writer | educator | editor
Mumu Stories, every other Sunday, breaks bread with guest artists, family members, entrepreneurs, and topics range from childhood myths to creative journeys. This newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
EVENT: Truth Be Told, an evening of live storytelling
DATE: Sunday, January 4, 7-9 pm, doors open at 6:30.
PLACE: New City Center, 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407 (our event will be held in the Cedar Room, aka the sanctuary). Plenty of free street parking in the surrounding blocks.
There's no charge for the event, but there will be a free will offering - half for the storytellers and half for Sisters Camelot, a local food justice nonprofit.
Hosted by novelist, poet, and Moth Grand Slam Winner Alison McGhee
Want to try your hand at writing creative nonfiction? Perhaps you'd like to take a creative nonfiction class, but you're not sure if it's a great fit for you—or you're not sure if taking an online writing class will be the experience you're hoping for. If you're new to the Loft, online classes, or creative writing—or you'd just like the opportunity to try a nonfiction/memoir class for a brief time, meet other writers, and find a writing community while finding your own voice—this Sampler Class is the place for you! For one specially reduced price, you'll get an hour of instruction on craft and engaging discussion. If you enjoy this sampler class, you can sign up for Marianne's generative nonfiction class later this season or another Loft class!
From childhood myths to creative journeys, this newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
What if your story doesn't fit into a traditional narrative structure? In this generative course, you'll consider a fresh perspective on your stories. We will examine examples of innovative and hybrid essays by Jen Soriano, Lia Purpura and Roxane Gay and engage in exercises that explore structure, shifting POV, and flash essay. These experiments will open new pathways for expression, providing a new perspective and entry points into your memoir project.
In this 10-session generative course, you'll consider a new perspective on your stories. We will examine examples of innovative and hybrid memoirs by Jen Soriano, Lia Purpura and Roxane Gay and respond to creative nonfiction writing prompts. These experiments will open new pathways for expression, providing a new perspective and entry points into your memoir project.
This course welcomes anyone wanting to build community with other writers, hone their skills, read new works, and learn about new forms. It is best suited for intermediate writers.
In this workshop, we’ll use our words as tools for change. We’ll examine the ways writers and writing can impact communities, and the role that writers and literature play in effecting social change and justice. By the end of the session, we’ll have several new pieces of writing that reflect the change we want in our community and world, and we’ll find creative ways to share these pieces with the world, too.
From childhood myths to creative journeys, this newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
Join us for a day of theater fun! We'll write our own plays, then create original scenery and costumes. At the end of class, we'll perform our plays in front of a small, invited audience.
From childhood myths to creative journeys, this newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
From childhood myths to creative journeys, this newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
In this 8-session class, we will explore different methods of writing about our experiences with illness.
From science writing to historical fiction and diaries to essays, there are a multitude of approaches to writing about illness. Weekly readings will provide examples of these approaches. Writing exercises will guide us through ways we might incorporate these techniques into our own writing.
Approaches covered include using archival research, writing the personal essay, and forms like prose poetry and diary entries. As we explore a variety of techniques, we will learn how our experiences of illness can be contextualized, and the many ways we can tell our own stories.
Readings will include work by Audre Lorde, Susan Sontag, Virigina Woolf, Alphonse Daude, Anne Boyer, and others.
Do you love to write, and also love to craft? In this hands-on, creative class, we’ll spend half our time writing and the other half crafting our words into pieces of art. We’ll write a series of poems and then compile them into zines or chapbooks using beautiful papers, all as a means of self-publishing our words–craftily!
Join local writer, editor, and Loft Literary Center education manager Marianne Manzler for this workshop at 826MSP, where we’ll discover the power of personal and collective storytelling. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Join us for the launch of the inaugural Loft Youth Anthology, featuring exceptional work by young writers from Loft classes held between September 2024 and August 2025. Contributors will share selections from their pieces during a special reading, followed by a book signing and a short reception.
Tickets include a copy of the 2025 Loft Youth Anthology. Additional copies will be available for purchase at the event.
Check-in starts at 5:30 PM; the event begins promptly at 6:00 PM.
The reading will be held in the Performance Hall on the 2nd floor of the Open Book building.
About the Anthology:
The 2025 Loft Youth Anthology showcases exceptional work by young writers who participated in Loft classes from September 2024 to August 2025. This inaugural collection highlights the unique voices and creative talents of local Minneapolis youth. The event celebrates these emerging writers as they share their work in a public reading and Q&A, followed by a book signing and reception. Proceeds from ticket sales support the Loft’s mission to inspire and nurture young writers in Minneapolis and beyond.
