Minnesota Writing Resources

Posted by David Duhr in Writing Resources      1 comment

Nov
19

Minnesota, the Gopher State, is next up in our  State Writing Resources series.The 32nd state admitted into the Union, Minnesota is the 12th largest U.S. state in area, the 21st largest in population, and, despite being known as “The Land of the 10,000 Lakes” (though I defy you to name more than 250 of those lakes off the top of your head), is only the 8th-most-covered-in-water state.

Harumph.

Minnesota writing boasts plenty of well-known and well-regarded names, such as: current National Book Award for Fiction titleholder Ms. Louise Erdrich, born in a place called Little Falls; Mr. F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) of St. Paul; Mr. Sinclair Lewis, the first U.S. writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature (born in Sauk Centre [sic]); and self-pubbing sensation Amanda Hocking, who hangs her hat in Austin, Minnesota.

Presented in no particular order, here are ten Minnesota writing resources, from conferences to local critique groups to literary magazines. If you live in the Gopher State or are planning a move there, these are some organizations you might want to take a peek at.

1) Lake Region Writers Network

This nonprofit organization serves writers in west central Minnesota. It cultivates and celebrates creative writers by building a supportive community.

2) The Loft Literary Center

Founded in 1974 (incorporated in 1975), the Loft Literary Center is one of the nation’s leading literary arts centers. The Loft advances the artistic development of writers, fosters a thriving literary community, and inspires a passion for literature.

3) Screenwriters’ Workshop

An all-volunteer nonprofit organization that provides aspiring and practicing Minnesota screenwriters a setting for interaction and exchange of information.

4) Write, Create, Communicate

Explore the art and power of personal writing with writer/teacher Peter Blau.

5) Midwest Fiction Writers

A professional writing organization that includes approximately 100 published or aspiring writers of romance. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

6) The Playwrights’ Center

One of the nation’s most generous and well-respected theater organizations, the Playwrights’ Center focuses on both supporting playwrights and promoting new plays to production at theaters across the country.

7) Intermedia Arts

A multidisciplinary, multicultural arts center which supports a broad spectrum of artists, with a particular focus on voices you are unlikely to hear anywhere else.

8) Lake Superior Writers

Supports the artistic development of writers and fosters a vibrant literary arts community.

9) Minnesota Science Fiction Society

A nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the appreciation of science fiction and fantasy literature.

10) Rain Taxi

Publishes quarterly reviews of literary fiction, poetry and nonfiction, with an emphasis on works that push the boundaries of language, narrative and genre.

Help us add to this list, Minnesotans! Do you run a local writing group or a lit journal we should be aware of? Feel free to share info and links in the comments section below.