Pratham Books

StoryCorps and Oral History

Read about National Listening Day on BoingBoing first (It was on 27th November 2009!).

On the day after Thanksgiving, set aside one hour to record a conversation with someone important to you. You can interview anyone you choose: an older relative, a friend, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood.

You can preserve the interview using recording equipment readily available in most homes, such as cell phones, tape recorders, computers, or even pen and paper. Our free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide is easy to use and will prepare you and your interview partner to record a memorable conversation, no matter which recording method you choose.

Make a yearly tradition of listening to and preserving a loved one’s story. The stories you collect will become treasured keepsakes that grow more valuable with each passing generation. (Link)

The project is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind in America.

Via Storycorps

By recording the stories of our lives with the people we care about, we experience our history, hopes, and humanity. Since 2003, tens of thousands of everyday people have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share, and is archived for generations to come at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to our award-winning broadcasts on public radio and the Internet.

You can listen to varied stories here. One of the stories I liked was the story of Sharon Holley.

Sharon Holley, a retired librarian, tells her husband, Kenneth, about preparing for her career at an early age. Holley operated Harambee Books and Crafts, a community black bookstore, for 29 years in Buffalo, NY. (Listen to the story).

Image Source: abrinsky

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