(pic via NYCTHE)

When I was teaching I had StoryCorps on the mind - they would come into the schools and theater programs to work with kids a lot, playing their stunning stories and sharing the importance of  preserving our personal histories. 

I had wanted to record a conversation with my Papa, asking him to tell stories of how he met my Nana (she was wealthy and German and he was poor and Russian and they spent the early years of their relationship in the midst of training for World War) and stories of the first time he watched a TV or heard the idea for a cellular phone. Tell me how the post office changed from when you started working there to when you left. Tell me what you think of this world today.  I would have asked about the war, but I know he wouldn’t have elaborated.  He read the paper, NY Times, cover to cover every morning. He wasn’t loquacious or demonstrative but he was thoughtful and aware and kind. And, a man worth listening to.   

StoryCorps near City Hall on Centre Street between Duane and Worth. Check out their mission and the possibility of partnering with them.  Recordings are stored in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

And, if you’re enamored, considering donating or voting for them at the MEMBERS PROJECT.