The Loft's Access Funds Pool is open for classes taking place in September 2023 - August 2024. The Loft's Access Fund model allows you to submit a single online application for adult class access funds. These opportunities are meant to reduce financial barriers to participation in Loft classes and are available to individuals who can provide proof of eligibility, such as participation in one or more public assistance programs.* Once accepted, available seats are emailed out as they become available, about 1-2 times a month. These email alerts will give you access to a list of classes that are currently access fund viable. If you are interested in any of these classes, you will need to call the Loft Education office at 612-379-8999 to claim your class and be given a promo code (applied during checkout) that will provide a 95% reduction in tuition for a class. The access fund recipient pays the remaining 5% cost, which will vary depending on the regular price of the class.
The Loft is committed to equity in our programming by creating opportunities for folks who face barriers to participation in artistic career development. While Loft class access funds are focused on reducing financial barriers, we want to strongly encourage individuals from historically marginalized communities to apply, including, but not limited to, Black and Indigenous people and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, as well as low income individuals.
Please note: these seats are offered first-come first-served, about a week to two weeks before the respective class starts. You can sign up for specific genres of classes or call out a specific class you are interested in; however, that does not guarantee a spot. Meaning, you'll have to wait for a class that matches your interests and schedule. To apply, please provide proof of eligibility that includes: 1) Your name & address 2) Public assistance program name** 3) A recent date. Then, use your mobile phone's camera, scanner, or good old snail mail to send us your documentation after, or along with your online application below.
More questions? Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
*If you are not eligible for our access fund program but still require financial assistance, please consider our payment plan option through Sezzle to help manage the cost of class tuition. **Examples of Accepted Public Assistance Programs
- TANF
- MFIP
- General Assistance
- WIC
- Medicaid, Medical Assistance, or Minnesota Care
- SSI (Disability, Not Retirement)
- Food Stamps
- Unemployment
- Section 8 Housing
- Free or Reduced Price School Meals
Thank you for your interest in applying for an Access Fund spot in one of the Lit!Series workshops! Please use the form below to complete the application. If you have questions or if this virtual form is a barrier for you, please contact education staff at 612-379-8999 or edu@loft.org for assistance. The Loft is committed to equity in our programming by creating opportunities for folks who face barriers to participation in artistic career development. We encourage individuals from historically marginalized communities to apply, including, but not limited to, Black and Indigenous people and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+ individuals, low-income individuals, and people with disabilities. We anticipate far more applications from highly qualified candidates than we can possibly accept. Please know our scholarship committee reads every application we receive and evaluates them holistically based five central factors (in no particular order):
- Describe your current writing project. What is your current writing project about and how can the Loft community help you achieve your goals? Why are you interested in working with this particular teaching artist? Why the Loft, why now?
- Demonstrated interest in the art and craft of writing. What experience do you have with writing and writing workshops? How have you demonstrated a commitment to the craft, whether professionally or personally?
- Desire for resources and community. What other resources or opportunities have you had (or not had) access to? Why do you seek the community a small, intensive cohort provides?
- Experienced financial and lived barriers to participation in artistic career development The Loft understands that financial barriers are not the only barriers to participation in writing development opportunities. Have other factors impacted your ability to participate in similar programs? Do you identify as part of a historically marginalized community? Please describe what factors impact your need for financial assistance. Are you enrolled in a public assistance program, such as TANF; MFIP; General Assistance; WIC; Medicaid, Medical Assistance, or Minnesota Care; SSI (disability, not retirement); food stamps; Section 8 Housing? If not, what factors impact your need for financial assistance to take a Loft class?
Application Timeline
- May 17 at 11:59 PM CST: Application closes
- May - June: Selection committee will review applications
- June 7: Finalists will be notified of their status no later than this date
Thank you for your interest in teaching with the Loft! This proposal form is for Adult Classes for 2024 Fall Term and Winter/Spring 2025 Term.
