January | Founder and executive editor Kimberly Nightingale (center) meets with her team of community editors to decide which stories and poems will appear in this year's Saint Paul Almanac. The team is planning for similar guidebooks in other US cities, each filled with stories and events unique to its location. | |
| First published in 2007, the Saint Paul Almanac is an annual calendar and month-by-month event guide overflowing with the words and pictures of people who know and love Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founder and executive director Kimberly Nightingale had a vision for creating a book about living in her hometown as defined by time (the calendar) and combining that with articles, stories, and poems that would reflect on the city in a more timeless way. To take on such a task, she enlisted a team of community editors to find writers everywhere—by talking to their friends and family, as well as people in restaurants, at the farmers' market, in writers' groups, and in coffee shops. Wherever they go, community editors ask people to submit something to the Almanac.
The published work of nationally acclaimed local writers (Gordon Parks, Garrison Keillor, and Meridel LeSueur, among others) is intertwined with that of struggling high school students, new immigrants, or budding local novelists. Local photographers and artists illustrate the pages to create a guide useful to both Saint Paul residents planning their activities and tourists looking for a feel for the city. There are even a few recipes, all mixed with historical facts, restaurant listings, and upcoming cultural events.
With the help of generous sponsors and partners, Kimberly has been traveling across the country to bring the Almanac's template to other cities as a tool for beginning the conversation between people about what the place they live in means to them. The dream is to have other cities set up their own team of community editors to create a local guide that honors the diversity in their communities.
Check out www.saintpaulalmanac.com, where you can see for yourself the "literary campfire" that is the Saint Paul Almanac. |
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| |  | | Who's Who | in the 2012 Honoring Differences
Diversity Calendar? | | |
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 | Share Your Stories Please tell us about the celebrations and special observances in your life. Share your stories today! |
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