by
MPR/Daily Circuit
Dave Isay * : StoryCorps [started in 2003] grew out of a very a simple idea - we wanted to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record their life stories. We built a soundproof booth in Grand Central Terminal and invited people to come in pairs and interview each other about their lives, with the help of a trained StoryCorps facilitator. Soon after starting the project, I knew we had created something pretty powerful. Many StoryCorps participants tell us that the forty minutes they spend inside our booth are among the most meaningful minutes of their lives. We hope to grow StoryCorps into a national institution that touches the lives of every American family. ....
We've recorded more than 30,000 interviews with more than 55,000 participants in all 50 states and archived them in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress ....
The most important thing that StoryCorps does is offer our participants a safe place to open up and talk about their lives....
In 30,000 interviews, we've had every imaginable kind of person participate—from prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (where we were recording last week) to members of Congress and even a U.S. president. Because these interviews provide the opportunity to leave a legacy in 40 minutes, most people talk about the great themes of human existence: birth, death, and love ....
I'm wary of being nostalgic. I do believe that listening and recognizing our shared humanity is important at any and every time in history—and that if we as a country spent a little more time listening to each other and little less time shouting, we'd be a better, more thoughtful and more compassionate nation.
The Story of Myra and her mother:
___________________________________________
* Source: POV Interview with Dave Isay,
Founder and President of StoryCorps
http://www.pbs.org/pov/storycorps/interview_isay.php
We've recorded more than 30,000 interviews with more than 55,000 participants in all 50 states and archived them in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress ....
The most important thing that StoryCorps does is offer our participants a safe place to open up and talk about their lives....
In 30,000 interviews, we've had every imaginable kind of person participate—from prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (where we were recording last week) to members of Congress and even a U.S. president. Because these interviews provide the opportunity to leave a legacy in 40 minutes, most people talk about the great themes of human existence: birth, death, and love ....
I'm wary of being nostalgic. I do believe that listening and recognizing our shared humanity is important at any and every time in history—and that if we as a country spent a little more time listening to each other and little less time shouting, we'd be a better, more thoughtful and more compassionate nation.
The Story of Myra and her mother:
___________________________________________
* Source: POV Interview with Dave Isay,
Founder and President of StoryCorps
http://www.pbs.org/pov/storycorps/interview_isay.php