On our website, we have resources and FAQs to assist you in submitting proposals. Before contacting Program Manager of Education Marianne Manzler <mmanzler@loft.org> with questions, please review the following:
- Reference Guide for Teaching Artists
- Inclusion, Equity, and Antiracism
- Loft Code of Conduct
- Submittable Guide
We are offering optional office hours for proposal-related questions or application feedback on Tuesday, April 30 from 4-5 PM to answer any questions. RSVP here!
Loft’s Mission & Vision
The Loft advances the power of writers and readers to craft and share stories, to create and celebrate connections, and to build just, life-sustaining communities.
We envision a world where the power of the word liberates minds, deepens relationships, and inspires movements for people and planet. As an antiracist organization, the Loft develops literary experiences for writers, readers, and storytellers because racism dehumanizes people, and poetry and stories deepen our connection to our shared humanity. Recognizing the relationship between race, power, and resources, we prioritize the engagement of BIPOC/marginalized communities and work for the equitable distribution of our power and resources.The Loft is dedicated to offering classes that are imaginative, multicultural, and responsive. We seek reading lists, class content, and approaches to discussions on craft that are inclusive and diverse, as well as timely, contemporary and accessible (readily available online, not out of print).
Teaching Statement
You must include a strong, considered statement on how your class plan and teaching strategies will align with the Loft’s goal to be equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist in its classrooms and with its programming. Here are some suggested resources—especially if you need help leading and navigating classroom discussions of student work as they relate to these topics:
- How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
- A Good Time for the Truth, edited by Sun Yung Shin
- Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses
- Anti-Racism Writing Workshop: How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom by Felicia Rose Chavez
- Appropriate: A Provocation by Paisley Rekdal
Online Learning Resources:
For an idea of how the Loft continues to build knowledge and capacity on this, please visit Team Dynamics.com and IDIInventory.com National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) ASDICircle.org. These are just a few of the many resources available on creating an inclusive learning environment in your classroom; if you are unsure of how to do this, or don't understand how to articulate how your lesson plan and teaching strategies will create this kind of environment in your classroom, feel free to connect with the Loft's Interim Education Manager before you propose your class - Marianne Manzler <mmanzler@loft.org>.
The Loft will deliver classes in two formats for the fall term, 2024
- In-Person Classes take place at Open Book, in downtown Minneapolis, in a Loft classroom space.
- Online/Zoom Classes via Zoom. Multi-week Online/Zoom classes also come with the optional Google Classroom supplement to make materials available to students.
- Asynchronous Classes via Thinkific
What We're Looking For
Publishing, Pitching, Editing, Professional Development, Essays, Poetry, Digital Storytelling, Children's Literature, YA Writing, family history writing, and advanced submission, single or two-day writing feedback intensives.
Classes that address the Loft@50 Theme: Word!
We have always believed in the power of the word!
Word: a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others or sometimes alone to form a sentence and typically shown with a space on either side when written or printed.
Word: a command, password, or signal. “someone gave me the word to start playing”
Word: one’s account of the truth, especially when it differs from that of another person.
Word: used to express agreement.
Strong and flexible lesson plans. Loft classes give writers opportunities to engage with their teaching artist and one another, while also providing instruction on craft, engaging discussion, and in-class writing activities, as well as writing prompts students can work on between class meetings. Teaching artists are encouraged to give their students a syllabus or overview of the class on day one, as that gives them a sense of what to expect.
6-Week Asynchronous Class. What kinds of courses can you propose for an asynchronous learning environment? Check out Lit!Commons to get a sense for the platform and style.
Please refer to the Loft’s Teacher Guide to see if your class might be a fit.
What we are not looking for
We have not had success with classes that feel academic in nature (e.g., assigning academic writing texts, theoretical texts, reading lists that are too long, reading workshops built around classics) or are too niche (e.g., somatic writing, writing in translation). Please get to know our catalog and current offerings to see what we do at loft.org.
