North Country is Fortunate to Have StoryCorps
Katharine Eneguess, President of White Mountains Community CollegeA friend of mine recently told me that when her son was in fourth grade his class did a grandparent project. Each child interviewed one of his or her grandparents, recording that interview on tape. The classroom teacher had a list of questions for the children to ask their elders, questions designed to make for an easy, and interesting, interview.
My friend's child is an adult now, and the grandmother he interviewed is gone, but my friend still has that cassette tape in the top drawer of her desk. Her mother, and her son's grandmother, will live on through the recorded conversation between the nine-year-old interviewer and his 66-year-old grandmother.
That fourth grade teacher's project used a technique very similar to that used by StoryCorps, an independent non-profit whose mission is to "honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening." A national organization which partners with National Public Radio and the American Folklife Center (AFC) at the Library of Congress, StoryCorps has brought its MobileBooth Airstream trailer to Berlin to record the stories of local area residents. These interviews, like the fourth grade interviews, are conducted by close relatives or friends. And StoryCorps only visits 24 cities a year.
Adult children can bring in a parent, or a couple could interview each other. StoryCorps professionals record the interview, producing a broadcast-quality CD for you to keep. A copy of the CD will go to the Library of Congress to be included in that institution's archives.
For those who would like to participate, the interviews take about 40 minutes and it is suggested you bring a set of questions and bottled water with you. There is a list of suggested questions to get you started, such as "What was the happiest moment in your life?", and "What is your earliest memory?", but you can come with your own set of questions and are free to go wherever the conversation leads.
The MobileBooth is located at Veteran's Park on Rt-16 & in Berlin, right next to the gazebo. Because of the time it takes to put together the recording, it is important to reserve a time for your interview so that as many residents as possible have the chance to hear again the memories of their loved ones, as recorded in their interviews.
The StoryCorps project in the North Country is sponsored by the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation and TransCanada Corporation. The MobileBooth will be in Berlin through June 25. StoryCorps would like to record 120 conversations while in the area. Some of those conversations will be aired on New Hampshire Public Radio. In fact, we've already heard a few over the airwaves. The conversations make for very interesting listening. The contact number to schedule your session is 800-850-4406.
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