Recording America’s Stories, StoryCorps National Mobile Tour Visits Huntington

The StoryCorps Airstream is parked on the Marshall University campus with its recording studio at the ready.  The independent nonprofit believes that everyone has an important story to tell, and every story matters. Since its founding in 2003, StoryCorps has helped nearly 700,000 people across the country have meaningful conversations about their lives.

Twelve million National Public Radio listeners hear StoryCorps stories weekly on Morning Edition. These recordings are collected in the United States Library of Congress and in an online archive, which is now the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. StoryCorps also shares select stories with the public through its podcast, animated shorts, digital platforms and best-selling books.

Sam Berkrot is a bilingual mobile facilitator on the national StoryCorps mobile tour. He said Huntington is a refreshing stop after a stint in Philadelphia.

“I’ve been hanging out a lot by the river and hanging out in the parks,” Berkrot said. “It’s been a breath of fresh air.  We really want to hear from the people in and arouind Huntington. We want to hear what you all have to say, really about anything. You know, everyone has a story.”

Berkrot said the free-to-use Huntington recordings run from 15 minutes to an hour. He said local stories so far have ranged from West Virginia history to personal and social issues. 

“We had a couple friends come in who were talking about their work advocating on behalf of victims of sexual assault, which was really important,” Berkrot said. “We’ve had the local food bank come in quite a bit, telling some really excellent stories about the work they’ve done in the community. We’ve really had all kinds of things, and there’s no right or wrong way to do it.”

Berkrot said StoryCorps has no agenda and sets no bar.

“We want the people to come to us and tell us the stories that are important to them,” Berkrot said. “That can be the work they do in the community, that can be how they met a loved one, that can be even just family history. We’ve had people come in and just get a high-quality recording talking about their family history that they can share with you know, their grandkids. They will have a high-quality recording that’ll be preserved in the Library of Congress for years to come.”

StoryCorps is at Marshall until Oct. 4. To learn more about how to participate, visit the StoryCorps website.