What’s your story? Love? Community? Coming out? Whatever it is, the NPR phenom StoryCorps wants to record it for posterity during Tuesday’s all-day event at the lesbian-owned Charis Books & More.
Atlanta’s Charis Circle collaborates with StoryCorps Atlanta to digitally etch your LGBT mark in the national landscape permanently.
For the uninitiated, what is StoryCorps? Only one of the largest oral history endeavors ever. The non-profit project seeks to record, share and preserve stories from the lives of everyday Americans. Since 2003, more than 50,000 people have interviewed partners, families and friends (photos) and made their conversations part of the American FolkLife Center collection at the Library of Congress.
And yes, they actively seek LGBT stories. For Tuesday’s event, Charis tells its constituents that the sky’s the limit.
“Your stories could involve Charis or the Atlanta feminist/womanist communities, or they can be about your own personal histories,” Elizabeth Anderson, Charis programming director, says in a written statement. “We will have hour-long sessions throughout the day, and we need pairs of folks who will interview one another.”
Reservations are required. {encode=”[email protected]” title=”Email Charis”} to sign up for a slot and to get more information.
Each participant gets a CD of the interview, and each one is up for an even more public honor: to be aired on NPR. Select StoryCorps segments air nationally each week on NPR’s Morning Edition. Atlanta’s NPR station, WABE, also airs local selections during City Café. The program broadcasts each weekday at noon.
If you can’t make the Charis event, StoryCorps is ongoing, and there are lots of ways to record your contribution at events or at the StoryBooth at WABE in Atlanta. You can also listen to hundreds of StoryCorps recordings online or subscribe to the StoryCorps podcast.
But why not make it extra special? The Charis event is especially for women and takes place in one of the hearts of lesbian Atlanta. Read about Charis’ plans for a move, a lesbian-feminist community center, and giant growth spurt.