Mumu Stories, every other Sunday, breaks bread with guest artists, family members, entrepreneurs, and topics range from childhood myths to creative journeys. This newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
Mumu Stories New Works Reading at Magers and Quinn, hosted by FY25 MSAB recipient Marianne Manzler ft. Dralandra Larkins, Tish Jones, Michelle Zamanian, and Daniel the Violinist.
Writers group with current medical students, physicians, and residents
Mumu Stories, every other Sunday, breaks bread with guest artists, family members, entrepreneurs, and topics range from childhood myths to creative journeys. This newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
Art Club invites you to join Marianne Manzler from the Loft Literary Center for a night of dynamic interactive writing workshops. Enjoy drop-in activities connected to the Walker’s permanent collection This Must Be the Place and creative opportunities for writers to participate in purposeful free-writing.
Materials are provided and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis; supplies are limited. Activities are designed for all skill levels. No prior registration is required for Art Club. The more you visit, the more you’ll discover.
Gallery admission is free on Thursday nights, 5 to 9 pm. Save time and reserve your gallery admission tickets online. Please note: Individual events during Free Thursday Nights are first-come, first-serve
Photo by Walker Art Museum
From books and memories to the world around us, inspiration for a story can come from anywhere. Join this Teen Maker Break workshop in the Art Lab between 2 and 5 pm to explore the power of the personal and collective narrative with Marianne Manzler, local writer, editor, and education manager at the Loft Literary Center. Participants are encouraged to share their work in writing and verbally in response to prompts and artwork on view in the galleries. Co-hosted in partnership with the Loft Literary Center, this program is open to teen writers of all genres and levels. Free, no registration required.
Photo by Walker Art Museum
https://walkerart.org/visit/teen-program/
Writers group with current medical students, physicians, and residents
Do you love to write, and also love to craft? In this hands-on, creative class, we’ll spend half our time writing and the other half crafting our words into pieces of art. We’ll write a series of poems and then compile them into zines or chapbooks using beautiful papers, all as a means of self-publishing our words–craftily!
Join local writer, editor, and Loft Literary Center education manager Marianne Manzler for this workshop at 826MSP, where we’ll discover the power of personal and collective storytelling. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Mumu Stories, every other Sunday, breaks bread with guest artists, family members, entrepreneurs, and topics range from childhood myths to creative journeys. This newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
Mumu Stories, every other Sunday, breaks bread with guest artists, family members, entrepreneurs, and topics range from childhood myths to creative journeys. This newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
Writing a memoir requires self-examination and honesty, which can be challenging when writing about trauma or from a marginalized perspective. By offering generative prompts that encourage a fresh perspective on your stories, we aim to make this process less daunting. We will explore the writing process, examine examples of innovative and hybrid memoirs and essays, engage in exercises that explore characterization, personal archives and history, and speculative elements. These experiments will open new pathways for expression, providing entry points for developing your writing and uncovering hidden stories from within.
This course welcomes anyone wanting to hone their skills and receive feedback in a supportive environment, and it is best suited for intermediate writers but writers from. You do not need to submit anything in advance to join.
Join and celebrate the Loft's young writers as they read from works written in a Loft summer youth camp! This reading takes place from 12:30-1:30PM and is open to family, friends, and the public.
Please email edu@loft.org at least three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this event. Please note the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.
Join and celebrate the Loft's young writers as they read from works written in a Loft summer youth camp! This reading takes place from 12:30-1:30PM and is open to family, friends, and the public.
Please email edu@loft.org at least three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this event. Please note the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.
Join and celebrate the Loft's young writers as they read from works written in a Loft summer youth camp! This reading takes place from 12:30-1:30PM and is open to family, friends, and the public.
Please email edu@loft.org at least three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this event. Please note the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.
Mumu Stories, every other Sunday, breaks bread with guest artists, family members, entrepreneurs, and topics range from childhood myths to creative journeys. This newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
Join and celebrate the Loft's young writers as they read from works written in a Loft summer youth camp! This reading takes place from 12:30-1:30PM and is open to family, friends, and the public.
Please email edu@loft.org at least three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this event. Please note the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.
Evening reading with Kenyon Review Writers Workshop participants, fellows, and faculty in Brandi Hall
Photo by Asa Drake
Join and celebrate the Loft's young writers as they read from works written in a Loft summer youth camp! This reading takes place from 12:30-1:30PM and is open to family, friends, and the public.
