We created Almanac as a space to honour the many routes people take to writing and creating art, this includes; self-taught; learning from community; self-publishing; academic; and makers that become so through a natural extension of their life and art.

We see ourselves as part of a long lineage of queers, without access to mainstream publishing routes, using self/collective publishing as a tool for circulating knowledge. Our hope is that Almanac will be part of the movement toward discussing issues of access, class, nepotism and elitism within mainstream poetry and publishing.

We would like to emphasise that at Almanac your identity does not have to be the focus of your work. We want a mix of voices and perspectives. You are free to write a rage filled essay about transphobic legislation and you are also free to write a love letter to your cat. If you are trans, we are interested in what you have to say. 

—Almanac Press

ORGANISERS

Shia Conlon

Shia Conlon is an artist and writer currently based in Helsinki. Hoping for a space where poetry could get a bit messier and less rigid, he began Almanac in 2021. He oversees the editing process in Almanac, as well as general admin. His love for printed matter began at 17 when he first discovered the magic of paper and images in an analogue darkroom. He sees photography, printed material and writing as part of a long lineage of queer tools for liberation. He hopes Almanac can be part of this lineage, a space where both the political and the mundane mix, a space where trans people can both rage at legislation as well as write a love letter to their pet. He enjoys nerding out over cinema, trans photography and dogs. His airhead Libra sun is tethered to the earth by a Taurus moon and rising.

www.shiaconlon.com



Iona Roisin

Iona Roisin is a British artist, poet and homebody living near the sea in east Helsinki. They joined Almanac in the run up to issue two to handle distribution and work on the library arm of the project. They are a white, middle-class person who identifies as a genderqueer, butch bisexual. Iona enjoys documentaries, flea markets, reality tv, karaoke, going to the cinema, large sandwiches and perversion, amongst other things. They love being involved in peer support and workshopping, and hope to organise more exhibitions and screenings in the future. As a low energy person, they are excited to contribute something small to the community through their work at Almanac.

www.ionaroisin.com



Roby Redgrave 

Roby creates a lot of the graphic design for Almanac Press (such as this website). Their studio is full of paper samples, random book bindings, different cables, cardboard boxes, color swatch books, archives and breadcrumbs. They are deeply invested in the triad of printing, publishing and graphic design and teaching others how to use these tools. They are especially handy with whipping up a good looking and usable excel spreadsheet for budgeting, even though they barely passed maths. Roby joined Shia in creating the first issue of Almanac Journal of Trans poetics back in 2021. Since then, they have worked closely to run Almanac Press.

www.robynn.xyz