KUER will host the groundbreaking oral history project for 5 weeks to help record the stories of local residents
StoryCorps, a renowned nonprofit organization celebrating the stories of everyday Americans, will partner with KUER to record interviews in Salt Lake City from March 25 to April 24 as part of its cross-country MobileBooth tour, made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Having collected more than 65,000 interviews from Americans in all 50 states, StoryCorps has gathered one of the largest single collections of human voices ever recorded.
StoryCorps’ MobileBooth — an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio—will be parked at the Olympic Legacy Plaza at The Gateway. Reservations can be made starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11, by calling StoryCorps’ 24-hour reservation line at 1-800-850-4406 or visiting here. Additional appointments will be made available on Thursday, March 26.
In StoryCorps’ MobileBooth, two people are able to 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. At the end of each 40-minute recording session, participants are given the option to archive their recording at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear. All participants will also receive a downloadable link to the recording to use and share with family and friends.
In Salt Lake City, StoryCorps will partner with KUER, NPR Utah. The station will host a free, public live event at the conclusion of the project on Thursday, April 23, at the Gallivan Center. 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.
“On behalf of our listeners, KUER is delighted to host StoryCorps’ visit to Utah,” said Joel Meyer, KUER’s station manager. “The interview I did in the MobileBooth was one of the most memorable, revealing family conversations I’ve ever had. I’m excited for our listening community to have the same opportunity.”
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.
The Gateway will host the MobileBooth in their Olympic Plaza for the duration of StoryCorps’ stay in Salt Lake City where even visitors who are not engaged in a recording session can answer one of StoryCorps’ Great Questions on a mural-sized blackboard adjacent to the booth.
“We are thrilled to welcome Storycorps to not only Salt Lake City, but to The Gateway specifically. We all have stories to tell and The Gateway has an amazing comeback story itself. Through our physical evolution that has adapted to fit the needs of the community, we’ve created a public space that inspires,” said Jacklyn Briggs, marketing director for The Gateway. “We know The Gateway means so much to Salt Lake and we welcome people to come down, tell their story and become a part of our new story.”
StoryCorps in Salt Lake City is presented by KUER in partnership with Nate Wade Subaru.
About StoryCorps
Founded in 2003 by Dave Isay, the nonprofit organization StoryCorps has given more than 350,000 people the chance to record interviews about their lives, pass wisdom from one generation to the next and leave a legacy for the future. It is the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.
Recording a StoryCorps interview couldn’t be easier: You invite a loved one, or anyone else you chose, to one of the StoryCorps recording sites. There you’re met by a trained facilitator who greets you and explains the interview process. You’re then brought into a quiet recording room and seated across from your interview partner, each of you in front of a microphone. The facilitator hits “record,” and you share a 40-minute conversation. At the end of the session, you walk away with a copy of the interview, and a digital file goes to the Library of Congress, where it will be preserved for generations to come. Someday your great-great-great-grandchildren will be able to meet your grandfather, your mother, your best friend or whomever it is you chose to honor with a StoryCorps interview.
StoryCorps shares edited excerpts of the stories we record through its weekly podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful stories illustrate our shared humanity and show how much more we share in common than divides us.
About KUER
A charter member of NPR, KUER 90.1 broadcasts from the Eccles Broadcast Center at the University of Utah, providing a commercial-free mix of local and national news and storytelling to more than 175,000 weekly listeners across the state. KUER and its HD channels can be heard at 90.1 FM or streamed online at kuer.org and with KUER’s mobile app.
About The Gateway
The Gateway is a 1.4 million square foot lifestyle destination in the heart of Downtown Salt Lake City. Owned and managed by Vestar, the property is in the midst of a $100 million redevelopment — infusing retail and dining, entertainment, modern office space, arts and culture, a boutique hotel and a full calendar of community-driven events.
