Community Editor Apprenticeship

Saint Paul Almanac’s Community Editor Apprenticeship Project is the only project in Minnesota that is designed to teach an equity-focused, democratic editorial process. Our editorial process offers an opportunity for apprentices to acquire professional editing skills by learning to read submissions and to edit manuscripts selected for publication in the Saint Paul Almanac (SPA) anthology. SPA’s community editor apprentices come from wide-ranging backgrounds, spanning age, ethnicity, language, gender identity, and socio-economic status. Our editorial process offers experiential learning to apprentices who want to learn editing and to those who want to pursue a publishing career.  After participating in our project, several community editor apprentices gained entry-level positions and served as fellows in Twin Cities publishing houses.

During eight meetings comprised of three-hour sessions, community editor apprentices will:

• Practice editing skills learnt from professional editors.
• Determine high literary artistic caliber using criteria emphasizing quality and inclusivity.
• Discern an authentic voice.
• Build a manuscript involving a dynamic group process.
• Develop professional confidence.
• Acquire information about the publishing industry from Arcata Press and other local Twin Cities publishers with the possibility of professional growth in the publishing arena.

Apprentice Project Timeline

Eight in-person sessions will occur on Saturdays, September 21 – November 9, 2024, 1-4 p.m.  During these sessions, we will enjoy snacks and beverages. After the eight-week sessions are completed, the apprentices will communicate editing suggestions via email or phone calls with writers whose work is selected for the anthology.

This writer-apprentice communication will be completed by January 31, 2025. During this process, the apprentices and the executive director will also communicate with each other about the editing process.

• You have a love for reading and writing and aspire to become an editor.
• You have taken at least one writing course, either creative and/or expository.
• You are 16 or older.
• You agree to attend the eight in-person sessions. If necessary, you may be absent one time.
• You agree to read the submissions assigned each week before attending the sessions and to actively participate in the sessions. You must bring a laptop computer to each session to refer to the submissions during the sessions.
• You also agree to work with writers on revising their work after the eight-week sessions and to communicate with the executive editor along the way.

Required Application Information – See the Form below for completion.

• Name and pronouns.
• Address, email, and phone number.
• Explain why you want to participate in the apprenticeship program. What would you bring to the project and what do you hope to gain?
• Include a short list of places where you are engaged in community, such as volunteering, activism, participation in neighborhood associations or other organizations, etc.
• Include a name and contact information for one reference from the above list.
• Explain briefly how you are engaged in the literary community, such as undergoing a writing practice, doing public readings/poem slams/writing groups/writing retreats, etc.
• Include a short resume of your latest work history.

Thank you for your application! We will contact you after we review the applications for the 2024 session to inform you of your status.

Application Process

Those who are selected to go to the next stage of the application process will undergo a short interview.

Each selected community editor apprentice will earn $800 and a certificate of satisfactory completion at the end of the project for their active involvement in the group editorial process. Active involvement entails attending all sessions (but you may miss one, if necessary); completing editing assignments in between sessions; and engaging in group activities.

Community editor apprentices are expected to have a laptop that they can bring to each session and will enable them to access the submissions and complete the editing assignments via Submittable. Laptops work best, providing full access to the Submittable site and to the submissions.

Manuscript Review and Publication

The Fall 2024 community editor apprentices will review poetry and prose submitted and will use the group editorial process to select pieces for the SPA 20th anniversary edition, Volume 14.

Community Editor Apprenticeship Application Timeline
Applications open on June 1, 2024, and close on August 10, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Application Form