Do Space News
The Great Thanksgiving Listen at Do Space
October 26th, 2016 | Felicity White, Community Learning Specialist
Have you listened to StoryCorps on NPR? Watched an animated version of one of their interviews?
In 2015, StoryCorps founder Dave Isay won the TED Prize and “the StoryCorps app and StoryCorps.me [was] created as a global platform for listening, connecting, and sharing stories of the human experience.” This Thanksgiving, Do Space is offering members the opportunity to learn about recording their own interview, including an app workshop on November 12th and open listening rooms on the day after Thanksgiving.
In his Ted Talk, Isay explains that StoryCorps started out as a sound booth in New York, expanded to a custom Airstream trailer that traveled the country, and is now accessible on your phone. As his own staffers described it, the interview is an opportunity for “bearing witness” to another person’s life.
In the Great Thanksgiving Listen initiative, StoryCorps puts the power of the interview in anyone’s hands. Everyone is invited to download the app, ask someone they want to hear from for an interview, and spend around an hour asking questions and listening.
But at Do Space we know “download the app” can be a lot harder than it sounds, so we’re here to help. If you’re interested in conducting a StoryCorps interview with an elder in your family but worry you won’t know how to handle the tech, we can help! Register for The Great Thanksgiving Listen class on Saturday, November 12th at 1:00 pm. Bring your smartphone and we’ll download the free app, learn best practices for a great interview, and even practice recording.
You’ll be ready for the day after Thanksgiving, the day set aside for interviews and uploads. If it’s too rowdy at your house or if you’re worried about the tech, meet us here at Do Space. We’ve reserved a room all day long for members who want to participate. We’ll have some technology-themed questions available, too.
After you record your family member (or friend), the interview can be uploaded to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress! This is your chance to honor someone you care about by documenting their story in their own voice. App technology makes it easy and Do Space is here to help.
