The Loft's Access Fund Pool is open for programming taking place in June 2024 - August 2025.  The Loft's Access Fund model allows you to submit a single online application to join the Pool and learn about Loft programs as they become available. The following programs are eligible for Loft Access Funds:

• Adult and youth education classes and workshops
• Lit!Series craft talks, pitches and consultations, and events
• Lit!Commons program
• Year-Long Writing Project (separate application)

These opportunities are meant to reduce financial barriers to participation in Loft classes and are available to individuals who are experiencing financial hardship and to whom the cost of tuition is a barrier to participation. 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 offerings that are access fund viable. If you are interested in any of these offerings, you will need to follow the given instructions to request a seat in the class. Seats for most offerings are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If a seat is available, you will be given a promo code (applied during checkout) that will provide a 95% reduction in tuition for a class. The access fund recipient is responsible for 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.

It is not mandatory to provide proof of financial hardship, but if you would like to provide documentation**, please submit documentation 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). 

**Optional documentation, if provided, should include 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. 

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

Thanks for your interest in volunteering with the Loft! Volunteers work closely with staff, author/personalities, and the literary community to execute Loft programming and events. The Loft primarily seeks volunteers interested in helping with literary events and occasional administrative projects. Please complete this form to tell us about yourself and what activities you'd be most interested in supporting as a volunteer. 

Applications for summer youth classes are now being accepted. Please contact Marianne Manzler at mmanzler@loft.org with any questions. Want to get feedback on your class proposal? Book a 15-minute feedback session with one of our education associates!

Summer Youth Classes (Half-Day and Full-Day) 2025

The Loft will offer weeklong classes across grades 1-12 for our community during the weeks of June 17 - August 12, Tuesday-Friday (please note there is no Loft programming the week of June 30-July 4). Please propose classes that would fit into our thematic weeks:

• Week 1 (Future Forward): June 17-20, 2025 // Imagination writing, futuristic & forward looking, speculative classes & social justice, more craft of writing type class for younger kiddos (like arts & crafts type class)
• Week 2 (Fantasy, Sci Fi, Horror, Oh My!): June 24-27, 2025 
• Week 3 (Draft Labs and Misc Classes): July 15-18, 2025 // Only morning sessions for grades 1-9; only afternoon sessions for grades 10-12; half-day sessions to break up the program, screenwriting
• Week 4 (Author Boot Camp - Middle School Writing Intensive): July 22-25, 2025 // creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, screenwriting (Tuesday-Friday, 9:30AM-3:30PM with 1-hour lunch break each day and 1 scheduled off period, flat fee) 
• Week 5 (Author Boot Camp - High School Writing Intensive): July 29-August 1, 2025 // creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, screenwriting (Tuesday-Friday, 9:30AM-3:30PM with 1-hour lunch break each day and 1 scheduled off period, flat fee) 
• Week 6 (Spectacular WorldsL World building): August 5-8, 2025 // World Building, fantasy, imagination work, 
• Week 7 (Freedom Theme): August 12-15, 2025 // (CNF, Poetry, Multi-genre, Other) - See more about our yearlong theme of WORD! + our 50th anniversary!

*For grades 1-9, classes are 2.5hrs/day, 4days/week. Students will sign up for daylong instruction. Classes will be marketed to constituents as daylong offerings, and sign-ups will include classes proposed by multiple teachers. The marketed title for weekly summer sessions may be determined by the Loft. Your class will be your time with the students, and unless proposed as such, will not be team-taught. A usual day of programing for students might look like this:

• 9:00-11:30 AM - Morning Session - Class proposed by teaching artist 1 
• 11:30-1:30 PM - Midday Enrichment/Field Trip + Lunch with Loft staff
• 1:30-4:00 PM - Afternoon Session - Class proposed by teaching artist 2

*For grades 10-12, classes are 3hrs/day, 4day/week. Students will sign up for individual classes.

*There are now limited slots available for virtual classes for grades 6-12 so please propose a class even if you are not local to Minneapolis!

