Story Glory
As a mother-to-be (23 weeks and counting), I’ve recently wondered what it was like for my mother to be a new mother. Was she freaked out when she gave birth to twins (my younger brother and sister) when she was expecting just one? Of course I could just call her and ask her these things, but wouldn’t it be nice if I could record the conversation, maybe save it for my child? Learning about Storycorps.com, “a national project to instruct and inspire people to record each others’ stories in sound” has inspired me to do just that.
The site states: “We’re here to help you interview your grandmother, your uncle, the lady who’s worked at the luncheonette down the block for as long as you can remember—anyone whose story you want to hear and preserve.”
The interviews are crisp and touching (for the most part), some very touching, and span generations and subjects. Most of the interviews are from New York, where the first two StoryCorps booths were established. But the organization is working on expanding their geographic reach with MobileBooths that are currently traveling around the country collecting interviews.
The site is sparsely designed and easy to navigate. You can listen to the weekly clip, browse through the numerous stories they’ve acquired since 2003, and learn how to participate. Many are undeniable tearjerkers and most are between family members. In one, Michael Wolmetz surprises his girlfriend Debora Brakarz with an engagement ring (expect to shed a few tears on this one). In another David Heins from Charlottesville, VA tells his father how having a child has made him realize how much his parents loved him. In another Blanca Alvarez tells her daughter, Connie, about illegally crossing the border from Mexico to the United States and what life was like being in immigrant.
Note: The easiest way to access any of the interviews referred to above is to search on the one of the names.
The project is a collaboration between Sound Portraits Productions, the Library of Congress, and public radio stations nationwide, and selected interviews are also broadcast weekly, each Friday, on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. Listening to these interviews is not only addicting, but inspiring. I think I’ll go call my mother now.
