlaureate

ℹ️ Free info session on Sep 10 at the Loft: https://loft.org/index%2ephp/events/info-session-minneapolis-poet-laureate-2027-2028-application

08/19/2026

TONIGHT at the Loft at Open Book!

Celebrate some of the Loft's most vibrant new voices. Join us to discover fresh perspectives, hear compelling live excerpts, and connect in conversation. We'll be joined by MPR's Emily Bright, and award-winning writers Anika Fajardo and Ty Chapman. Following the readings, stay for a casual reception...