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.