Timeline
May 16, 2024 | Fall Proposals Due
May - June 2024 | Craft team selects classes and selection notification begins
June 28, 2024 | Fall Registration Opens Online
September 17, 2024 - December 12, 2024 | Fall Session
Winter/spring class proposals accepted until early September.
September - November | Craft team reviews classes and selection notification begins
November | Winter registration opens online
Winter/spring session: January 21 - April 19
FY 24-25 | Access Funds pool is open and accepts applications on a rolling basis
This form is for a Youth Class for Fall 2024. Proposals are due May 19, 2024 at 11:59 PM CST.
On our website, we have resources and FAQs to assist you in submitting proposals. Before contacting Program Manager Marianne Manzler <mmanzler@loft.org> with questions, please review the following:
- Reference Guide for Teaching Artists
- Inclusion, Equity, and Antiracism
- Loft Code of Conduct
- Submittable Guide
The Loft is dedicated to offering classes that are imaginative, multicultural, and responsive. We seek reading lists, class content, and approaches to discussions on craft that are inclusive and diverse, as well as timely, contemporary and accessible (readily available online, not out of print).
You must include a strong, considered statement on how your class plan and teaching strategies will align with the Loft’s goal to be equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist in its classrooms and with its programming. If you need time to understand what the Loft means by this, or are simply curious for more information, here are some suggested resources—especially if you need help leading and navigating classroom discussions of student work as they relate to these topics:
- How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
- A Good Time for the Truth, edited by Sun Yung Shin
- Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses
- Anti-Racism Writing Workshop: How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom by Felicia Rose Chavez
- Appropriate: A Provocation by Paisley Rekdal
Online Learning Resources:
For an idea of how the Loft continues to build knowledge and capacity on this, please visit Team Dynamics.com and IDIInventory.com National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) ASDICircle.orgThese are just a few of the many resources available on creating an inclusive learning environment in your classroom; if you are unsure of how to do this, or don't understand how to articulate how your lesson plan and teaching strategies will create this kind of environment in your classroom, feel free to connect with the Loft's Program Manager before you propose your class - Marianne Manzler <mmanzler@loft.org>.
In order to teach online, Loft teaching artists must have a reliable and high speed internet connection and a computer, as well as basic knowledge of computer use, Zoom and Google Classroom, or WetInk. The Loft can not provide you with a computer or internet access.
What We're Looking For:
Reading lists and class content that are inclusive and diverse. Please ensure one perspective is not centered on a monolithic approach to experience and expression.
Classes across genre. We will note though that as of late, classes in fiction and screenwriting fill quickest. According to our surveys of youth students, horror, fantasy, and sci-fi are our most requested subgenres.
Strong and flexible lesson plans. Loft classes give young writers opportunities to engage with their teaching artist and one another, while also providing instruction on craft, engaging discussion, and in-class writing activities, as well as writing prompts students can work on between class meetings.
Special Needs for Fall 2024:
Loft After-School Online - We're looking to schedule several "Loft After-School" classes that would meet weekday afternoons typically from 3:30 -5:00pm or 4:00-5:30pm CST for three to four sessions of 60-90 minutes each.
Themed youth classes around holidays - Fall/nature writing, halloween/writing scary stories, winter/snowflakes, etc.
Writing Groups/Creative Writing Workshop classes across age ranges - These classes are meant to build community, provide opportunities to meet and connect other writers, get feedback, get prompts, and share ideas. These are generic, multi-genre, and more “informal” classes with a main goal of connecting young writers with each other.
Saturday, single session programming in-person - This Fall we will be scheduling single session three hour classes on Saturdays. These classes will take place in-person at Open Book
Compensation
You’ll be paid $7.00 per student per contact hour based on enrollment for your second class meeting (students may drop the class during the first week). For example, if you are teaching a 6-week class (meeting 2 hours per week for 6 weeks) with an enrollment of 14 students, your compensation will be $1,176.
Minimum enrollment is 7 students, maximum enrollment is 17 students.
Please contact Program Manager Marianne Manzler <mmanzler@loft.org> with any questions.