Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our spring member drive has ended, but it's not too late to give. You have the power to help fund the essential journalism that keeps us all informed. Help us close the gap on our spring fundraising goal! GIVE NOW

Reserve Your Spot for StoryCorps in St. George

UPR and Dixie Regional Medical Center are sponsoring the StoryCorps recording booth in St. George May 2 to June 1, and the slots are ready to be taken! 

StoryCorps allows two people to enter the recording booth and interview each other for 45 minutes. At the end of the interview, they receive a CD of the interview, and a copy of their interview is placed in the Library of Congress.

Registration is now open for the month, so go to the StoryCorps website to reserve your spot.

>>RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!<<

StoryCorps, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving and sharing the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs, will record interviews in southern Utah from Thursday, May 2, to Saturday, June 1, as part of its cross-country MobileBooth tour. During its stint in southern Utah, StoryCorps is partnering with Utah Public Radio (UPR), Utah’s statewide NPR station and a service of Utah State University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.   Dixie Regional Medical Center is celebrating 100 years and helping to sponsor the StoryCorps MobileBooth as part of those celebrations.

UPR 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.”

StoryCorps’ MobileBooth — an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio — will be parked at the LDS St. George Tabernacle/ St. George Town Square, W. Tabernacle and South Main Street. Reservations are available now and can be made online at the UPR website (upr.org) or by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406, or at its website (storycorps.org). Additional appointments will be available on May 16, 2013.

StoryCorps’ MobileBooth interviews are conducted between two people who know and care about each other while 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.

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,” Isay said. “Each interview reminds people that their lives matter and will not be forgotten. 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.”

Kerry Bringhurst, UPR station manager, and other UPR staff are coordinating the site visit to southern Utah in as part of the station’s 60th Anniversary as Utah’ first public radio station.

“There are stories to be shared that are unique to southern Utah,” Bringhurst said. “A strong pioneer heritage exists. There is a diverse population of long-time residents and sun seeking newcomers, and there are memories to be shared about time spent in the area’s national parks.”

In addition to a traveling MobileBooth, StoryCorps currently operates stationary recording booths in Atlanta, Ga., in partnership with the Atlanta History Center and public radio station WABE-FM, and at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, Calif. 

To ensure the diversity of 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 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 Sept. 11, 2001.

To help offset its operating costs, StoryCorps suggests a donation of at least $25 for each MobileBooth interview. If participants cannot meet the suggested donation, they may participate at no cost to ensure that StoryCorps remains a free public service.