This collection of personal narratives takes the pulse of the city of Indianapolis through the everyday experiences of its people. By listening to the voices of the individuals who make their home in the city, Urban Tapestry captures a part of the soul that animates this Midwestern community. The vignettes collected by writers, journalists, and folklorists present the view from the office and the front porch, the park bench and the kitchen table, the racetrack and the city street. They include reports from prominent leaders and tales from the homeless. The stories are organized into four groups: "Justice and Kindness and Giving to Kinsfolk," "The Place Where You Stand Is Holy," "Why Then Do We Deal Treacherously?" and "A New Life Has Come among You." Although they represent a diverse population, these are people who give voice to common concerns: race, education, crime, alienation, and community. Urban Tapestry invites readers to meet the stranger and to understand the "other" as the face in the mirror.