Since 2005, the StoryCorps Mobile Tour has set out on road trips across the United States to collect stories from people in every corner of the country. For the past 18 years, we’ve stopped and visited countless cities and towns, recording thousands of local conversations between people who live there. Listen to some stories that we’ve heard along the way.
Check out our 2024 Mobile Tour schedule, and book an appointment to share your story.
A More Perfect Union
When Theresa Burroughs came of voting age, she was ready to cast her ballot—but she had a long fight ahead of her. Undeterred, Theresa remembers venturing to the courthouse on the first and third Monday of each month, in pursuit of her right to vote.
32 Years of Celebrating Life
“You’ve Carried Me Through Tough Times.”
Los Angeles County firefighter Derek Bart first came to StoryCorps in 2020, just hours after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis. He stepped into the MobileBooth to reflect on his 33 years of public service and how he wanted to be remembered. But there, he thought of someone else, an 8-year-old girl he’d met early in his career, when he responded to a house fire.
Theresa and Dennis McLaughlin
Dennis McLaughlin was born in 1948 with spina bifida, a birth defect that left him unable to use his legs. But his mother, Theresa McLaughlin — a single mom who worked at a local paper mill– knew that “from the neck up, he’s just fine.” So she treated Dennis just like any other kid. At a StoryCorps mobile booth, Dennis payed tribute to the way Theresa raised him.
A Friendship That Led To 70 Years Of Marriage
Julia and Joel Helfman met when they were just kids — at 12 and 13 years old. Their friendship blossomed into a decades-long love story. And together they had five kids of their own, as well as 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandkids. A few months before their 70th wedding anniversary, Joel and Julia sat down at StoryCorps to remember how it all began.
UPCOMING MOBILE TOUR DATES
Not in a city that we’ll be visiting? You can record anywhere with the StoryCorps App or StoryCorps Connect.
