StoryCorps Oral History Project to Preserve Stories of Northern Utah Residents in Visit

StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, comes to Logan, Utah from April 28 to May 26 to record interviews as part of its Mobile Tour.

Now in its 19th year, the StoryCorps Mobile Tour has facilitated thousands of meaningful conversations between people who know and care about one another. StoryCorps is committed to creating a safe recording environment and has introduced several measures to its recording process in Logan. Participants can learn more about safety precautions for in-person recording at storycorps.org.

Reservations to record will be available at 10 a.m. April 13 and can be made by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406 or visiting storycorps.org. Reservations are available April 28 through May 26.

The StoryCorps airstream trailer will be parked in downtown Logan near the Historic Cache County Courthouse, 199 North Main Street. On Friday, April 28, StoryCorps and Utah Public Radio will host an opening day event presenting the project to the public. This will be held at 11:30 a.m. in the Historic Cache County Courthouse and will include tours of the StoryCorps MobileBooth.

The Northern Utah recording event will be the first opportunity since 2020 for participants to do in-person StoryCorps interviews where two people record a meaningful conversation with one another about who they are, what they’ve learned in life, and how they want to be remembered. A trained StoryCorps facilitator guides them through the interview process. After each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a digital 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 Fellow Dave Isay, StoryCorps has traveled to every corner of the country to record interviews in the organization’s effort to create a world where we?listen closely to each other and recognize the beauty, grace and poetry in the?lives and stories we find all around us.

“StoryCorps tells an authentic American story — that we are a people defined by small acts of courage, kindness, and heroism. Each interview reminds people that their lives matter and will not be forgotten,” Isay said. “During this pandemic, the value of preserving these stories, and of strengthening connections between people who may feel physically isolated, is more important than ever.”

In Logan, StoryCorps will partner with NPR affiliate Utah Public Radio/KUSU-FM. UPR will air a selection of interviews and create special programs around the project. StoryCorps may also share excerpts of these stories with the world?through the project’s popular weekly NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.

“Our partnership with StoryCorps represents what UPR does best: connecting and strengthening our communities through storytelling,” said Kerry Bringhurst, Station Manager at UPR.

StoryCorps is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Utah Public Radio’s partnership with StoryCorps is sponsored by Cache County and USU Credit Union, a division of Goldenwest.

About StoryCorps

Founded in 2003 by Dave Isay, StoryCorps has given over half a million Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs, in towns and cities in all 50 states, the chance to record interviews about their lives. The organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ weekly podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, wisdom and values; engender empathy and connection; and remind us how much more we have in common than divides us. For more information visit storycorps.org, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at @storycorps.

About Utah Public Radio

Utah Public Radio, a service of Utah State University and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, broadcasts news, information, public affairs, and cultural programming 24 hours a day. Located in Logan, Utah Public Radio is heard by listeners across Utah and in Southern Idaho via a network of six full-power HD-enhanced stations and 30 translators. More than half of Utah's population resides within the station and translator network coverage area. UPR is also heard at upr.org and on the UPR app. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @UtahPublicRadio.

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.