WUWF will host StoryCorps to record the stories of local residents through both in-person and virtual interviews and preserve them in the Library of Congress
StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, comes to Pensacola, Florida from February 17, 2022 to March 11, 2022 to record interviews, in-person and virtually, as part of its Mobile Tour.
Now in its 17th year, the StoryCorps Mobile Tour has facilitated thousands of meaningful conversations between people who know and care about one another. StoryCorps is committed to creating a safe recording environment and has introduced several measures to its recording process in Pensacola, where participants have the option of recording in-person or via StoryCorps’ Virtual Recording Booth, a video-conferencing platform that can be accessed remotely using an internet-connected device. Participants can learn more about safety precautions for in-person recording at storycorps.org.
Reservations to record will be available at 10 a.m. on February 3, 2022 CST and can be made by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406, visiting storycorps.org, or wuwf.org/storycorps.
In a StoryCorps interview, two people record a meaningful conversation with one another about who they are, what they’ve learned in life, and how they want to be remembered. A trained StoryCorps facilitator guides them through the interview process. After each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a digital 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.
Founded in 2003 by award-winning documentary producer and MacArthur Fellow Dave Isay, StoryCorps has traveled to every corner of the country to record interviews in the organization’s effort to create a world where we listen closely to each other and recognize the beauty, grace and poetry in the lives and stories we find all around us.
“StoryCorps tells an authentic 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. “During this pandemic, the value of preserving these stories, and of strengthening connections between people who may feel physically isolated, is more important than ever.”
In Pensacola, Florida, StoryCorps will partner with NPR affiliate WUWF. WUWF will air a selection of the local interviews and create special programs around the project. StoryCorps may also share excerpts of these stories with the world through the project’s popular weekly NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.
“We are excited about having our friends at StoryCorps return to our area,” said WUWF Executive Director Pat Crawford. “Their last two visits were focused on specific themes but this time it’s open to anyone who wants to record a conversation with a family member or someone who is special to them. We appreciate the support of The Spring entrepreneurial hub in downtown Pensacola whose partnership is providing a beautiful venue for these important conversations to be recorded.”
StoryCorps is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
About StoryCorps
Founded in 2003 by Dave Isay, StoryCorps has given over half a million Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs, in towns and cities in all 50 states, the chance to record interviews about their lives. The organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ weekly podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, wisdom and values; engender empathy and connection; and remind us how much more we have in common than divides us. For more information visit storycorps.org, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at @storycorps.
About WUWF
WUWF Public Media is a listener supported public radio station licensed to the Board of Trustees of the University of West Florida, located in Pensacola, Florida. Broadcasting since January 1981, WUWF FM’s main signal is broadcast on 88.1 FM, wuwf.org, and the WUWF Mobile App allowing the listener to customize programming preferences and access web-only content, providing enhanced information, education and entertainment.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook, and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.
