The Small Story: A Site About the Beauty of Everyday Life

On her blog, The Small Story, former reporter Cara Solomon shares the inspiring little-known stories of Massachusetts.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on May 16 2010

Cara Solomon worked as a newspaper reporter for eight years, and covered plenty of major events—but the stories that most caught her attention rarely made the front page.

“Time and again,” she writes on her blog, “the small story pulled me in: the first day of school for a boy displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the final months of foster care for a tired teenager, the slow road to recovery for an injured Iraq War veteran and his mother.”

Though Solomon no longer works as a reporter, she’s never let go of her passion for small stories—and now, living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she seeks out the extraordinary moments in the people and places that surround her, bringing a journalist’s eye for detail and an empathetic voice to share her subjects’ worlds.

On her site, The Small Story, you’ll find a portrait of real-life Piano Man Mel Stiller; a story about a blind man rediscovering art through an MFA program for people with disabilities; and a wonderful piece on Cambridge’s annual photo contest in which the winning photo gets a spot on that year’s parking permit, among many others. None of the people or events in her stories are well-known, but all of them have brought meaning and inspiration to their communities, and are well worth a deeper look. There’s even a space to share your own story, giving recognition to the most inspiring person in your own life.

Stop by for a small story or two. You’ll be glad you did.

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