Arts Alive! podcast: Amy Cianci, St. Petersburg Press

You might not recognize Amy Cianci’s name, but her fingerprints are all over St. Pete and Pinellas County. If you’ve read a locally-written book, seen a locally-produced play or attended any public event in the Lealman community, she was most likely one of the engines that propelled it.

Today’s guest on the Arts Alive! podcast – the final edition for 2023 – Cianci is Engagement Director for St. Petersburg Press, and Engagement Director (and Project Manager) for the St. Petersburg Group, which owns both St. Petersburg Press and the St. Pete Catalyst. She is also part of the St. Petersburg Foundation, SPG’s nonprofit philanthropic arm.

SPG also manages the Lealman Exchange, off 54^th Avenue N., which is taking the unincorporated area into exciting new directions through new and improved community engagement.

Cianci has an Masters’ in Business Administration, and an extensive background in costume design, having worked for years with American Stage, Ruth Eckerd Hall, freeFall Theatre and the Asolo theater company in Sarasota.

Along with her many talents, she’s a people person – she has read, green-lit, edited and overseen production on every one of St. Petersburg Press’s 26 published books.

The world of publishing, she explains, has changed dramatically over the last decade.

“We wanted those people who didn’t have the option of getting that big advance check from Random House, being picked up by one of the big three … we wanted them to have that full publishing experience,” she explains.

In this interview, Cianci talks about working with authors and leading them through the process, reviews her history with clothing and costume design, and discusses the past, present and future of the Lealman community. And more.

Click on the arrow to listen to the interview.