How to add multiple posts from different catagories on one page

I want to have a homepage with the latest posts on a specific catagory put on a specific part of the homepage.

Is there a way to do this.

Basically it’s like a magazine layout. On the homepage I want to show the title and a paragraph to several catagories.

Is there a customizable theme where I can change that type of layout and specify what catagory to place where on a homepage?

Help!