Clockwise from top left: The Mitchell family, the Wasson family, the Carpenter family and the Hawley family.

One morning several weeks ago I opened my inbox to a tantalizing subject line: “Chelsea Clinton in Little Rock - potential interview.” I opened the email and quickly replied with my availability, excited for a chance to talk to Clinton, a Little Rock native, about her new children’s book, “Don’t Let Them Disappear.”

I wrote up my questions and waited for the scheduled phone call with the former first daughter. Clinton was lovely, her answers were kind and thoughtful and we had a pleasant (though slightly rushed) conversation. But that’s the thing — it was nothing more than a pleasant conversation.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the interview and it was great to hear about Clinton’s book. But, like any political figure or celebrity, I could tell she’d been interviewed hundreds of times before and answering questions was as easy as counting to three.

That interview made me reflect on some of my favorite interviews I’ve done as editor of Little Rock Family. And I quickly realized that most all of them were just ordinary Arkansans who likely had very little (if any) experience being interviewed before.

Just a few months after I started, I sat and talked with Jon and Trina Mitchell in their new Conway coffee shop. They made me a latte, showed me pictures of their kids and excitedly recounted how Zetêo began. After a couple hours of conversation, I left feeling like I’d made two new friends.

For one of our Special Family sections, I talked to Jerilyn Swalve-Wasson and Kenny Wasson about their daughter’s different abilities and their mission to build an accessible playground right here in North Little Rock. Their passion was evident and their motivation so personal.

KATV anchor Erin Hawley and her husband Graham invited me into their home and opened up about the struggles they faced when their premature twins Graham and Charlotte were in the NICU for six weeks. They shared the pain and the joy with me, a total stranger, and let me recount their story.

When we did an issue focused on adoption and foster care, I met with Christy and Logan Carpenter and they told me the incredible story about how they fostered and later adopted three biological siblings. The details gave me goosebumps in the best possible way, and I hoped that, as I wrote the article, readers would be as touched as I was when I first listened to them tell the story.

It may sound cliche, but central Arkansas truly is home to countless inspirational, hard-working, caring individuals. It’s when I have the chance to tell their stories that I’m truly moved, and when I love my job the most.

Thanks for reading Little Rock Family and being part of the big central Arkansas family whose stories I get to tell.

Alexis Crowe
Editor