Do you know what special event occurs this weekend, just as it does every year at this time? No, I'm not talking about Halloween—I'm talking about NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. The brainchild of Chris Baty, NaNoWriMo is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and how it's grown: from just a few guys joking around in San Francisco to nearly 120,000 participants worldwide in 2008. The goal is to write a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. Quantity, not quality, is the goal. What's this got to do with Minnesota? Plenty. Minnesota has a highly active NaNo community, especially in the Twin Cities, which has nearly 2,000 participants registered for this year's event. Part of NaNo involves getting together with other writers for "write-ins," where the would-be authors meet up, usually at a coffee shop, and work together. (In fact, there's even a 24-hour write-in scheduled, with writers moving location every three hours).

So for this week's column, it seemed like a good idea to give suggestions of local coffee shops (in no particular order) where writers might be seen, working feverishly, from Nov. 1-30. If you see a group? Consider buying them a cuppa joe or a cookie. Much caffeine and sugar is needed to fuel this venture. And if you're a writer? Please be respectful of the coffee shop—help them stay in business by buying something while you're there and not taking up tables for hours while other paying customers are waiting.

East Side

Nina's Coffee Café (165 Western Ave No, St. Paul, 651-292-9816) is a NaNo tradition and frequent spot for write-ins. It doesn't hurt that it now shares a building with Common Good Books.

The Edge Coffee & Tea (2399 University Ave W, St. Paul, 651-641-1656) is a cozy spot with delicious lunch options.

Gingko Coffeehouse is a popular spot—sometimes so popular that it's hard to find a table. Persevere.

If you're near downtown St. Paul, stop by Black Dog, in Lowertown. Bonus: they're open later than most downtown St. Paul coffee shops.

You can combine a trip to Como Park with a visit to Java Train, also known for its good in-house foods.

Brewberry's (475 Fairview Ave So, St. Paul, 651-699-1117) is truly a neighborhood hangout and favorite.

Cahoots Coffee Bar (1562 Selby Ave, St. Paul, 651-644-6778) is not only a great caffeine spot, but they also host periodic poetry readings. Call for upcoming events.

West Side

For literary landscapes, it's hard to beat the Coffee Gallery at Open Book. Open Book is the Twin Cities' literary headquarters, home of the Loft, Milkweed Press, and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Plus they make great soup.

On Lyndale Ave., Common Roots Café has not only a solid roster of coffee drinks, but food prepared from local, organic ingredients.

Anodyne Coffee House on Nicollet has house-made baked goods to enjoy with your java.

Another perennial favorite is near northeast's Wilde Roast Cafe, named after the ever-literary Oscar Wilde.

East Lake St. is home to Blue Moon Coffee Café, which has the added benefit of being open until 11 p.m. daily.

Open even later are the Spyhouse Coffee Shops, on Hennepin and also on Nicollet. Midnight is the closing hour daily.

Near the University of Minnesota's east bank campus is Over Flow Espresso Café. Check out the yummy sandwich menu.

Personally, one of my favorite writing and java spots is out in Chanhassen: School II Bistro. Spacious, quiet (usually), and wonderful roasted tomato soup.

What else is happening in our state? Be sure to check out the 10 p.m. Sunday night WCCO newscasts, where you can learn more in the weekly segment, Finding Minnesota.