StoryCorps, the public radio series that travels the country, recording conversations between people about their lives, beliefs and histories, is coming to Chattanooga.
From March 19 until April 17, 2019, the nonprofit—which airs locally on WUTC-FM 88.1—will pull its Airstream trailer, called the MobileBooth, into the city and spend the next several weeks inviting people to come inside and have a conversation. Usually, the series brings two people together—parents and children, friends, co-workers and others—and lets them just talk.
Each day, about seven, 40-minute conversations are recorded, then given to the local public radio station, which edits them into 3-minute stories. In Chattanooga, the interviews will air on WUTC over several months.
“WUTC and Chattanooga are so excited that StoryCorps is coming here for the first time ever,” says William Davis, outreach manager and producer at WUTC. “Our city is changing, and history and growth are working hard to find a balance. We have a lot to tell StoryCorps; so many of our stories are untold. StoryCorps’ visit to the Tennessee Valley will have a powerful impact on our community.”
On its current tour, StoryCorps will visit Chattanooga and nine other cities, including Memphis, Birmingham, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth and Orlando.
A new element of the upcoming tour is “One Small Step,” which brings together people who disagree politically. The hope is to show that such conversations can take place in an atmosphere of decency and respect.
About 500,000 people have been part of the StoryCorps conversations since it was created in 2003. The interviews are preserved in an archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
“As our MobileBooth crisscrosses the country, recording one conversation at a time, we are building an archive that reflects the rich diversity of American voices and tells the true story of this nation and reminds us of the poetry, wisdom, and grace that can be found in the words of the people all around us when we take the time to listen,” says Dave Isay, founder and president of StoryCorps.
