Saint Paul-focused site features interactive, searchable interface featuring an unparalleled city guide and event calendar for visitors and residents wishing to explore the cultural and social breadth of Saint Paul

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

Event page for a Lowertown Reading Jam, with a full hour of embedded video and image gallery.

The new site’s Saint Paul-centric features include:

• Rotating stories from current and past editions of the Saint Paul Almanac

• Daily calendar of events

• Archived videos and podcasts of public readings presented by contributors to the Almanac as well as interviews and the hugely popular, monthly Lowertown Reading Jams

• Listings of galleries, museums, theaters and other cultural venues, as well as bars, restaurants, delis, coffee shops and bookstores

• Maps of the city featuring parks, nature centers, recreation centers and historic sites

• Current weather conditions

• Quotes and facts about Saint Paul, its people and history

• Recipes from our contributors, featured restaurateurs and readers

• Author bios and background on the community editor process

• Social media tools allow quick sharing of pages and promotions throughout the site via email, Facebook, Twitter, and other tagging tools

Story page in the new website. Full length stories from the Almanac are reprinted on the website.

The site is searchable and provide themed access to content including History, People, Places and Things We Love.

“Our goal in launching the new website is to offer a positive, engaging, and intuitive experience for the many types of visitors who come to our site to learn about this diverse and wonderful city,” said Kimberly Nightingale, Executive Director of Arcata Press and Managing Editor of the Saint Paul Almanac.

“We also see it as a valuable resource for people who want to plan a complete ‘date night’ in Saint Paul, as they’ll be able to research a show or event, choose a nearby restaurant for dinner before, and select another venue for a possible post-show nightcap or stroll.”

Additional plans for the site include a guest blog with new content by Saint Paul writers who have been published in the Almanac.

Home of the City Guide, the most comprehensive listing for Saint Paul, Minnesota anywhere. Period.

The new website features an online shop where people can purchase copies of the Almanac and related gift items, as well as make tax-deductible donations in support of the grassroots nonprofit.

There is also a page explaining how established and aspiring poets and writers can submit stories for upcoming editions of the Almanac.

The Saint Paul Almanac's guide to Indian and South Asian restaurants on the website.

The 2011 Saint Paul Almanac sells for $11.95 and will be available online and in independent and mainstream bookstores, including Common Good Books, The Red Balloon Bookshop, Micawber’s, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.com after September 13, 2010.

About the Editor: Kimberly Nightingale, Executive Director and Managing Editor of the Saint Paul Almanac, has been with Arcata Press since its inception. She has 13 years experience as an editor and six years of teaching. Nightingale received her Masters Degree in Public Affairs from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.

About Arcata Press: The Saint Paul Almanac is 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 voices. Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2005, Arcata Press was created with the goal of bringing the diverse Saint Paul community together by supporting local literary arts through an experiment in democratic publishing. The Arcata Press board of directors is an active board that is stunningly diverse and representative of the communities featured in the Almanac.

Posted in: News