Please email edu@loft.org at least three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this event. Please note the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.
Welcome to the Loft's Summer Youth program at Open Book! Join us for a week of writing, creativity, and exploration!
In this multigenre class, we’ll use outdoor spaces to inspire essays, poetry, and prose. The creative process is shaped by environment, so we'll use Minneapolis as our muse. We’ll write on-site at iconic locations like the Stone Arch Bridge, Mill City Museum and Ruins, the Guthrie Theater, the Minneapolis Central Library, and City Hall. Each setting offers unique inspiration, from riverfront serenity to urban energy.
Our days will begin at the Loft Literary Center before we venture out for daily walking or metro trips.
As part of class, students will read works by established writers who incorporate nature and wildlife, analyzing how these elements shape deeper themes. Through in-class exercises and discussions, students will create their own work, integrating the natural world into personal narratives.
By the end of the week, students will have a portfolio of work reflecting their connection to nature and place. Join us for a dynamic week of creativity and community!
Comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate gear are essential, as we’ll write rain or shine.
Mumu Stories, every other Sunday, breaks bread with guest artists, family members, entrepreneurs, and topics range from childhood myths to creative journeys. This newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
Join and celebrate the Loft's young writers as they read from works written in a Loft summer youth camp! This reading takes place from 12:30-1:30PM and is open to family, friends, and the public.
Please email edu@loft.org at least three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this event. Please note the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.
From childhood myths to creative journeys, this newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
The Loft presents an evening of student readings! Come join us for a showcase of some of the Loft's talented students, as they read some of their own work.
10 student enrolled in 2024-2025 classes will be reading the work/s of their choice. All genres/formats are welcome! Also, we highly encourage all interested students to attend the reading as well as family and friends!
Interested in reading? We'll host 10 students who enrolled in a 2024-2025 class to read a work of their choice (5-7 minutes long). All genres and formats welcome! If you are interested in claiming a spot to read, please email or call the Education Department at edu@loft.org or 612-379-8999 so we can verify your enrollment and get your spot in the reading confirmed!
This event is free and open to the public. Masks are highly encouraged, but not required. This event will be taking place in the Performance Hall at Open Book. Doors open at 5:30 and event starts at 6 PM.
From childhood myths to creative journeys, this newsletter & podcast explores the stories that shape us, haunt us, linger in between.
Please join us to celebrate the conclusion of the 2024 Year-Long Fiction Writing Project. Participants from the Year-Long 2024 Fiction Writing Project will read from their completed manuscripts at this culminating event. The Fiction cohort is led by Alison McGhee.
This online event is free and open to the public, but you must register to attend. You will receive Zoom login instructions with your confirmation email.
Writing a memoir requires profound self-examination and honesty, which can be challenging when writing about trauma or from a marginalized perspective. By offering generative prompts that encourage a fresh perspective on your stories, we aim to make this process less daunting. We will discuss the writing process and examine examples of innovative and hybrid memoirs and essays, engaging in exercises that explore structure, constraints, archives, and speculative elements. These experiments will open new pathways for expression, providing entry points for developing your writing.
About the Event:
Join Sherrie Fernandez-Williams and Patti Kameya for an afternoon of stories, writing, and community connection. Sherrie and Patti will read from their recent work on immigrants, Indigenous peoples, and people of color finding home in a land that valued their labor and commodities while overlooking their shared humanity. Reading will be followed by an open mic, where you can contribute to a community poem and read your story or poem of finding home in a commodified life.
Sherrie Fernandez-Williams and Patti Kameya are fiscal year 2024 recipients of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Meet the Readers:
Patti Kameya writes, edits, forages wild plants, and treats historical amnesia in the Dakota homeland of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Her writing appears in North Dakota Quarterly (2022), This Was 2020 by the Minnesota Libraries Publishing Project (2021), and elsewhere. She occasionally performs comedy with Funny Asian Women Kollective. Find her other work at pattikameya.com.
Sherrie Fernandez-Williams is the author of Soft: A Memoir and the book of poems Goddess of the Whole Self. She is a 2021-2023 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow and a 2021 Black Voices in Children’s Literature winner. Writer of essays, poems, and fiction, her work has been published in New Limestone Review, Aquifer: The Florida Review, and Duke University's minnesota review, among others.
Learn more: https://www.xiagallerycafe.com/finding-home-reading-and-open-mic
