This July, in collaboration with The Brooklyn Collection, an archive dedicated to the history of Brooklyn, of the Brooklyn Public Library, StoryCorps spent one week recording the stories of people who live and work in the borough. Through storytelling, StoryCorps celebrated the history and diversity of Brooklyn and the members of its communities and…

We did it! With 24 interviews and 49 participants, we have made the first installment of what we hope to be many more, building a growing portrait of the people and life of Brooklyn.

Key partnerships included, Crown Heights Mediation Center, The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA), New York Writers Coalition, and We Are All Brooklyn. Brooklyn community leaders, artists, activists, recent arrivals and long time residents who are parents, families, couples, colleagues, and friends shared stories of struggle, perseverance, and courage in addition to the everyday triumph of the human spirit.

As for neighborhoods, Crown Heights was well represented, plus Boerum Hill, Park Slope, Bedford Stuyvesant, Clinton-Hill, Fort Greene, Cobble Hill, Kensington, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Sunset Park, and Carroll Gardens. I learned more about the borough that I call home in three days than I have in 6 years.

Brooklyn Week may be over, but for those who missed the opportunity to participate, you’re in luck. We’re booking appointments for Brooklyn residents (oh, and everyone else) at our state-of-the-art StoryBooth in Foley Square in Lower Manhattan. We look forward to seeing you there!