National Day of Listening

StoryCorps is declaring November 28, 2008 the first annual National Day of Listening:

This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives -- it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won't ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.

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This Thanksgiving, StoryCorps asks you to start a new holiday tradition--set aside one hour on Friday, November 28th, to record a conversation with someone important to you. You can interview anyone you choose: an older relative, a friend, a teacher, or a familiar face from the neighborhood.

You can preserve the interview using recording equipment readily available in most homes, such as tape recorders, computers, video cameras or a pen and paper. Our free Do-It-Yourself Guide is easy to use and will prepare you and your interview partner to record a memorable conversation, no matter which method of recording you prefer.

We hope that you'll make a yearly tradition of listening to and preserving a loved one's story. The stories you collect will surely become treasured keepsakes, growing more valuable with each passing generation.

Hmmm, recording equipment....why not just blog the interview? Bring your pen and notebook, your tape-recorder, your still camera and video camera, sit your relatives, friends and neighbors down and interview them. Why should we know every little detail of Britney Spears' life when your Uncle's life story is likely to be much more interesting and inspiring?

If you have a relative who remembers the Great Depression, or WWII, or some other important historical events, ask them about their own recollections - they may differ from the official history in interesting ways. You may want to focus your interview on that particular period of their lives (see my Mom's stories for an example) or their entire lives.

Then mesh together all the text, audio, pictures (including scanned old photos) and video, send the whole thing in, or post it on your blog.

Abel has more.