StoryCorps to be hosted by WYSO

STORYCORPS, THE GROUNDBREAKING ORAL HISTORY ORGANIZATION, TO VISIT DAYTON, OH

WYSO will host StoryCorps for four weeks to help record the stories of local residents

StoryCorps, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans with all backgrounds and beliefs, will arrive in Dayton, OH on April 19, 2010 as part of its cross-country MobileBooth tour. StoryCorps’ MobileBooth—an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio—will be parked at the James H. McGee Plaza in front of the Schuster Center in downtown Dayton at 2nd and Main Streets and will be open six days a week until May 15, 2010. Reservations will be available at 10am on April 8, 2010 and can be made by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406 or visiting storycorps.org. Additional appointments will be available on April 23, 2010.

StoryCorps’ MobileBooth interviews are conducted between two people who know and care about each other. A trained StoryCorps facilitator guides participants through the interview process. At the end of each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a complimentary CD copy of their interview. With participant permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.

In Dayton, OH, StoryCorps will partner with WYSO 91.3, the Miami Valley’s NPR station, to collect more than 100 interviews. WYSO 91.3 will air a selection of the local interviews recorded in the StoryCorps MobileBooth and create special programs around the project. Segments of select interviews may also air nationally on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Founded in 2003 by award-winning documentary producer and MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient Dave Isay, StoryCorps aims to create a growing portrait of who we are as Americans. By traveling to every corner of the country, StoryCorps currently has one of the largest collections of American voices ever gathered, with interviews collected from more than 50,000 Americans in all 50 states.

“StoryCorps tells the true American story—that we are a people defined by small acts of courage, kindness and heroism. Each interview reminds people that their lives matter and will not be forgotten,” said Isay. “By strengthening connections between people and building an archive that reflects the rich diversity of American voices, we hope to build StoryCorps into an enduring institution that will touch the lives of every American family.”

WYSO general manager Neenah Ellis says, “Residents of the Miami Valley have important stories to contribute to this national project. WYSO will air many of these oral history interviews for months after the mobile booth leaves downtown Dayton. We feel the urgency of documenting the transformations taking place here now, as we rebuild our economy. These are pivotal times in our history.”

In addition to two traveling MobileBooths, StoryCorps currently operates stationary recording booths at Foley Square in New York City, at Atlanta’s public radio station WABE-FM, and at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

StoryCorps sponsors four major initiatives: Historias collects the stories of Latinos throughout the United States and Puerto Rico; Griot preserves the voices and experiences of African Americans; the Memory Loss Initiative reaches out to people affected by various forms of memory loss; and the September 11 Initiative honors and remembers the stories of those most personally affected by the events of September 11, 2001.

StoryCorps requests a donation of $25 for each MobileBooth interview. If participants cannot afford to meet the suggested donation, they may participate at no cost, ensuring that StoryCorps remains a free public service.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, preserve, and share their stories. StoryCorps is currently one of the fastest-growing nonprofits in the country. Each week, millions of Americans listen to StoryCorps’ award-winning broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition. Fifty of StoryCorps’ most emblematic stories have been collected in the New York Times bestseller, Listening Is an Act of Love (Penguin Press). A follow-up book, Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps (Penguin Press), scheduled for publication in Spring 2010, will feature inspiring stories by and about mothers. StoryCorps’ major funders include: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The Annenberg Foundation, The Kaplen Foundation, and Joe and Carol Reich. StoryCorps also relies on the support from its participants and listeners. For more information, or to listen to stories online, visit storycorps.org.