Driving to work in the mornings allows lots of time for listening to the radio. Most days its the mornings news roundup informing me of what I need to be paying attention to this week, or maybe a few good songs to start the day off on the right foot (in between dodging the morning commercials). The best radio days though are the ones that give me goosebumps, listening to people share their lives, their memories, their stories on StoryCorps.
The conversations between Americans from all walks of life are broadcast over NPR, and cataloged in the Library of Congress for all to remember. It's a truly democratic way of keeping our shared experiences, told through the intensely personal lens of a few people, as part of the collective record.
Eastern Kentucky has the chance to share our stories — from April 21 to May 14, StoryCorps is partnering with WMMT to document the lives, events and happenings of Appalachians. We hope you'll get the chance to go and tell your story!
The Booth will be located in the lot next to Letcher Veteran’s Memorial Museum at the Mountain Heritage Festival Site 360 Main Street, Whitesburg, KY 41858. Look for the silver Airstream trailer.
Here's how StoryCorps describes themselves:
StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 30,000 interviews from more than 60,000 participants. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, and millions listen to our weekly broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition and on our Listen pages.
We do this to remind one another of our shared humanity, strengthen and build the connections between people, teach the value of listening, and weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that every life matters. At the same time, we will create an invaluable archive of American voices and wisdom for future generations.
In the coming years we will build StoryCorps into an enduring institution that will touch the lives of every American family.
Statement of Principles
- StoryCorps is built on an uncompromising commitment to excellence across all aspects of the project, from collecting, sharing, and preserving people’s stories; to organizational management; to maintaining an extraordinary work environment where respect and dignity are paramount.
- The interview session is at the heart of StoryCorps. We treat participants with the utmost respect, care, and dignity.
- StoryCorps has a relentless focus on serving a wide diversity of participants.
- StoryCorps is a public service.
See Story Corps' website for more information, or stay in the loop with WMMT.
