What do facts have to do with storytelling? When you look at these facts, you see that the voices of all the people who make up the neighborhoods of Saint Paul are vital to the past and current historical record and legacy of the city. The community editor apprenticeship provides a way for people from diverse back-grounds to come together and have conversations about cultural sensitivity, equity, and social justice, and our role in creating change as individuals and as a literary journal. Our apprentices come from a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, genders, gender identities, and levels of writing experience. It’s imperative to acknowledge the history of BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and differently-abled communities through- out our conversations about individual pieces. Doing so, we collect and publish stories representative of diverse people and places, choosing those that are the most engaging, provocative, or heartfelt. We have a rare opportunity to see the world with new perspectives, through someone else’s eyes. We may not always agree, but we agree to listen. Stories empower us when we tell them, and they empower the potential for change when others hear them. The community editor project is the first step in getting these stories out into the world, where they can be savored and where, hopefully, you too will be motivated to ask yourself: What makes a neighborhood thrive? What turns a place into a home? How can we flourish individually and collectively? What stories have we not yet heard, and how can we deepen our attention?
CEO and PUBLISHER
Pamela Fletcher Bush is CEO and publisher of Arcata Press | Saint Paul Almanac and professor emerita of English (Saint Catherine University, St. Paul, Minnesota). She’s also an editor, poet, and writer, who has won literary awards and fellowships for arts criticism, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She was a Senior Editor for 365 Ways To Say I Love It Here
and A Ten-Year Retrospective,
and an Executive Editor for On
A Collected Path.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Wendy Brown-Baez is the author of Threading the Gold and Heart on the Page: A Portable Writing Workshop. She leads writing workshops in community spaces such as healing and spiritual centers, and prisons. She was a Community Editor for 365 Ways To Say I Love It Here, A Ten-Year Retrospective and On A Collected Path. Wendy was also a Senior Editor for Resistance and Resilience and an Executive Editor for A Path To Each Other.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Carolyn Holbrook is a writer and an educator. Her memoir, Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify won the 2021 Minnesota Book Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction. Carolyn and David Mura co-edited the anthology We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World. She teaches at Hamline University and The Loft Literary Center. She was an Executive Editor on A Path To Each Other.
PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
Shaquan Foster helped create Aardvark in the Park Festival and served on the board of Twin Cities Pride. Shaquan was the Editor in Chief for Resistance and Resilience and the Community Editor Project Manager for A Path To Each Other.
SENIOR EDITOR
Marion Gómez (she/her) is a poet and teaching artist. Her work has appeared in La Bloga, Mizna, Water~Stone Review, and Saint Paul Almanac among others. Marion was a Community Editor for Resistance and Resilience,
and a Senior Editor on A Path to Each Other.
SENIOR EDITOR
Michael Kleber-Diggs lives in Saint Paul with his wife, Karen, their two dogs, Jasper and Ziggy, and their two cats, Mocha and Curly. His book of poetry, Worldly Things, won the 2019 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize. He was a Community Editor for Resistance and Resilience, and a Senior Editor for A Path To Each Other.
SENIOR EDITOR
Ben Weaver is a songwriter a
nd poet who travels by bicycle.
He has completed many music-by-bike tours and released nine studio albums and five books of poetry. Ben was a Community Editor for On A Collected Path
and Resistance and Resilience, and a Senior Editor for A Path to Each Other.
SENIOR EDITOR
Claudette M. Webster is a poet and an essayist in the Twin Cities. A native of Jamaica, West Indies. She loves looking at the sky, laughing, walking, running, and exploring. Claudette was a Community Editor for Resistance and Resilience and a Senior Editor for A Path To Each Other.
Ahmed Abdullah is an alumnus of Higher Ground Academy. When he isn’t playing basketball, he is reading a book, or chilling with friends. He was a Community Editor for Resistance and Resilience and A Path To
Each Other.
Leilani Andrews loves to learn and experiment with life. She enjoys writing, painting, photography, acting, and studying film. Leilani was a Community Editor for On A Collected Path, Resistance and Resilience and A Path To Each Other.
Tomás Araya dedicates his time to the design and execution of public art projects. He hopes to someday publish graphic novels. He was a Community Editor for
A Path To Each Other.
Colleen Casey is mixed Dakota and Euro-American. She sees herself as a person of cross currents and confluences and believes we are all related. Colleen was a Community Editor for365 Ways To Say I Love It Here,A Ten-Year Retrospective, On A Collected Path, Resistance and Resilience, and A Path To Each Other.
Bridget Gerachty manages
to find magic in the written word. She hopes to start her own editing business and continue publishing her own writing. She was a Community Editor for Resistance and Resilience and A Path To Each Other.
Casey Gordon taught literature, writing, and changemaking at the City University of New York and the University of St. Thomas. She loves music and “Minnesota Experience” on TPT and has finally learned how
to dress for the weather. Casey was
a Community Editor for A Path To Each Other.
Alia Jeraj is a vocalist, writer,and educator in the Twin Cities. She sings with Nanilo, Artemis,and Mixed Precipitation. Her bylines include articles in POLLEN, Twin Cities Daily Planet, and American Craft. Alia was a Community Editor for A PathTo Each Other.
Melody Luepke is a grandmother and a consummate consumer of words. Melody wasa Community Editor for On A Collected Path, Resistance and Resilience and A Path To Each Other.
Khalid Mohamed is an
alumnus of Higher Ground Academy. In his spare time, he likes to read books and play sports. His goal is
to become a pediatrician. Khalid
was a Community Editor for Resistance and Resilience and
A Path To Each Other.
Kia Moua can be found reading nonfiction in her spare time. She hopes to be a published memoirist one day. Kia was a Community Editor for Resistance and Resilience, and the Youth Editor for A Path To Each Other.
Marjorie Otto spent four years as a journalist for a community newspaper on the East Side of Saint Paul. When she’s not writing or editing, Marjorie can be found outdoors paddling on rivers, hiking, or beekeeping. She was the Senior Editor for the digital magazine and a Community Editor for A Path To Each Other.
Kathryn Pulley is the mother
of essays and fiery prose roaring
from students’ minds to soar across Google Docs. She was a Community Editor for On A Collected Path, Resistance and Resilience and A Path To Each Other.
Yusef Sabtow is an alumnus
of Higher Ground Academy.
He enjoys manga, anime, and a plethora of video games. Yusuf was a Community Editor for A Path To Each Other.
Ismail Sheikhomar loves to put off school to chase his dream of becoming a software engineer. Ismail was a Community Editor for A Path To Each Other.
Frankie Weaver likes to skateboard, draw, and play ultimate Frisbee. He was a Community Editor for Resistance and Resilience and A Path To
Each Other.
Aron Woldeslassie is a local stand-up, writer and editor. You can find his work in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, The Nordly, Minnesota Playlist, Diaphora Media, and many comedy clubs across
the Twin Cities. Aron was a Community Editor for A Path
To Each Other.
Alexa Yankton is a member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Band. She was a Community Editor for A Ten-Year Retrospective, On A Collected Path, Resistance and Resilience and A Path To Each Other.
Lisa Yankton is a member
of the Spirit Lake Dakota and a community organizer, educator, writer and mother. She was a Community Editor for 365 Ways
to Say I Love It Here, A Ten-Year Retrospective, On A Collected Path, Resistance and Resilience and A Path To Each Other.
