About Hazel & Wren

Dear readers,

We’ve decided, after long consideration and much bittersweet angst, to retire Hazel & Wren. [10/20/17: read more here]

What’s It All About?

The Hazel & Wren community is designed for creative, word-loving people like you! Here you’ll find things like gads of lit reviews, interviews, fun writing prompts, limited-edition letterpress goodies, an interactive online Open Mic, an all-inclusive, totally informational calendar of Minneapolis/St. Paul literary events, a scary-fantastic calendar of writing contest and lit journal deadlines, informational tidbits on how to start your own lit mag and/or letterpress, and all sorts of other literary/visual/eclectic nonsense. Please join the conversation! Follow along here on the blog, on our Facebook page, and Twitter.

The Mission

Hazel & Wren is a literary community (not to be confused with online literary magazines), intended to foster and contribute to the literary arts by providing an inclusive forum in which other writers, artists, and designers can have in-depth conversations about the literary arts, and including intelligent critiques of each other’s work. This takes the form of the Hazel & Wren website and at events (literary open mics, author readings, etc) hosted by Hazel & Wren in the Twin Cities area. Additionally, the Hazel & Wren website seeks to be a source of inspiration and guidance to the creative community by sharing interviews, research, event lists, and interesting work.

In Short

Help creative people do good work.

Who They Are

Hazel & Wren are a pair of creative types based in Minnesota, who, in real life, answer to Amanda Wray Ninneman and Melissa Wray, respectively. Amanda is a graphic designer, coffee shop owner, and photographer, and Melissa is a storyteller, digital media nut, and nonprofit arts industry nerd. As Hazel & Wren, they are literary conspirators and all-around mischief-makers. Oh yeah, they’re sisters, too. Direct inquires, ideas, and all general correspondence to: hello@hazelandwren.com

Hazel & Wren Staff

Cassidy Foust, Editorial Contributor (What We’re Reading)

Joshua Johnson, Editorial Contributor (What We’re Reading)

Aaron King, Editorial Contributor (What We’re Reading)

Liz Lampman, Editorial Contributor (The Writing Life)

Contributors

(Browse complete The Writing Life Archives here)

Rosanne Bane, contributor to The Writing Life
Rosanne Bane has worked for two decades as a Teaching Artist at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, the country’s largest center of its kind. She also serves individuals as a creativity coach and teaches in the MBA program at the University of St. Thomas. She lives in Minneapolis with her partner and two dogs, Blue and Kelda.

Deborah Carver, contributor to The Writing Life
Deborah Carver is a writer and editor who lives in Northeast Minneapolis. She can be found on twitter at @fightwithknives, on tumblr here and occasionally publishes essays through an email list at deborahcarver.com. She will happily take feedback and questions at: deborah carver at gmail dot com.

Dawn Frederick, contributor to The Writing Life
Dawn Frederick is the owner and literary agent of Red Sofa Literary, based in the Twin Cities. Previously an agent with Sebastian Literary Agency, Dawn brings a broad knowledge of the book business to the table, with multiple years of experience as a bookseller in the independent, chain, and specialty stores. Red Sofa Literary was listed as one the 101 Best Websites for Writers in 2012 and 2013. Additionally, Dawn is also a co-founder of the MN Publishing Tweet Up, a networking group composed of writers and publishers, now completing its second year of bringing publishers and writers together over happy hours and at special bookstore events.

Katharine Hargreaves, contributor to The Writing Life
Katharine Hargreaves is the Artistic Director and Co-Editor-In-Chief of Whole Beast Rag.

Sonja Hegman, contributor to The Writing Life
Sonja Hegman is a reporter turned business owner turned author, who’s learned so much from her mistakes as a virgin in business that she wrote a book about it. Trials of an Entrepreneurial Virgin: How to create a successful writing business, came out in October of 2012. You can also catch her in real time every Thursday at noon CST for her #WritersChatStew Twitter chat where she talks even more about treating writing like a business. Follow her at @ChiefWordsmith.

Grace Littlefield, contributor to The Writing Life
Grace Littlefield is the Executive Director and Co-Editor-In-Chief of Whole Beast Rag.

Timothy Otte, Chief Ampersand (Senior Editorial Associate)
Timothy Otte acted as Chief Ampersand for the first four years of Hazel & Wren’s life. An essential member of the team, he wore many hats, including curator of The Calendar of (Un)Deadlines, monthly contributor to What We’re Reading, and author of this four-part series on applying for an MFA. A poet, playwright, and 4th-generation Twin Cities resident, Timothy is interested in hybridity and collaboration, and strives to make art that uses language to enter a place where language is useless. He has a small collection of typewriters, a large collection of records, and an even larger collection of books. You can visit him on the internet: www.timothyotte.com

Elleni Paulson, contributor to What We’re Reading
Elleni Paulson is a student, an avid reader, and a literary enthusiast living in Minneapolis. She is studying journalism and English at the University of Minnesota, and is eager to get her feet wet in the literary community. Her passions lie in contemporary fiction, talk radio, and the Minneapolis skyline.

Jessica Radzak, contributor to What We’re Reading
Jessica Radzak is a book editor who has worked on projects ranging from cake decorating instructions to a biography of a Russian spy. She enjoys reading and raving about lesser known books, although she has been known to succumb to the siren song of a bestseller or two. When she grows up she wants to be the next Max Perkins.

Taylor Trauger, Past Communications Associate and Contributor

Linda White, contributor to The Writing Life
Linda White is a professional reader. She runs BookMania, which offers editorial and publicity services. She is currently wearing many hats, which makes her very happy. Linda is the Minneapolis Books Examiner, is working on a Book Arts Certificate at the MCBA and recently started reviewing books for Library Journal.

Nathan Young, contributor to What We’re Reading
Nathan Young writes and reads, and sometimes he plays chess, or Tetris, but really he gets stuck on the Internet. He is currently attending the University of Chicago’s MAPH program, studying how money effects aesthetic value in art markets. He’s just purchased his first work of art, and he rides his bicycle.