Saint Paul Almanac Announces Poetry Winners for Inaugural IMPRESSIONS Poetry Competition
Poems Coming to a Train or Bus Near You

Contact:
Clarence White, clarence@saintpaulalmanac.org
612-267-9036

SAINT PAUL (October 17, 2016) –The Saint Paul Almanac has chosen the winning poets of its first ever IMPRESSIONS Project, putting poetry and art on the Twin Cities metropolitan area’s trains and buses.

Ranging from the sensational to the sublime, these 24 poems have given us a new form of locomotion for our minds as we travel the arteries of the Twin Cities. Each poem takes readers around the lakes, streets, memories, moments, emotions, and history that breathe through our home.

IMPRESSIONS is a project where the Almanac works with 24 local writers and 24 local artists to publish and produce six broadsides each quarter—24 broadsides for the year—on trains and buses in Saint Paul. Each broadside is a unique poster of a local poet’s piece combined with a local artist’s work as a reflection of that poem.

The poetry winners, out of 320 submissions, of this inaugural contest include:

Margaret Hasse
Madeline Reding
M. Wright
Casey Patrick
Michael Kleber-Diggs
Annette Hyder
Marcie Rendon
Victoria Tankersley
Liza Docken
J. Otis Powell?!
Marion Gomez
John Bly
Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay
Katie Vagnino
John Smith
Maddie Schumacher
Molly Sowash
Lucas Scheelk
Kurt Schultz
Ursula Murray Husted
Tim Nolan
Anne Thompson
Willis Gilliard
Kelly Westhoff

“These poems are the perfect vignettes to accompany our trips on the trains and buses along our paths through the city,” said Almanac director and IMPRESSIONS editor Kimberly Nightingale.

“We had a lot of great poems from which to choose,” said IMPRESSIONS editor Shaquan Foster. “There are some pieces that, while they did not make the list of 24, deserve notice.” Poets receiving honorable mention include:

Elise Ogden
Mike Finley
Thomas Mischke
Janice Borofka
Mary Davini
Narate Keys
Dallas Crow
Laura Nova
Quinette Cook
Lynette Reini-Grandell
John Minczeski
Jessica Hirte
Leyla Suleiman

Starting in 2017, celebrations will include four release parties at the beginning of each season: spring (March 2 at Golden’s Deli in Lowertown); summer (June 2 at Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar); autumn (September 1 at Union Depot); and winter (December 6 at Western University Plaza).

The pieces were selected by a diverse group of editors using the Saint Paul Almanac’s Community Editor process. The project is made possible with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, through its Knight Arts Challenge, Metropolitan Transit and Intersection, with special thanks to Golden Thyme Coffee Shop on Selby Avenue.

Saint Paul Almanac is a literary-centered arts organization that has been publishing a literary journal of Saint Paul stories for the past decade. We share stories across cultures and cultivate dialogue to promote understanding, relationships, and collaborative action supported by the values of storytelling, mentoring, equity, and impact through the arts and work.

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