Portraits Along the River
(www.williamandjosephpress.com)
During 2002 and 2003, photographer Bob Reuter and I trekked across the City of
St. Louis, talking to people about their jobs. All along the way, Bob snapped
photos and I rolled tape. In late 2003, we released a finished product, featuring
50 of the interviews/photography sessions. In the end, the book serves as a dual
oral history and fine arts project. Working with a relatively new publishing house
in St. Louis, The William & Joseph Press; this work is their second, released title.
This book features Reuter's gritty, black-and-white photography, along with short interviews with each of our 50 subjects. Included are such professions as: parking lot attendant; veterinarian; I.T. supervisor; newspaper columnist; clothing store owner; and fine artist. The title is available for purchase at a number of independent outlets including: Left Bank Books, Euclid Records, Vintage Vinyl, Dunaway Books, Farrago and all the major chain bookstores in St. Louis.
Gaslight Square: An Oral History
(www.williamandjosephpress.com)
Researched and released in 2004, Gaslight Square: An Oral History delves into
an amazing period of St. Louis history, chronicling the rise and fall of Gaslight
Square. Located near the intersection of Boyle and Olive in Midtown St. Louis, the
area was a mecca for bohemians, artists, entertainers, writers and drinkers. From
the late '50s into the mid '60s, the Square was a world-renowned beacon for those
looking for a new, distinct kind of American underground.
This book, featuring interviews with dozens of Gaslight Square habitués, is broken down by both chronology and theme, allowing readers a chance to meet the people that made the area click. It also helps explain the sudden, precipitous decline of the area in the late '60s and early '70s. It ends with a look at the new housing development which has cropped up on the old Gaslight ruins. Part of a wealth of projects related to the subject in recent years, Gaslight Square: An Oral History is the first book dedicated to this unique moment in St. Louis history.
