KUOW Public Radio and the Office of Arts and Culture will host StoryCorps for 4 weeks to help record the stories of local residents
July 16th, 2015 – StoryCorps, a renowned nonprofit organization celebrating the stories of everyday Americans, will record interviews in Seattle from August 6 to September 4 as part of its cross-country MobileBooth tour. Having collected more than 65,000 interviews from Americans in all 50 states, StoryCorps has gathered one of the largest single collection of human voices ever recorded.
StoryCorps’ MobileBooth — an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio — will be parked at the New Holly Neighborhood Campus. Reservations will be available at 10 a.m. on July 23 and can be made by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1.800.850.4406 or visiting storycorps.org. Additional appointments will be available on August 6.
In StoryCorps’ MobileBooth, two people are able to record a meaningful conversation with one another about who they are, what they’ve learned in life, and how they want to be remembered. A trained StoryCorps facilitator guides them through the interview process. At the end of each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a complimentary CD copy of their interview. With participant permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.
“StoryCorps tells the true American story—that we are a people defined by small acts of courage, kindness and heroism. Each interview reminds people that their lives matter and will not be forgotten,” said Isay. “By strengthening connections between people and building an archive that reflects the rich diversity of American voices, we hope to build StoryCorps into an enduring institution that will touch the lives of every American family.”
In Seattle, StoryCorps will partner with KUOW Public Radio, Seattle’s NPR station, and the Office of Arts and Culture. KUOW will air a selection of the local interviews recorded in the StoryCorps MobileBooth and create special programs around the project. StoryCorps may also share excerpts of these stories with the world through the project’s popular weekly NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.
“Our partnership with StoryCorps provides a clear path towards engaging more people in our community,“ says KUOW General Manager and CEO Caryn Mathes. “We want Pacific Northwest residents to tell their own stories on their own terms. StoryCorps provides people of all backgrounds and beliefs this opportunity.”
About StoryCorps
Founded in 2003 by MacArthur Fellow Dave Isay, the nonprofit organization StoryCorps has given more than 100,000 Americans the chance to record interviews about their lives, pass wisdom from one generation to the next, and leave a legacy for the future. It is the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. In the coming years StoryCorps hopes to touch the lives of every American family.
Participating in StoryCorps couldn’t be easier: You invite a loved one, or anyone else you chose, to one of the StoryCorps recording sites. There you’re met by a trained facilitator, who greets you and explains the interview process. You’re then brought into a quiet recording room and seated across from your interview partner, each of you in front of a microphone. The facilitator hits "record," and you share a 40-minute conversation. At the end of the session, you walk away with a CD, and a digital file goes to the Library of Congress, where it will be preserved for generations to come. Someday your great-great-great-grandchildren will be able to meet your grandfather, your mother, your best friend, or whomever it is you chose to honor with a StoryCorps interview.
StoryCorps shares edited excerpts of these stories with the world through popular weekly NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful stories illustrate our shared humanity and show how much more we share in common than divides us.
StoryCorps aims to be an enduring institution that celebrates the dignity, power, and grace that can be heard in the stories we find all around us, and helps us recognize that every life and every story matter equally.
About KUOW
KUOW is the Puget Sound region’s public radio station for local, regional, national and international news, information and cultural programming, serving listeners in Seattle and Western Washington at 94.9FM; 90.3FM KQOW in Bellingham, KUOW2 90.7 in Bellingham, 1340AM in Olympia, and KUOW and KUOW2 online and HD services. The mission of KUOW is to create and serve an informed public, one challenged and invigorated by an understanding and appreciation of events, ideas and cultures. The station is licensed to the University of Washington, which is assisted in its operation and management by KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, a private, non–profit corporation established in 1999 and governed by a community board. For more information, go to kuow.org, twitter.com/kuow or facebook.com/kuowpublicradio.
About The Office of Arts & Culture
The Office of Arts & Culture envisions a city driven by creativity that provides the opportunity for everyone to engage in diverse arts and cultural experiences. The Office is supported by the 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the mayor and City Council. Find out more at seattle.gov/arts Follow @SeaOfficeofArts or facebook.com/SeattleArts