This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 24, 2012 - Dear Beaconites - Even in the midst of an election, there's much more to cover in St. Louis than politics and power players. Daily, the Beacon gives you a wide-ranging look at what gives our region its distinctive character.
This week, for example, reporter Terry Perkins described a remarkable program that brought together jazz legend Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with the East St. Louis high school jazz band and other student musicians.
The program, arranged by Jazz St. Louis and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, was yet another demonstration of how music can connect people across boundaries of age, race, experience and musical style.
In other arts coverage, Beacon reporter Nancy Fowler profiled Bess Moynihan, an up and coming theater talent whose career is drawing her beyond St. Louis. Nancy also interviewed the author of "Anne and Emmett," a play opening at the Black Rep that imagines an encounter between two victims of hate, Anne Frank and Emmett Till.
Reporter Pat Rice brought us up to date on the latest historical research about St. Louis, which indicates that a fur trader lived just north of downtown before the city's founders arrived. Creek names we use today derived from French terms used long ago, Pat explains.
Perhaps most unusual in coverage this week, the Beacon helped launch an experiment in bringing you new perspectives on life here. Called "This is St. Louis," this street photography feature will appear in the Beacon each Wednesday, presenting images of people photographer Jarred Gastreich encounters throughout our region. His debut offering shows a cowboy at Tower Grove Park, as well as other people enjoying a fall day.
The project is the brainchild of Beacon general manager Nicole Hollway, who was inspired by Humans of New York, a photo blog. Nicole worked with Jarred and features editor Donna Korando to develop the idea, and Restoration St. Louis is providing support. In addition to appearing in the Beacon, This is St. Louis will live in several other ways, including on the St. Louis for the Love Facebook page and through Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram.
The Beacon is dedicated to journalism that powers a better St. Louis. That often means reporting on the issues and opportunities we face and on the people whose actions send ripples through our lives. But a better St. Louis grows, too, from understanding and appreciating St. Louisans in all their variety. We hope you'll enjoy "This is St. Louis" as it brings that variety to you.
Sincerely,
Margie
Note: When the St. Louis Beacon site was compromised, only the original articles, not the full-size photos, were available to enter into the St. Louis Public Radio site. Because of the smaller image size, photo essays such as "This is St. Louis" were not transferred.