Telling stories is the heart of what journalists do. Some are born of news-cycle necessity – a crime that occurs, a tax increase on the ballot, an impending summer storm. But the ones that excite and define us are those that show the diverse dimensions of our community – its challenges, its successes and, mostly, its people. That’s the inspiration behind a series of stories that MLive reporters in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo have launched called Our Neighbors. In recent weeks, we’ve brought you profiles of a barber who’s run a one-chair shop for 60 years; a self-taught mechanic who has become one of the world’s foremost experts on MG sports cars; and a young artist who is trying to build a rap career while working 12-hour factory shifts. These features reveal fascinating backstories of everyday people who might otherwise go unnoticed. "This series is our effort to cover those people and capture the essence of West Michigan,” said Grand Rapids Press reporter Melissa Frick, who was born and raised in Grand Rapids and wrote the profile of Bob Stevens, aka, “Bob the Barber.” "This is the best part about being a local journalist in my hometown: Being invested in our local communities and telling the compelling and unique stories that our neighbors will care about." One of the things you’ll notice when reading Our Neighbors stories is the richness of background, character, anecdotes that show not just who each subject is, but how they got to where they are. In a fast-paced world of bite-sized news, these are stories with narrative nourishment. “Stories about people in the community resonate with readers – they like to read about people they don’t know about,” said Eric Gaertner, editor for The Grand Rapids Press. “We know that basically everybody has an interesting story.” Our Neighbors has leveraged the community knowledge and talents of Frick and fellow reporters John Agar (Grand Rapids Press) and Ryan Boldrey (Kalamazoo Gazette). “We've got three reporters involved who are all really good storytellers, good writers who like to do this when they get the chance, so why not put it all together in a strategy that uses their skills?” Gaertner said. Agar, who has worked at The Press for 29 years, was familiar with MG expert John Twist because Agar owns a 1979 Triumph Spitfire, a car he calls a “close cousin” of the MG. “I wanted to show a mainstream audience that there’s this guy living amongst us who is a pretty big deal, worldwide, to MG enthusiasts,” Agar said. “John Twist is a character and has a lot of stories and not a big filter.” The first three features in the series came from reporters’ knowledge of the subjects or tips that had come in from sources in the past. That element – community nominations – is a central part of Our Neighbors. The Press and Gazette are soliciting profile ideas from our readers. While all nominations will be considered, editors are setting themes, such as “Tell us about the Mom and Pop shop you love” and “Tell us about a mentor who has made a difference in someone’s life.” “The premise behind the whole thing is ‘I know someone like that or someone who has a cool story,’” Gaertner said. “Readers can help us out by telling us about these interesting people and then we'll do the journalism.” This isn’t heavy, breaking news – but it’s just as important to our sense of community and to what makes a satisfying reading experience. “With most stories, we need a news peg: Why are we writing this story today?” Agar said. “Maybe there’s not a real newsworthy reason for writing these stories, but I think they’re interesting and compelling and maybe the only way they get told.” If you have suggestions for an Our Neighbors profile in the Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo area, send an email with a short description to Eric Gaertner at [email protected]. # # # | 