Posts in Storytelling
‘Mom’s Idea’ Yields New Genetic Counseling Program at Washington University

Twenty years ago, Erin Linnenbringer’s mother suggested she start a genetic counseling program at Washington University in St. Louis. “I laughed it off as a crazy mom thing,” she says, “and then suddenly it wasn’t.” This fall, under Linnenbringer’s guidance, the program welcomed its first cohort of students.

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Writing During COVID-19: How the Pandemic has Boosted this Author’s Creativity

For New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center, the global health crisis has upended her typical writing process. Despite the distractions, she finds inspiration in the stories happening around her—and this unique period in history has become a highly creative time for her.

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The Pandemic Hasn’t Stopped this Food Critic from Writing About St. Louis’ Food Scene

On Friday, March 13, Cheryl Baehr ventured out to sample a new St. Louis restaurant as food critic of the Riverfront Times (RFT), a weekly alternative newspaper. A few days later, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, she was a casualty in a layoff that impacted most of the paper’s editorial staff. Baehr has since been rehired and continues to write about St. Louis’ diverse food scene.

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Former Cardinals Pitcher Makes Off-the-Field Impact in Haiti and St. Louis

If you ask Kyle McClellan what his greatest accomplishment has been, he won’t cite being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002 or serving as a relief pitcher on the Cardinals’ 2011 World Series championship team. Instead, he’s most proud of making a positive impact on the lives of others through his community organization: Brace for IMPACT 46.

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Journalist’s Investigative Reporting Inspires Netflix Episode on Wrongfully Convicted Man

Emilie Lounsberry’s high-profile assignments have included covering the Bill Cosby trial for Variety, but her greatest storytelling legacy might be the role she played in freeing Chester Hollman III, a man who served 28 years in federal prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Her work is documented in The Innocence Files, episode 7, on Netflix.

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Pastor and Wife Deliver Hope to the Community During COVID-19 Crisis

About 40 volunteers from MiddleTree Church in St. Louis join Pastor Brian Schmidgall and his wife, Mary, in delivering “Boxes of Hope” to community residents and their families who need practical food and supplies during the coronavirus pandemic.

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She Builds Buzz to Build Brands

After 20 years working in public relations and advertising, Suzy Wagner launched Brand & Buzz, a boutique Washington, D.C.-based strategic communications consultancy, in 2013. When she and her team aren’t creating campaigns for local, national or global clients, Wagner enjoys “playing tennis badly” and writing children's books.

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Honoring a Commitment to Improving Healthcare Spaces

For the first several years of her architectural career, Yin “Penny” Pan, AIA, aspired to work on many different project types—from schools, to office buildings, to residential developments. That perspective changed in 2011 when she visited her 95-year-old grandfather at a Shanghai hospital after he broke a hip.

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Designing Engaging Experiences for Athletes and Sports Fans

Some of the nation’s foremost sports organizations rely on Kelly Furlong’s creativity and imagination to help them raise their game. As a senior graphic designer at global sports architecture firm Populous in Kansas City, she specializes in creating three-dimensional branded environments that motivate, inspire, entertain and thrill.

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Career Shift: From Sports Journalist to Construction Storyteller

After 32 years with the Belleville News-Democrat — where he covered everything from St. Louis Cardinals World Series victories to the St. Louis Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf — Norm Sanders left his job as a sports writer and signed on as a senior writer at McCarthy Holdings, Inc.

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