by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
The shiny silver Airstream travel trailer parked in Hemming Plaza isn’t an example of upscale urban camping, it’s part of a national project to record stories from Americans of all walks of life.
StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit initiative in partnership with National Public Radio and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The idea is to record stories of American people and their lives told by the people themselves. The StoryCorps trailer has been on the road for more than a year and its mobile studio will be Downtown for a month. Appointments for people who would like to share their stories and make them part of America’s permanent are available beginning tomorrow.
In terms of the format, interviews are conducted between two people who know and care about each other, guided by a trained facilitator who also handles the technical aspects of the recording process. At the end of the 40-minute session, participants leave with a CD of their interview. With their permission, a second copy becomes part of the archive at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear. Portions of some interviews will also be broadcast on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
On the national level, it’s the most comprehensive oral history project ever undertaken. The goal is to record more than 50,000 interviews from Americans in all 50 states.
Locally StoryCorps is partnered with the City and with FM-89.9 which will air a selection of the local stories and create special programs around the project. More than 100 stories are expected to be collected at Hemming Plaza.
Michael Boylan, president and CEO of WJCT, said, “As the First Coast’s public broadcasting station WJCT has produced a wealth of programs that promote conversation and preserve our rich local history. StoryCorps is a unique opportunity to record their stories as part of our collective history.”
StoryCorps requests a donation of $25 for each interview but if those interviewed cannot meet the donation they may participate at no cost in order to ensure the project remains a free public service.
“The atmosphere in the studio is very casual. It’s just a conversation between two friends, family members or loved ones,” commented StoryCorps MobileBooth Site Supervisor Anna Walters, who will facilitate the local interviews.
To make an appointment to tell your story, call 1-800-850-4406. The studio will be in Hemming Plaza until Dec. 19.
StoryCorps MobileBooth Site Supervisor Anna Walters.
356-2466