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Inside 'The St. Louis Anthology,' A Newly Released Treasure Trove Of Local Voices

Earthbound Beer on Cherokee Street hosted a release party for "The St. Louis Anthology" last Friday. The volume's editor, Ryan Schuessler poses for a picture with Vivian Gibson (at right), whose story "Sun Up to Sundown" is one of nearly 70 pieces in the
Belt Publishing & Ryan Schuessler

Poems about St. Louis’ vibrant Bosnian community. A story of racial segregation in 1907 St. Louis that still resonates. An ode to Imo’s. These are just a few of the nearly 70 locally focused writings that fill “The St. Louis Anthology,” a newly released 240-page book spearheaded by St. Louis native Ryan Schuessler.

“My two biggest goals when putting this together were to have the volume be as diverse and representative as possible,” Schuessler, the editor, has said, “and to have as many first-person narratives [and] takes as possible – as in, having people write about their own experiences, even if they're not writers.”

Described on its back cover as “a love letter to those moments and people … that are so St. Louis,” the anthology “dares to confront the city’s nostalgia and its trauma,” all while celebrating the people who live there.

On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio executive editor Shula Neuman discussed the project with Schuessler.

St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The engineer is Aaron Doerr and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.

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Evie was a producer for "St. Louis on the Air" at St. Louis Public Radio.