*Each week will culminate in a final student reading, which we would love to have a teaching artist help facilitate. They take place every Friday at 12-1:30 in the Performance Hall during the summer. Please let us know if you'd like to MC!

*Young Writers Middle School & High School Writing Intensives, Tuesday-Friday, 9:30am-3:30 pm

• Week 4 (Middle School Intensive): July 22-25, 2025 // creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, screenwriting
• Week 5 (High School Intensive): July 29-August 1, 2025 // creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, screenwriting

~New~ For grades 6-8 and 9-12, we offer middle school and high school writing intensives (in person only), which are 4-day full-day summer camps where students rotate through and specialize in core genres (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting), participate in morning/afternoon activity with staff or teaching artists, performance prep, revision/office hours with TAs, and read in a final reading on Friday, open to family and the public. Students fill out a short application and submit a writing sample to indicate genre of choice. There will be an opportunity to submit their work to be published in the Loft's first-ever Young Writers Anthology (and also vote on the journal title/cover). A usual day of programming for students might look like this:

General Genre Day (Day 1-2)

• 9:30 AM - CNF TA Intro Community-Building Activity
• 10:00-10:50AM Group 1: Poetry Group 2: CNF Group 3: Fiction Group 4: Screenwriting
• 11-11:50AM Group 2: Poetry Group 3: CNF Group 4: Fiction Group 1: Screenwriting
• 12:00-12:50 PM Lunch
• 1:00-1:50 PM Group 3: Poetry Group 4: CNF Group 1: Fiction Group 2: Screenwriting
• 2:00-2:50 PM Group 3: Poetry Group 4: CNF Group 1: Fiction Group 2: Screenwriting
• 3:00-3:30 PM Fiction TA Closing Community-Building Activity

Specialization Day (Day 3-4)

• 9:30 AM Screenwriting TA Intro Community-Building Activity
• 10AM-10:50 AM Group 1: Fiction Group 2: CNF Group 3: Screenwriting
• 11AM-11:50 AM Group 1: CNF Group 2: Screenwriting Group 3: Poetry
• 12:00-12:50 PM Lunch
• 1PM-1:50 PM Group 1: Screenwriting Group 2: Poetry Group 3: Fiction
• 2:00-2:50: Revision/Office Hours w/TAs
• 3:00-3:30: Poetry TA Closing Community Building Activity

If you have applied to a writing residency or teaching fellowship that will render you unavailable to teach during certain days or entire periods listed on this form, please do not mark them as part of the time frame you are available to teach, even if you're not yet sure if you've been accepted to the residency.

         *If you would like to submit multiple class proposals, please complete this form for each individual proposal.
 

About Young Writers

         Young students include motivated writers who are passionate about their art, as well as reluctant readers and writers who may lack confidence in their abilities. Classes are now offered by grade-range, typically (but not exclusively) students entering:
 

• Grades 1-3
• Grades 4-6
• Grades 7-9
• Grades 10-12

Please note that our most popular age range with constituents is grades 7-9. Teaching Artists should tailor their content to the students’ age and developmental level.   

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).

         Most Loft policies for adult education apply to the Young Writers’ Program as well (teaching artist pay rate, cancellation of class due to low enrollment policy, etc.), but there are many exceptions and additions meant to serve the different needs of a youth population. For more information, or if you have questions, please contact the program manager, Marianne Manzler at mmanzler@loft.org.

More Information

The posted Reference Guide for Teaching Artists can be found on the website and has many answers to FAQ's on everything from Loft policies to teacher pay to descriptions of all the various programs and opportunities the Loft has to offer.

         The Loft is dedicated to offering classes that are as imaginative and multicultural as the students and communities that we serve. 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). Class proposals not adhering to these stipulations are unlikely to be accepted.

         The Loft will hold two Information Sessions via Zoom about Summer Youth 2025 teaching. 

• September 26, 2024 @ 4-5 PM (TA proposals open)
• November 19 @ 4-5 PM

To register for an info session, or with any other questions, email Marianne at mmanzler@loft.org.
    RSVP here for an informational session.

