The Loft Literary Center, located on Washington Avenue as you approach downtown Minneapolis, is an aspiring writers dream. You can choose from any manner of classes (travel writing, poetry, memoir, essays, fiction, etc) and tuition is on a sliding scale. When you're suffering from lack of inspiration or have a home that is a less than desirable place to write, you can join the Loft and pay a nominal fee to use their "writer's studios." It seems so decadent yet so smart! The renovated brick buildings that house the Loft are themselves inspiring with their palpable sense of history and grand windows showcasing the city life outside.The Loft is part of the larger Open Book organization--which in addition to hosting the Loft in the upstairs space, is also home to the Rosalux Gallery, Milkweed Editions publishing, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and the Coffee Gallery. What I've also recently learned is that Open Book, is:
"the first facility in the nation devoted to the literary arts...Open Book is a focal point for the flourishing creative writing, publishing, and printing arts activity in the Twin Cities, which is home to more such organizations than anywhere but New York City."Basically, Open Book is a complete and relatively affordable package of inspiration--art, coffee, books, people, urbanity, a sense of place, and quiet spaces when you need them. So decadent, so smart!
Images: Top, from Homeandabroad.com.Bottom: Interior shot of MN Center for the Book Arts, from the Hive Design Studio.
