FORMERLY LOCATED IN AFTON, MINNESOTA, and now happily ensconced in Edina, Afton Press is a not-for-profit publisher of exceptional books that explore and celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of our chosen state of Minnesota—books that reach high standards of scholarship, literary value, design, and production; books that help to strengthen and build communities; books that inspire readers of all ages to seek out new horizons and honor and serve one another.

Founded in 1993, Afton Press published its first book THE SHAPE OF THINGS: The Art of Francis Lee Jaques by Patricia Condon Johnston in 1994. THE SHAPE OF THINGS won two major 1995 book awards: a coveted Minnesota Book Award and the prestigious Minnesota Independent Publishers Award.

AFTON PRESS now has some sixty important (and beautiful) titles in print and countless publishing awards to its credit. Our partners for book, exhibition, and public television documentary projects have included the Minneapolis Institute of Art; the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian; PBS Channel Eight (WDSE) in Duluth, Minnesota; PBS; St. John’s University at Collegeville, Minnesota; the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community; the Tweed Museum at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Twin Cities Public Television (TPT); the Weisman Museum of Art; CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio); the Duluth Seaway Port Authority; and the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

Thank you for considering Afton Press books for yourself and for others. They won’t disappoint you!

Afton Press Board Members

Yvette Baudelaire, Secretary, is an accomplished Linguist, Communicator, and Mediator-Arbitrator with over twenty years of experience in the Communication, Linguistics, and Alternative Dispute Resolution fields. She holds a master’s degree in International Conflict Resolution from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, and accreditations as Arbitrator-Mediator from Hamline University School of Law, and roster accreditations from the Minnesota Supreme Court as Certified Simultaneous Interpreter & Language-Culture Competency Translator.

Jackie Herman, Treasurer, is a versatile business executive delivering on growth and turnaround initiatives in a highly regulated environment. Using strategic and analytical skills, Jackie brings insights into the bank’s long-term future and focuses on short-term financial results. As a thought leader, she brings forth high-impact ideas that drive business growth and operational excellence and attends to employee engagement.

Rico Paul Vallejos, Vice-Chair, is a writer/translator, creative director and Spanish Diction Coach with significant international and multicultural communications experience. He founded La Voz de La Plaza (a Verizon publication) and La Voz Latina, and served on the editorial advisory boards of MARQ Magazine (a Star Tribune publication) and La Prensa de Minnesota. Rico taught Multicultural Communications at the Masters of International Management program of the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, is Trustee Emeritus at Hamline University, and was a founding board member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of MN. Other governance experience includes The Push Institute, Teatro del Pueblo, La Oportunidad, Marnita’s Table, and the Minnesota Life College.

Gary Lindberg, Chair. Gary Lindberg is a movie writer and director, an author and publisher, and book/cover designer. As a screenwriter and motion picture producer/director, Gary Lindberg has won over one hundred major national and international awards including two Grand Awards at the New York International Film Festival. As an author/publisher he has written four Amazon number-one bestselling novels plus several nonfiction works. He has designed the interiors, covers, and dustjackets for over eighty hardcover and paperback books.

Afton Press Staff Members

Ian Graham Leask, Publisher. Ian has thrived as a teacher, literary consultant, radio talk show host, publisher, and is the author of House of Large Sizes and The Wounded and Other Stories About Sons and Fathers.

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Afton Historical Society Press is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Afton Historical Society Press makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.