BRATTLEBORO-StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, comes to Harmony Lot downtown to record in-person and virtual interviews as part of its Mobile Tour.
StoryCorps will host an open house on Friday, July 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to tour the mobile recording unit and meet local StoryCorps facilitators.
Reservations to record are open now and can be made by calling StoryCorps' 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 800-850-4406 or visiting storycorps.org/vermont.
In a StoryCorps interview, two people 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.
After each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a digital 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.
Now in its 19th year, the StoryCorps Mobile Tour has facilitated thousands of meaningful conversations between people who know and care about one another. Participants have the option of recording in-person or via StoryCorps' Virtual Recording Booth, a video-conferencing platform that can be accessed remotely using an internet-connected device. Participants can learn more about these options at storycorps.org.
Founded in 2003 by award-winning documentary producer and MacArthur Fellow Dave Isay, StoryCorps has traveled to every corner of the country to record interviews in the organization's effort to create what it calls "a world where we listen closely to each other and recognize the beauty, grace, and poetry in the lives and stories we find all around us."
"StoryCorps tells an authentic 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 in a news release. "During this pandemic, the value of preserving these stories, and of strengthening connections between people who may feel physically isolated, is more important than ever."
Vermont Public will produce a selection of the local interviews for broadcast and digital platforms throughout the month. StoryCorps may also share excerpts of these stories with the world through the project's weekly NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and bestselling books.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.