Utah Public Radio to Host StoryCorps Recording Event in Southern Utah

LOGAN – Utah Public Radio is partnering with StoryCorps, a national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, in St. George and Springdale, Utah, from April 24 to May 23.

Now in its 25th year, the StoryCorps Mobile Tour has facilitated thousands of meaningful conversations between people who know and care about one another.

Reservations to record are available now, and can be made by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406 or visiting storycorps.org or upr.org. Reservations are available now through May 23, with special dates for Springdale on May 6 and 7 at Zion Canyon Mesa. The StoryCorps airstream trailer will be parked in St. George at Vernon Worthen Park, between 200-300 South on 400 East. StoryCorps and Utah Public Radio will be available to answer questions throughout the recording event.

This recording event will be the first opportunity since UPR sponsored the StoryCorps Mobile Tour in 2013 for Southern Utah participants to do in-person StoryCorps interviews. In the interviews, 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 as part of the organization’s effort to create a world where we listen closely to each other and recognize the beauty, grace, and poetry in the stories found in everyday lives.

“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 changing times, the value of preserving these stories, and of strengthening connections between people who may feel uncertain, is more important than ever.”

In St. George and Springdale, 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 co-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 the City of St. George and Alta Bank.