Last night the Kickstarter campaign to fund the West St. Paul Reader hit another stretch goal—we’ll now add a monthly email newsletter (thank you!). That means we can set our sights on the next stretch goal: $3,000 and guest columnists.
This is a big ask ($966 to go!), so I need your help stepping up and spreading the word. We’re down to 20 days to go.
I’ve always said that one of my goals for West St. Paul Reader is to give a platform to new voices. That’s something I couldn’t really do on my personal blog. One way I can do that is through interviews (like the one with Rodrigo Sanchez), but an even better way is by inviting folks to write for West St. Paul Reader.
And that kind of contribution should be compensated. Which is why this is a big stretch goal. Nobody is getting rich from West St. Paul Reader and I’ll probably have to severely underpay my guest columnists, but I think it’s important to pay them something.
The Guest Columnists
So let me introduce two of the guest columnists I have lined up:
Katie Dohman
Katie is a freelance writer who lives in West St. Paul with three kids, two pets, and one husband. She currently writes the World’s Okayest Mom column for Minnesota Parent, which is full of the joys and snark of modern parenting. She’s also written for Teen Vogue, Minnesota Monthly, and the Star Tribune—often shining a light on West St. Paul in the process. Katie is living through a full-house renovation you can follow on Instagram.
Carolyn Swiszcz
Carolyn is a local artist known for the “West St. Paul” song. She’s fascinated with suburban architecture and has captured several West St. Paul institutions, including the water tower, Camelot Cleaners, Rocco’s Pizza, West St. Paul Chiropractic Clinic, Gallagher’s, and Granny Donuts (a painting she graciously donated to our Kickstarter project—but sorry, someone already scooped it up). Carolyn also creates the bi-monthly zine, Zebra Cat Zebra.
More?
And I’d love to add more columnists, but one step at a time.
New Voices
By bringing new voices to West St. Paul Reader, you’ll get to hear from more than just me. That means new perspectives, new ideas, new angles that I probably wouldn’t have considered on my own.
So please consider backing the Kickstarter project and help us fund the guest columnists stretch goal.
Don’t Forget the Rewards
It’d be great if you want to support the Kickstarter campaign out of the kindness of your heart. But you can also do it for the rewards!
- Mayor Meetup: There are still seven slots left to meet and hang out West St. Paul Mayor Dave Napier.
- Coupon Book: At the $25 level you can get a West St. Paul coupon book with discounts and deals worth more than $350.
- Lunch & Tour With the Editor: Join me for lunch and a tour of West St. Paul highlights, plus get a subscription to Zebra Cat Zebra by Carolyn Swiszcz.
Support our Kickstarter campaign now.
West St. Paul Reader 
