For the past eight years, , publishing their words beneath gorgeous photos that show them in their complexity. It's crafted approximately 3,500 portraits and stories of St. Louisans 鈥� and, in the process, amassed more than 100,000 followers.
鈥淲e share really cute things kids say,鈥� said Lindy Drew, co-founder and lead storyteller of Humans of St. Louis, 鈥渂ut at the same time, it's a platform to talk about so many larger issues that are happening in St. Louis.鈥�
Now the online project is taking physical form. Drew and her team of creatives who live and work in St. Louis have curated a book containing the best of Humans of St. Louis. It includes stories and photographs published between 2014 and 2020.
Drew said the authors felt it was important to represent the fabric of St. Louis 鈥� to go beyond the tourist destinations and iconic imagery. 鈥淲e wanted to dive deeper.鈥�
Self-publishing the book was helpful in that regard, she added.
鈥淭here wasn't anyone ahead of us or above us saying, 鈥楧on't put that in there. It's too much, or that's too racy,鈥欌�� Drew said. 鈥淭he point of having this team was to bring all of our identities and experiences to the table. To say, 鈥楾his is also my St. Louis.鈥欌��
Drew joined Monday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air to talk about the project along with written and spoken word artist Pacia Elaine Anderson. Anderson is featured in the Humans of St. Louis book and also wrote a poem for the book鈥檚 introduction.
A native of Alton, Illinois, Anderson now lives in the city鈥檚 Gravois Park neighborhood. She said it was a challenge to write a poem that encompasses many stories and experiences 鈥� the good and the bad and everything in between.
"I tend to lean towards optimism, and collectivity, and community, and energy, and beauty 鈥� and St. Louis is not always that,鈥� Anderson said.
With her poem, 鈥淭he Making of Us,鈥� she aimed 鈥渢o encompass all those things that don't exist within what people would call traditional beauty.鈥�
St. Louis鈥� 2016 Youth Poet Laureate Bisa Adero's poem about the Delmar Divide is featured at the book鈥檚 halfway mark.
"Oftentimes people don't want to talk about challenge and struggle, resistance and oppression, and people's experiences being different depending on what side of the street you stand on,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淚 thought it was very beautiful that Bisa鈥檚 work was able to symbolically and literally represent this divide.鈥�
While the book is designed to work well for casual readers, Drew said the placement of each photo and each poem was very intentional.
鈥淭here are no chapters,鈥� she said 鈥淵ou're not going to know where you're at until you read the whole thing. But you can tell what section you're in.鈥�
Pre-orders of the book are available now through March 1 .
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . Jane Mather-Glass is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
