KUT 90.5 will host StoryCorps for four weeks to help record the stories of local residents
AUSTIN, Texas – Dec. 16, 2014 – StoryCorps, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, will record interviews in Austin from Jan. 5-31 as part of its cross-country MobileBooth tour.
KUT 90.5, Austin’s NPR station, is bringing the StoryCorps MobileBooth — an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio — to Austin where it will be parked at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Reservations will be available starting at 10 a.m. on Dec. 22 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 Jan. 7.
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.
StoryCorps is partnering with KUT to air a selection of the local interviews recorded in the StoryCorps MobileBooth on 90.5. 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 nearly 80,000 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.”
“KUT’s mission is to create experiences that deepen understanding and connect people through the power of the human voice,” said Stewart Vanderwilt, director and general manager of KUT and KUTX Public Radio. "So we are thrilled to bring the StoryCorps MobileBooth back to Central Texas."
In addition to a traveling MobileBooth, StoryCorps currently operates stationary recording booths at the Atlanta History Center, the San Francisco Public Library and the Chicago Cultural Center.
To ensure the diversity of our participants, StoryCorps sponsors major initiatives: StoryCorps Historias collects the stories of Latinos throughout the United States and Puerto Rico; StoryCorps Griot preserves the voices and experiences of African Americans; the Military Voices Initiative honors the voices of post-9/11 veterans, service members and their families; StoryCorps Legacy provides people with serious illnesses and their families with the opportunity to record, preserve, and share their stories; and the September 11 Initiative honors and remembers the stories of those personally affected by the events of September 11, 2001.
To help offset its operating costs, StoryCorps suggests a donation of at least $25 for each MobileBooth interview. If participants cannot afford to meet the suggested donation, they may participate at no cost to ensure that StoryCorps remains a free public service.
Special thanks go to Belmont Village – West Lake Hills for sponsoring the StoryCorps Austin visit.
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About StoryCorps
StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, preserve, and share their stories. Each week, millions of Americans listen to StoryCorps’ award-winning broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition. StoryCorps has published three books: Listening Is an Act of Love and Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, and All There Is: Love Stories from StoryCorps—all of which are New York Times bestsellers. For more information, or to listen to stories online, visit storycorps.org.
About KUT 90.5, Austin’s NPR Station
KUT News, Austin’s NPR station, uses the highest editorial standards to shed light on Central Texas’ civic challenges and opportunities. A founding member of NPR, KUT 90.5 established a news department in 2002. Since then, KUT News has won more than 100 state, national and international awards for journalistic excellence. “Texas Standard,” KUT’s one-hour daily news program launching this fall and produced in partnership with news organizations across Texas, Mexico and the U.S., offers crisp, up-to-the-moment coverage of politics, lifestyle, the environment, technology, innovation and business—uncovering stories as they happen and spotting trends that will shape tomorrow’s headlines, from a Texas perspective.
Media contacts: Erin Geisler, KUT (512) 475-8071, or StoryCorps press desk (646) 723-7020 ext. 75