McKnight Fellowships for Writers, $25,000 Loft Awards in Creative Prose and in Children’s Literature/Older Children
 

DEADLINE: 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Entries must be submitted through our online portal, Submittable, by 11:59 p.m. Please note that our office hours are not extended on that date, so please ask questions and make sure you are familiar with the application process before the deadline.

The Loft Literary Center is pleased to announce the 2025 McKnight Fellowships for Writers, made possible by the generous support of the McKnight Foundation. 

The McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship disciplines include: Printmaking (Highpoint Center), Book Arts (MCBA), Fiber Arts (Textile Center), Choreographers and Dancers (Cowles Center), Media Artists (FilmNorth), Visual Artists (MCAD), Ceramics (Northern Clay Center), Composers (American Composers Forum), Musicians (MacPhail Center), Writers (Loft Literary Center), Playwrights (Playwrights’ Center), Theater Artists (Playwrights’ Center), Culture Bearers (Indigenous Roots), and Community-Engaged Artists (Pillsbury House).
 

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The intent of the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearers Fellowships program is to recognize and support artists and culture bearers who are beyond emerging and have sustained experience in their area of practice. Fellows demonstrate achievement, commitment, and high level proficiency in artistic and/or culture bearer practice that contributes to their field and impacts and benefits people in Minnesota.

The McKnight Fellowships for Writers provide Minnesota writers who are beyond emerging with an opportunity to work on their craft for a concentrated period of time.

One $25,000 fellowship is awarded each year in children’s literature, including poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. This year’s award is offered to a writer for children 8 years of age and older, which includes the genres of Middle Grade and Young Adult literature. 

Four $25,000 fellowships are offered in alternating years to writers of creative prose and poetry/spoken word. The 2025 year cycle is in creative prose, which includes writing for adults in the genres of fiction and literary nonfiction such as memoir, personal essay, and autobiography.

These fellowships do not support the work of playwriting, journalism, or nonfiction that is written primarily for educational or technical use.

In addition to the award money, fellows are offered a variety of professional development opportunities, including an opportunity to participate in a fully-funded artist residency through a partnership with the Artist Communities Alliance. 

JUDGING FOR THE MCKNIGHT ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS FOR WRITERS

Prominent writers and editors living outside of Minnesota serve as the judges. There are no screening judges. All manuscripts are judged anonymously.

Due to the number of entries received, it is not possible for the judges to make individual comments on the manuscripts.

ELIGIBILITY

General Requirements

Applicants must have been legal residents of Minnesota for at least 12 months prior to the application deadline (since November 19, 2023) and must reside in Minnesota for the duration of the fellowship.

Full-time students in a degree granting program (if you're a student at the time of application and/or if you will be starting your program during the fellowship year, which begins in 2025 and goes till April 2026) are not eligible to apply.

Applicants may apply for only one McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship per year. You may not apply for the Award in Creative Prose and also apply for any other McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowships, including the Award in Children’s Literature or a McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship in an alternate discipline, such as ceramics or music.

Recipients of the McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship in any discipline in the last five years are not eligible to apply, so recipients of a 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, or 2024 McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship in any discipline are not eligible to apply. Honorable mentions are eligible. 

Recipients of a McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship prior to 2020 must demonstrate a new body of work since their last McKnight Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship.

Loft and McKnight Foundation staff and board members are not eligible. Immediate family members of staff or board members of the Loft or McKnight Foundation are also not eligible.

If you have questions about your eligibility for the McKnight Fellowships for Writers, please email Marion Gómez, program manager of awards, at mgomez@loft.org by November 13, 2024.

Additional Requirements for the Loft Awards in Creative Prose

In addition to the general eligibility requirements, applicants must have:

• Published a book (e.g., novel, memoir, collection of short stories or personal essays) OR
• Published at least five pieces of original creative prose (fiction, creative nonfiction, or a combination of the two) in no fewer than three literary journals or magazines that regularly feature creative prose as part of their format. Work published in an online journal that has an editorial process is eligible. Work published in an anthology is eligible. The same piece printed in a journal and in an anthology may only be counted once; applicants may not use multiple publications of the same work to meet the five required pieces.
• Authors counting a self-published book for eligibility must include a brief letter from the publisher confirming that the manuscript underwent an editorial process. Please upload this in the eligibility requirements.
• Work that is pending publication and will be published before April 1, 2025, is eligible. When asked for proof of eligibility, please upload a letter from the editor or publisher stating the date of publication with proof of publication.

