The nonprofit publisher welcomes new staffers and expands program outreach despite the continuing economic challenges facing many organizations. Arcata Press, publisher of the Saint Paul Almanac, is pleased to announce the recent hiring of three new staff members to assist in community engagement, fundraising and sponsorship development. David Unowsky, founder and former owner of the nationally recognized independent bookstore, Ruminator Books, Robert Smaller, Jr., with more than twenty years of management experience and award-winning performance in sales, and community organizer Deborah Torraine.

The process of creating a new Saint Paul Almanac each year is an epic community journey that begins with a simple call like this one—to writers and aspiring writers everywhere—to submit essays, poems, reviews, recipes, and short stories about Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul.

 Each year, the call is heard by literary giants, everyday residents, kids, grandparents, journalists, new Americans, lovers of Saint Paul who now live in other corners of the world...and the submissions start pouring in.

 As pens dart across paper and fingers clatter on keyboards in corner cafes here and around the world, the Almanac gets to work with a team of 21 community editors of diverse backgrounds that include 4 professional editors/writers. Seven of the 21 community editors are high school students.

Our goal is to work mutually in Saint Paul communities to support a diverse, connected, and engaged city of people around local literature and art. Arcata Press organizes the Saint Paul Almanac as a people's meeting space for sharing the stories of our community through our annual book, public readings, community editor mentorship program, and other activities that showcase and honor local, diverse voices and artists. This Tuesday is Give to the Max Day. Please visit our website on Tuesday and contribute to our important work. A gift of $25 makes a big difference.

Arcata Press announces the launch of its new website designed to turn learning about the people, places, history and “things we love” in Saint Paul into a time-saving, valuable experience for its online visitors and residents. The new site encourages people to become interactively involved with poets, authors and illustrators, restaurants and bars, museums and galleries, parks, libraries and all of the city’s cultural venues—all linked from a brand-new website at www.saintpaulalmanac.org

The Almanac encourages writers to make their story personal and specific, have fun with the process, and think outside the box in terms of topics and format. Most selections in the Almanac are 650 words or fewer, with a small number being as long as 1,500 words. Tiny poems are encouraged.

Contributors to the 2010 Saint Paul Almanac include literary giants, everyday residents, students, journalists, new Americans, and lovers of Saint Paul who live in other corners of the world. Every story has a unique, individual voice that, when combined in the Saint Paul Almanac, become a chorus reflecting the energy of Saint Paul today. Publishing work by new writers alongside the likes of Garrison Keillor, Meridel LeSueur, Greg Watson, David Mura, Katie Ka Vang and other acclaimed Saint Paul writers uplifts and influences the artistic identity of the entire community.