“Don’t talk to strangers.” Those words are ingrained in us. But we chose to talk to strangers, despite the hurdles of approaching others, because we believe personal stories have the power to connect people and inspire compassion.

We’ve been listening to and sharing personal stories of the people of St. Louis since we launched this project in 2014. We’ve tackled important issues, created a space for dialogue and discussion, and celebrated humanity.

As St. Louis’s story continues to be written, we took a snapshot of the past handful of years the way we always have — one photo and story at a time.

Typically, the Humans of St. Louis (HOSTL) posts only get a day of playtime on the page. But the stories are still relevant, timely, and enjoyed by so many. So we self-published a book. We kept it local from the stories to the creative team. And we built something truly one of a kind of, by, and for St. Louis.

Special thanks to the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis for helping us order our second print run.

And thank YOU for believing in this compilation. Your book purchase supports HOSTL as a nonprofit to continue to feed the site, exhibit, and promote civic pride through the power of storytelling in ST. LOUIS!