The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis recently hosted its first-ever books festival. Wordplay, held May 11–12, featured more than 100 authors, who sang, spoke, read, signed books, and entertained thousands of people of all ages, indoors and out. We’ve gathered a selection of highlights from the event held inside and outside Open Book in downtown Minneapolis, as well as inside The Guthrie Theater nearby
Novelist Ridley Pearson (l.) and humorist Dave Barry, who co-wrote the Peter and the Starcatchers series for middle graders, are still collaborating as band members in the Rock Bottom Remainders. The band kicked off Wordplay with a sold-out performance in front of more than 1,500 people at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Photo: Claire Kirch.
Minneapolis-based children’s author and editor Elizabeth Verdick (l.) interviewing Edwidge Danticat about Danticat’s picture book, My Mommy Medicine, at the Target Stage, with its backdrop of downtown Minneapolis skyscrapers.
A Wordplay volunteer (l.) helped Holly Weinkauf, owner of Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, unpack books in the children’s area pop-up bookstore. Photo: Claire Kirch.
Mike Wohnoutka read from his new picture book, Croc & Turtle, inside Wordplay’s storytelling tent. Photo: Red Balloon Bookshop.
From l.: J.M. Lee (Tides of the Dark Crystal), H.M. Bowman (A Tear in the Ocean), Rebecca Ansari (The Missing Piece of Charlie O’Reilly), and Kelly Barnhill (The Girl Who Drank the Moon) discussing their middle grade and YA fantasy novels, and how fairy tales influenced their writing processes. Photo: Claire Kirch.
Free Spirit Publishing’s booth, with sales and marketing assistant Amanda Treseler (l.) and publicist Amanda Shofner. Photo: Claire Kirch.
The laughs kept coming when Twin Cities-based YA author Swati Avasthi (Chasing Shadows, l.) conducted a q&a with Sandhya Menon about her latest YA novel, There’s Something About Sweetie. Photo: Claire Kirch.
Lilliam Rivera (Dealing in Dreams, center) and Arvin Ahmadi (Girl Gone Viral) discussing writing dystopian thrillers for YA readers with kickass female protagonists. The conversation was moderated by Jennifer Dodgson, director of education at the Loft.
Alison Vandenberg (r.), senior director of book marketing, at Minneapolis religion publisher 1517 Media, with Kiersti Trautman, marketing manager for 1517 Media’s new Beaming Books children’s imprint.
Daniel José Older read from and talked about his historical fantasy novel for middle grade readers, Dactyl Hill Squad: Freedom Fire, before a q&a with biographer Sarah Warren (Beyoncé, Shine Your Light).
Kimberly Willis Holt (The Lost Boy’s Gift, l.) and Lynne Kelly (Song for a Whale, r.) being interviewed about their middle grade novels by Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey. Photo: Eddie Gamarra
Author Nick Bruel autographing Bad Kitty books for a fan. Photo: Anna Min Enterprises.
A juggler entertaining visitors in the children’s area at Wordplay. Photo: Anna Min Enterprises.
