Oral History Project
Perhaps you have heard some of the conversations recorded by StoryCorps on public radio, conversations of ordinary (read-extraordinary) citizens, made as part of a national on-going oral-history project. To read more about it, visit their website at www.storycorps.net
Although we’re not officially affiliated with StoryCorps we are doing the same kind of project here at church. We hope you will participate, and to whet your appetitite, here are some recordings we’ve already completed.
It’s a simple process: two people are needed. It can work in either of two ways-the first way involves one person asking questions of a second person. We have made copies of the questions used by StoryCorps as a guide. What would you like to talk about? Here are some possible categories:
- memories of growing up
- exploring the dimensions of a friendship
- raising children
- school experiences
- marriage, work life
- living through a war
- serious illness
- religion and spirituality
- social activism
- passionate interests
- living in the 20th/21st century
- family heritage
A second way to approach any of these subjects is to reminisce with another person, both of you telling a shared story.
Interested? Just contact Bob Shepherd and set up a time to do the interview. Plan on having the recorded conversation last anywhere from 20-40 minutes. Bob will do editing (taking out pauses, coughing, side remarks that are not pertinent, for example) and then transfer the interview onto 3 CDs, one for each participant and one for our church files. There is no charge for the recording, editing or CD’s, but the results are priceless.
With your written permission, your interview might also be put here on the church’s website. Although the general website is available to one and all, these recordings will be accessible only to those individuals who apply to Bob for a password. For starters, you can listen here to several interviews already posted without password requirement.
StoryCorps says that “Everybody’s story matters. Every life counts.” Their mission is to “honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening.” Ditto for us. Part of their mission is “to create a kinder, more thoughtful and compassionate nation.” We might say that we want to deepen the connections amongst ourselves, to learn more about what makes each of us unique and to explore our common humanity. Because of these concepts, I see this as a Religious Education project, but it can also be a gift for all of us and to our families to have this kind of record.
Sue Langman, RE Director