Additional Requirements for the Loft Award in Children’s Literature

In addition to the general eligibility requirements, applicants must have

• Published a book for children eight years of age or older, in any genre other than educational textbook material, OR
• Published at least three pieces of original work in one or more publications that regularly feature creative work for children eight years of age or older as part of their format. Work published in an online journal that has an editorial process is eligible. Work published in an anthology is eligible. The same piece printed in a journal and in an anthology may only be counted once; applicants may not use multiple publications of the same work to meet the three required pieces.
• Work that is pending publication and will be published before April 1, 2025, is eligible. Please provide a letter from the editor or publisher stating the date of publication with proof of publication.

Ineligible Work in Both Awards:

• Student-only publications
• Self-published books that did not go through an editorial process
• Work published on personal home pages or online sites that do not have an editorial process.
• Work in a genre outside the category in which you are applying (e.g., published poetry may not be used to meet the publication requirements for the Award in Creative Prose and writing for children younger than eight years of age may not be used to meet the publication requirements for the Award in Children's Literature/Older Children).
• Work that has previously won a McKnight Artist Fellowships for Writers. If you are a previous winner, you must submit a manuscript different from the one for which you received the earlier award.
• Translations.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

You must apply through Submittable, and you will need to create a Submittable account if you do not already have one. If you have technical submission questions, please contact Submittable technical support at help.submittable.com.

In addition to the form in Submittable, you will need to prepare three files to upload with your submission (see descriptions further down the page for details):

• a work sample
• proof of Minnesota residency
• proof of publication
• if self published, or have work pending publication, a letter from the editor

WORK SAMPLE

Please prepare your writing sample.  Work samples may be published writing. All work samples must be anonymous. If your name appears as part of the manuscript text, omit it, use a pseudonym, or redact it out so it is illegible. Do not include your name as part of the writing sample file name. Identifying information should only be included in the Submittable application form--these parts of the form are not accessible to the judge. Identifying information anywhere in the submitted work sample file will disqualify your submission.

Loft Awards in Creative Prose: Applicants should submit at least 20 but no more than 25 pages of a typed (12-point font), double-spaced manuscript. Pages must be consecutively numbered.

Loft Award in Children’s Literature: Applicants should submit a writing sample that is at least five but no more than 20 pages in length that is written for ages eight and older. Work samples may be in prose or poetry or a combination of the two. All work samples must be typed in a 12-point font. Prose submissions should be double-spaced. Poetry may be single- or double-spaced. All pages must be consecutively numbered.

Work samples may be submitted as PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, MP3, WAV, MP4, or MOV files.                                          

PROOF OF RESIDENCY

The Loft requires finalists to provide proof of Minnesota residency. This may be a scan or digital photo of a valid Minnesota driver’s license, ID, or utilities bill with name and address and date. Name, address, and date should be clearly legible.

PROOF OF PUBLICATION

Applicants must submit proof of each publication necessary to meet eligibility. For books, we will need a photocopy or scanned image of the title and copyright pages. For journals, we will need photocopies or scanned documents of either the cover or title page of the journal as well as the table of contents page and the pages on which your work appears. If it is an online publication that has an editorial process, please provide links or screenshots of the publication. For self-published books, please provide a brief letter from the publisher confirming an editorial process.
 

• Applicants should include a brief biographical statement—you will see a field for this in Submittable. Do not attach the biographical statement to your work sample. The biographical statement is used for publicity purposes only when the winners are announced. Biographical statements are not seen by the judges.

DEADLINE: 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Due to the anticipated volume of requests for help, please plan ahead and ask questions before the deadline week to ensure a reply. Please note that the Loft office hours will not be extended the evening of the deadline. Entrants will be notified of their status by the end of April, 2025. Winners will begin receiving payments in May, 2025.