A Path to Each Other is a marvelous kaleidoscope of colorful stories, insightful poems, and essays, affirming the joy of people coming together in loved places in St. Paul, working to create meaningful lives, celebrating a variety of cultures, and offering insights into healing spiritual and emotional pain. Here are vibrant depictions of people weighing their individual lives and their relationships. They pose moving questions about the world's inequalities, hoping for better futures, for trust regained and understanding renewed. Here are playfulness and fun. Here are many paths to each other. This almanac will be cherished not only for its insights but for displaying the courage it takes to create change and trust. In the words of Filsan Ibrahim, one of the winners of the Sidewalk Poetry Contests, "If people come together/they can even mend /a crack in the sky."

- Emilie Buchwald, Minnesota poet and publisher

 

Executive Editor Wendy Brown-Baez is the author of Heart on the Page: A Portable Writing Workshop. Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies . She leads writing workshops in community spaces such as healing centers, libraries, prisons, and shelters. Wendy is a member of Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, Writing to Wholeness Collective through the Minnesota Women's Press, and Eastern Shore Writers Association. This is her tenth year with Saint Paul Almanac because she believes in the power of words to transform lives.

 

"A Path to Each Other weaves humor, love, the gut-punch of loss, the ordinary and extraordinary with mamas and daddies, buses, and ESL classes, scooters and rescue dogs, and the vagaries of Minnesota weather. It is provocative and compassionate in its portrayals of inter-generational experience of adversity and success, written as David Mura suggests in his quote in the book, 'from 'strength not weakness.' In these uncertain and stressful times, these writers lead us across the diverse landscapes and cultures of St. Paul with their lyrical words and stunning imagery to help us find what we need most--a path to each other made by walking together with empathy and understanding." - Gwen Westerman

"A Path to Each Other is a beautiful and formidable collection. It is a love letter to memories, places, and people who make possible our collective understanding of belonging. The voices in this book speak their truths in these tumultuous times, declaring the value of their words, holding safe the pieces of our world." - Kao Kalia Yang