WUWF will host StoryCorps to record the stories of local residents through both in-person and virtual interviews and preserve them in the Library of Congress

StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, comes to Pensacola, Florida from February 17, 2022 to March 11, 2022 to record interviews, in-person and virtually, as part of its Mobile Tour.

Now in its 17th 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 Pensacola, where participants have the option of recording in-person or via StoryCorps’ Virtual Recording Booth, a video-conferencing platform that can be accessed remotely using an internet-connected device. Participants can learn more about safety precautions for in-person recording at storycorps.org.

Reservations to record will be available at 10 a.m. on February 3, 2022 CST and can be made by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406,visiting storycorps.org, or wuwf.org/storycorps.

In a StoryCorps interview, 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,” said Isay. “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 Pensacola, Florida, StoryCorps will partner with NPR affiliate WUWF. WUWF will air a selection of the local 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.

“We are excited about having our friends at StoryCorps return to our area,” said WUWF Executive Director Pat Crawford. “Their last two visits were focused on specific themes but this time it’s open to anyone who wants to record a conversation with a family member or someone who is special to them. We appreciate the support of The Spring entrepreneurial hub in downtown Pensacola whose partnership is providing a beautiful venue for these important conversations to be recorded.”

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