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Anniversaries are natural times to reflect, but as we look back, we must also look forward. Today, StoryCorps turns five. Tomorrow, we will continue documenting the history, hopes, and humanity of everyday Americans around the country. Some of the great achievements of the past five years are included in this month's newsletter. But perhaps the best way to know how far StoryCorps has come is to listen. Even if you don't get a chance to read all of this, I hope you'll take a few minutes to listen to some of these classic StoryCorps moments that we've recorded and broadcast to the nation. Listening to these voices is what has inspired—and what will continue to inspire—our work. It's also a great time to reflect on your StoryCorps experience. Dig up your CD and take another listen. Share it with friends and family. Maybe you'll hear something you didn't the first time. Happy birthday, StoryCorps... Here's to the next 5 years!
—Matt
5 Years Five years ago today in New York City's Grand Central Terminal the great oral historian Studs Terkel spoke at the opening of StoryCorps' first StoryBooth. "Today we shall begin celebrating the lives of the uncelebrated!" he proclaimed. "We're in Grand Central Terminal. We know there was an architect, but who hung the iron? Who were the brick masons? Who swept the floors? 
Annie Perasa and Dave Isay at Studs's vision of StoryCorps recording the extraordinary stories of everyday Americans has indeed come to pass, and in places far beyond our beginnings in Grand Central. From one booth and local broadcasts in New York to StoryBooths, MobileBooths, Door-to-Door teams, and StoryKits that have recorded stories in all 50 states, the growth of StoryCorps has been tremendous. 
StoryCorps MobileBooth in DC In 2005, StoryCorps became a true national project as our first two MobileBooths launched from the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. They have visited all the lower 48 states and have recorded nearly 8,500 interviews! Facilitators on our MobileEast and MobileWest booths blog to keep everyone updated on all the amazing cities and towns they are visiting. Also in 2005, StoryCorps started the September 11th Initiative and began reaching out to families affected by the attacks. We've recorded more than 800 remembrances and stories of that day and we are working closely with the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center to ensure these stories will be available to the public as part of their permanent collection. We followed the success of the September 11th Initiative with two more projects to collect the stories of specific populations. The Memory Loss Initiative encourages individuals suffering from an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, as well as their family members and caregivers, to share their stories. The Griot Initiative was created to ensure that the voices, experiences, and life stories of African Americans will be preserved and presented with dignity. But StoryCorps is not a list of accomplishments and numbers. StoryCorps is you. It is your stories, the stories of everyday Americans. Without the more than 40,000 of you who have taken the time to share your stories, StoryCorps wouldn't exist. So I hope you'll all join together in congratulating—you, the core of StoryCorps—for making these first five years so magical. Onward! October and November are some of the busiest months yet for us here at StoryCorps. Last week, our brand new StoryBooth at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco opened its doors. Check out some pictures on our blog of the booth being built, and then make a reservation to visit!
San Fran StoryBooth under construction
Alaska! Dave Isay will be touring the country signing copies and reading from the book. Dave looks forward to meeting as many Alumni as possible while he is out there on the road, so see if he's going to be in a city near you! Finally, we want the StoryCorps Alumni Community to be among the first to know about an exciting new project we are launching next month. On November 28, we will launch the first annual National Day of Listening. We want to bring the StoryCorps experience to everyone, regardless of their ability to record a story at one of our locations. Stay tuned in the next few weeks for much more information about the National Day of Listening and how you can participate. And all of this is happening in just the next few months, so stay tuned as we bring you news about all the great work we'll be doing in 2009 and beyond!
Jack Spade Limited Edition StoryCorps Bag It's always fun to find StoryCorps fans in unexpected places! As we mentioned last month, the designers at Jack Spade approached StoryCorps and proposed a new partnership. The company has teamed up with us to create a special-edition StoryCorps bag. Show your support of StoryCorps with a beautiful reversible bag, based on the virtually indestructible coal bags of years ago. It also comes with an exclusive bonus CD of StoryCorps stories chosen by Jack Spade. Remember: a portion of your purchase goes directly to StoryCorps!
   View details of the bag and how to order yours today on the Jack Spade website. Listen to Classic StoryCorps Stories
Listeners Talk Back! On October 10, we broadcast a conversation on Morning Edition recorded by Ben and Bernice Finn, who remember meeting on a blind date in 1946.
Your story reminded me so much of my own parents, who also met on a blind date in college and have been married for 51 years and still counting! I love to hear my mom and dad tell the story of how they met. I ask them to tell it over and over again. It was the 1950s, and time stood still for two young college students. I imagine a beautiful, thin, young 19-year-old girl with dark hair softly curled in her best blue dress and a borrowed pearl necklace walking down a long, spiral wooden staircase. I'm sure she was nervous knowing her friend set her up on a blind date with a musician! Then, she searches the room with her sparkling brown eyes that fall on a tall, handsome young man with well-groomed wavy brown hair wearing his only dark suit and spit-shinned black shoes. He was early of course and she...a few moments late. There was an instant spark from the very first glance, a chemistry. The rest is history. A Christmas wedding, a nation at war, two daughters, a set of twin boys, and half a lifetime later they are still together. I've learned so much about marriage and relationships from my parents. Oh sure, they have their disagreements about so many little things but they always find a way to compromise and work through it. It takes so much more than just love and a great beginning to maintain a relationship...but it sure does help!
Congratulations. What an inspiration. Here I am, 40 years old and still a single woman who has yet to fall in love, let alone get married. I have not given up on Love and hope to some day find it and feel it from the inside out. I read your story five times and it makes me smile every time when I get to the part where Bernice explains what she was thinking during that first date. May you have a wonderful anniversary and always be happy.
Sponsors and Partners State Farm Insurance is a proud national sponsor of StoryCorps. Additional major funding is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.   
StoryCorps is also made possible by generous support from the Annenberg Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, Ford Foundation, Kaplen Foundation, and Open Society Institute. 
StoryCorps' podcasts are supported by the Fetzer Institute as part of its Campaign for Love and Forgiveness. 
StoryCorps is a project of Sound Portraits Productions in partnership with NPR and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.  
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Question of the Month  We have a feature on our website that encourages you to listen to your friends, family, and loved ones by simply asking a question. Each month we'll suggest a question that you can ask your friends and family.
This month's question is: What is your most memorable birthday? Give it a shot: Send an email. Ask a question. Listen to what comes back.
Talk Back! |
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