StoryCorps Facilitator Weblog » Kate

Nashville’s StoryCorps Star

Kate — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:12:38 +0000

The Nashville Facilitators would like to thank interviewer and StoryCorps ambassador extraordinaire James Staub for his thoughtful and enthusiastic support of the Nashville StoryBooth this year.

James has either participated in or recruited participants for nine interviews since September 2007, including Hector Black’s interview, which aired on NPR’s Morning Edition this winter. Like Hector, many of James’s storytellers spoke of their experiences with grief and reconciliation (James is active in Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing and Murder Victim’s Families for Human Rights). Such interviews have enriched the StoryCorps archive beyond description.

James’s enthusiasm for StoryCorps is evident in these photos. Facilitators came to appreciate and anticipate his quick smile, eager spirit, and contagious laughter. Thank you, James!

Stories of Survival

Kate — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:46:02 +0000

StoryCorps Facilitators Cindy Murphy and Kate Wingate traveled to Portland, Oregon this week to conduct two days of Door-to-Door interviews in partnership with the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Cancer Institute. Ten years after the introduction of a drug used to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), OHSU sponsored StoryCorps’ visit in coordination with their GIST patient awareness week. As OHSU is a major center for the development of this drug, Kate and Cindy had the opportunity to record not only the stories of GIST and CML survivors, but also of the doctors and researchers who helped make their survival possible.

“If you do right, right will follow you.”

Kate — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:55:03 +0000

Nashville cultural historian Cynthia Bond Hopson visited the Nashville Story Booth yesterday to record her story. Facilitator Martha O’Brien interviewed her and asked Cynthia about her family and her strong bond with her parents. When speaking of her parents, Cynthia’s sparkling eyes, bright smile, and joyful laugh left no doubt about her love and appreciation for them and the lessons they taught her. She described her father as a big man with a big heart who “made everyone want to do better,” including Cynthia and her seven siblings. Among the important life lessons they imparted to their children were to “treat others as you want to be treated” and the belief that “If you do right, right will follow you.” She credits her family’s closeness in part to the fact that they ate dinners together as a family every night, a practice she regretfully acknowledged is on the decline in today’s fast-paced society. She believes that the act of sharing stories with and actively listening to one another at the dinner table helped to endow her with a strong sense of self and an appreciation of her cultural heritage. She feels that because she has been so blessed, it is her responsibility to give back to her family and community in any way she can. It was truly an inspiration to be in the booth with her.

From Bucharest to Nashville

Kate — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:12:03 +0000

Irene Popa never dreamed she would end up in Nashville, Tennessee. Born to a poor family in Bucharest, Romania, she learned to be a survivor at a young age. Her family was so destitute, they had to send her away to “weekly care” during the work week, bringing her home only on the weekends. Recently, Popa, a local Nashville aesthetician, came to the Nashville StoryBooth to share her story with her “soul sister,” Julianna Ericson. She told Ericson that she finally found a home with her grandmother, an herbalist, who served as her village’s healer and midwife. Popa’s grandmother, she recalled, taught her how to make herbal remedies and body care products, many of which she uses today at her face and body studio. She also imparted her wisdom, which guides Popa even today.