More Than Lit 2026: A Night of Stories, Art & Belonging
On August 7, 2026, 226 people supported More Than Lit: A Love Letter to Minnesota. We came together to celebrate art, literacy, authors, illustrators, educators, community, and the many people who believe that every child deserves to see themselves and the world around them reflected in stories.
Somehow, the night became even more than we imagined! Together, we raised $31,301 for Read With Me MN, making More Than Lit our biggest fundraiser yet and exceeding our $30,000 fundraising goal! However, the real measure of the evening was the joy, generosity, creativity, and sense of community that filled the room.
A Night Filled With Stories, Art, and Community
From the moment guests arrived, there was so much to see and experience.
The main highlight was the 47 pieces of art that filled the space, created by 24 Minnesota artists.
Together, their work generated $12,230 in art sales, with $2,053 benefiting Read With Me MN while the remaining proceeds went directly to the artists.
One of the participating artists described the experience this way:
“Collabing with More Than Lit is like having all the best things in the world align. Creativity, community, compassion, literacy and giving back. Making art is my favorite thing to do, and the fact that More Than Lit lets me do that AND I get to connect with our community, contribute to a stellar nonprofit and feel seen is the best feeling ever.”
That is exactly the kind of community-centered model we hoped More Than Lit could create: an evening where supporting literacy also means supporting the artists and storytellers who make our communities more vibrant.
We were also thrilled to feature Patricia Mutebi's Threads of Us exhibit, Adair Carroll's live portrait painting, a special display from the Minnesota Picture Book Parade featuring My Friends Around the World, and everyone’s favorite: the More Than Lit book wall photo opportunity.
Guests viewing My Friends Around the World by Janet Nelson displayed MN Picture Book Parade Style.
Of course, there were books for sale, too! Babycakes Bookstack, Read With Me MN’s local bookseller partner, joined us giving guests the opportunity to take books home with them and highlighting the incredible kidlit local authors and illustrators we have in our community.
Zsame Morgan, owner of Babycake’s Bookstack taking a photo in front of the MTL photo wall.
There was delicious food from Savage Chef Catering, a silent auction with 37 non-art items, and plenty of opportunities to connect with one another throughout the evening.
The night continued upstairs with a rooftop after-party featuring DJ Bootsy Ballins and pizza flatbreads.
The Moments We'll Remember
Some moments from the evening will stay with us for a long time.
Tilyn Hollis's reading of the Love Letter to Minnesota captured the heart of the entire event. It reminded us why we chose this theme in the first place: Minnesota is made up of countless stories, experiences, cultures, communities, and people who are continually writing what comes next and we are better in collaboration together.
Guest reading the Love Letter to Minnesota Display. A collaborative madlib style poem written by Tilyn Hollis and completed by 2026 More Than Lit artists and committee members.
Our emcee, Assata Florell, was another huge reason the evening was such a success. Not only is she incredibly vibrant and engaging, but when we unexpectedly experienced a sound issue during the video, Assata didn't miss a beat. She navigated the moment with confidence and humor, reading the caption word for word like the absolute professional she is. It was one of those unexpected moments that could have derailed the evening and instead became a reminder of the incredible power of literacy. Want to watch it with sound this time? See below.
There was the moment when Read With Me MN founder Taylor Sorrells shared some of the statistics about the state of school libraries and literacy in Minnesota. People were talking about those statistics throughout the night and they're still talking about them. So much so that Taylor actually created another video diving into the statistics further.
That's the thing about More Than Lit: we don't gather simply to celebrate what we love. We gather because there is still work to do.
The People Behind the Stories
One of the most meaningful parts of More Than Lit was having authors and illustrators in the room. Thank you to every author and illustrator who showed up, shared their work, connected with guests, and helped make the evening what it was. Your stories matter, your voices matter, and your presence matters.
Local author, illustrator, and muralist Emiko Rainbow and local author, Payal Doshi.
We are incredibly grateful for the artists who trusted us with their work and helped us create such a vibrant space. Of course, we are especially grateful to the people who came.
One attendee and donor shared:
“Truly, the joy I felt at the event made me so happy to be able to support your very important work. It truly was a highlight of my summer!”
Thank You
An event like this doesn't happen because of one person or one organization. It happens because a community decides that something matters enough to show up for. We are endlessly grateful to our emcee, Assata Florell, whose energy and professionalism helped carry the evening from beginning to end.
A huge thank you to the Hennepin Arts for the space and hospitality. Thank you to Alicia Baraga with Ripple Event Marketing, our incredible event coordinator, for helping bring all of the moving pieces together. Thank you to our marketing team, Charizma Agency, for the fire branding for both Read with Me MN and More Than Lit.
Thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible:
Thank you to our artists. Our authors and illustrators. Our volunteers. Our vendors. Our board. Our donors. And every person who walked through the doors. Thank you to you, for believing that books, art, and stories can create connection and belonging.
Looking Ahead to More Than Lit 2027
If this year's event taught us anything, it's that More Than Lit has room to grow. We're already thinking about next year. Based on feedback from this year's event, we're considering ways to incorporate even more literacy opportunities, bring in a greater variety of art and display types, and make a few other tweaks to continue making the experience meaningful for everyone who attends.
We'd love your input. Our More Than Lit feedback survey is still open: Share your thoughts here
This event belongs to the community and your feedback helps us shape what comes next. We don't know exactly what More Than Lit 2027 will look like yet but we know one thing: It's only up from here.
Thank you for making More Than Lit 2026 unforgettable.
We'll see you next year!
Love,
The Read With Me MN Team
