The Saint Paul Almanac "On a Collected Path" Reading

The Saint Paul Almanac is pleased to announce the publication of its eleventh anthology, Saint Paul Almanac: On a Collected Path. In the new book, Almanac continues its tradition of collecting diverse stories that give Saint Paul its flavor, color, history, and meaning. This year’s edition also features a new format, more brilliant art, and a new cover artist. 

The 2017 theme and subtitle, On a Collected Path, not only describes the spirit with which the Almanac brings stories together but also the vision that has brought the Almanac to new artistic heights both in literary and visual terms. “I am, once again, grateful to our 23 community editors who waded through 443 submissions,” said Almanac executive editor Pamela Fletcher. 

This year’s Almanac features new cover art created by local mixed media artist Joy Spika. This edition includes beautiful photos and artwork selected by Tio Aiken that are accentuated by the book’s new-this-year 8½ x 8½ format. A change alluded to in the publication of Almanac’s ten-year retrospective from 2016 is to move the calendar feature to the organization’s website, emphasizing the stories, history, and literary strength of Saint Paul within the book’s pages.

“We continue to share stories across cultures,” said editor in chief Shaquan Foster. “We do this by valuing every member of our community and upholding the same level of excellence in art and the written word that we have delivered for the past decade.” 

This edition of the Saint Paul Almanac also includes Dakota translations of chapter titles from community editor Lisa Yankton. The Dakota are the original people of Minnesota and the land that encompases Saint Paul, or Imnizaskadan in Dakota.

“Today discord and uncooperativeness mark our society,” said Fletcher. “In making this book, we came together to demonstrate that connecting on this path involved conscientious, empathetic listening and effort to live with this kind of connection and community. We’re all on a collective path, endeavoring to make a positive impact in Saint Paul by sharing stories that edify, uplift, and delight readers. For over a decade, the Almanac has been doing this and the results have been amazing.” 

Saint Paul Almanac exists to center the people of our community into the heart of storytelling, story sharing, and all other literary activities. We are building a world of equitable communities made strong through literature and the arts.