The project StoryCorps is ten years old. What started out as a way for people to talk about the tragedy of 9/11, turned into a national oral history project, that would result in over 50,000 interviews, four books, animated series, and more. KALW’sHana Baba interviewed founder Dave Isay. She started by asking him what makes StoryCorps such an innovative project that so many thousands of people have decided to participate.
DAVE ISAY: Storycorps is such a simple idea, I’m not sure it could be called innovative. It’s not rocket science. Just two people who care about each other having a 40-minute conversation. What we are in is the wisdom collection business. So, I guess, if there were a hole to fill – and it wasn’t as true ten years ago as today with kind of so much happening in social media and so forth – I guess it’s about face to face human connection, and focusing on permanence. What we try to do with our broadcasts and interviews, in our own way, is shape people and say this is what important and this is what matters. It really gets back to the core of who we are as human beings.
Click the audio player above to listen to the complete interview.
