StoryCorps Comes to Nashville

A popular oral history project began its year-long stay in Nashville this weekend.

Since 2003, StoryCorps has invited individuals to interview loved ones in a special booth. Recordings of the conversations are then broadcast on Friday mornings during Morning Edition, and archived by the Library of Congress.

Former radio documentarian David Isay, began the project four years ago. He says it’s about listening to one another, a process that for him, starts with the human voice.

“I love the voice. And to me, the soul is kind of contained in the voice. There’s something so intimate about voice. So I think that voice is a great way to create bridges between people and help people understand each other.”

Nashville Public Library is hosting the StoryCorps booth in its Nashville Banner Room. The library will keep copies of interviews made here. Library Director Donna Nicely says it’s a natural compliment to the library’s own collection of local recordings, which also debuted this weekend.

The storycorps booth is open Wednesdays and Saturdays, and you can make reservations online at storycorps.net. Story Corps producers have committed to airing segments of at least five Nashville interviews on National Public Radio. In addition, WPLN has the option to locally broadcast audio that’s collected here – More information at https://wpln.org/storycorps