by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Last November, National Public Radio parked a shiny Airstream trailer in Hemming Plaza, a stop on the “StoryCorps” tour. The idea was to record and preserve an oral history of America as told by people from all walks of life.
That electronic record was shared with participants in the form of a CD of their 40-minute conversation. Another copy was archived in the Library of Congress and excerpts from the recordings were broadcast on NPR stations across the country.
The program was so popular in North Florida that NPR affiliate radio station, WJCT FM 89.9, has created a local version, “Voices of the First Coast.”
“When NPR was here, there was an overwhelming response,” said Content Producer and Director Karen Feagins. “There were more people who wanted to share their oral histories than there were appointments available.”
Supported by a grant from the Florida Humanities Council and funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the program is on the road in public libraries in North Florida. There’s also a do-it-yourself method available.
Feagins schedules one-hour appointments, of which 40 minutes is to record a conversation.
“We encourage people to come in pairs, but if someone comes alone, I can interview them,” said Feagins, who worked in television news before joining the WJCT staff five years ago.
“We’ve heard everything from family stories to family secrets,” said Feagins. “We’ve also preserved quite a bit of local history.”
Feagins considers the recordings “an opportunity we don’t often take in modern society, the chance for people to sit together and just have a conversation. Coming into this space allows people the freedom to really express themselves.”
The completed interviews will be archived as part of the Florida Collection at the Main Library and also at the Jacksonville Historical Society. Participants receive a CD copy of their time at the microphone.
“One of the goals of the project is to create a permanent record that will allow future generations to be able to understand what it was like in 2010,” said Feagins.
Sessions are scheduled through Sept. 2 at branch libraries in Duval and St. Johns counties. If someone wants to participate but visiting a neighborhood library isn’t convenient, Feagins said part of the grant was used to purchase portable digital recorders that can be borrowed from the library and taken home for a recording. When it’s returned, the participant will receive a CD of the recording
Feagins expects to record about 150 conversations, which will be reviewed by a committee of humanities scholars and edited into a one-hour radio program on WJCT that will be broadcast Thanksgiving weekend.
“It will be a challenge to edit it down to just an hour,” said Feagins. “Most of the interviews won’t be on the radio. The main goal is to record stories for the people and for posterity.”
To learn more about “Voices of the First Coast,” visit www.wjct.org/events/voices_of_the_first_coast_project.
“Voices of the First Coast” recording schedule
For more information or to make an appointment, e-mail [email protected]
Karen Feagins
356-2466