StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 30,000 interviews from more than 60,000 participants. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to our weekly broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition and on StoryCorps’ Listen Page. Learn more about StoryCorps here.

StoryCorps is a national independent nonprofit organization. We rely on government, foundation, and corporate financial support and support from individuals like you. Please make a tax-deductible donation today.

StoryCorps is proud to produce segments that are broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition and on the NPR website. These broadcasts reach millions of listeners and NPR is our national broadcast partner.

StoryCorps is, however, a separate nonprofit organization. We raise funds independently in order to help the largest number of people record their stories. If you would like to see StoryCorps in more cities, please consider giving a tax-deductible donation.

No. Because StoryCorps is an independent organization, we raise our own funds. Please make a tax-deductible donation today to help keep StoryCorps open and accessible to all.

The National Day of Listening is a new national holiday started by StoryCorps in 2008. On the day after Thanksgiving, StoryCorps asks all Americans to take an hour to record an interview with a loved one, using recording equipment that is readily available in most homes, such as computers, iPhones, and tape recorders, along with StoryCorps’ free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide.

The 2010 National Day of Listening was sponsored by the Fetzer Institute. For more information about the National Day of Listening, visit nationaldayoflistening.org.

There are many ways for individuals and organizations to participate in StoryCorps. Here is a brief overview of some ways for you to record your story:

StoryBooth: Anyone can make an appointment to record a story or interview in one of our StoryBooths, which are soundproof recording booths. Our StoryBooths are located in New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco. After interviewing at a StoryBooth, your interviews will be archived and you will receive a CD copy of your recordings.

Door-to-Door: StoryCorps will bring portable recording equipment to your location to record up to six 40-minute interviews per day. Organizations across the country have used Door-to-Door sessions to celebrate anniversaries and milestones, add a personal voice to fundraising and marketing materials, and provide a meaningful StoryCorps experience to their community.

Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide: Download our free and easy-to-use Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide to record your own interview at home, in the classroom, or at the library. While StoryCorps is unable to archive DIY recordings, the DIY Instruction Guide will show you how to start your own archive.

For our traveling and permanent recording venues (MobileBooths and New York City, San Francisco, and Atlanta StoryBooths) we allow only one interview per family, which allows us to accommodate as many voices as possible.

For more than four interviews, you might consider our Door-to-Door service.

StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization, and we ask participants to make a suggested donation of $25 or more at the time of their interview. Donations from participants help us bring the StoryCorps experience to people in communities throughout the United States. Make a donation today!

Make your reservation for a StoryCorps recording session by visiting our locations and reservations page, or by calling our 24/7 reservation line at 800-850-4406.

Make your reservation for a StoryCorps recording session by visiting our locations and reservations page, or by calling our 24/7 reservation line at 800-850-4406.

Yes. If you are unable to make a reservation online, we encourage you to sign up for our wait list by calling 800-850-4406.

You need to make a reservation. We cannot accommodate walk-in appointments except in the rare instance of a last-minute cancellation. Please call 800-850-4406 for the most up-to-date information on appointment availability.

You can change or cancel your reservation by calling 800-850-4406. If you made your reservation online, you can cancel or modify your appointment by following these steps: go to our locations page, click on the location of your interview, log in to the reservations system, and click on “My Appointments” to make adjustments.

StoryCorps may charge a $50 cancellation fee if you cancel your appointment with less than 48 hours’ notice. Please read our entire cancellation policy here.

Our appointment slots are limited, so we ask to have your credit card information on file to guarantee your reservation. You will not be charged unless you cancel your appointment within 48 hours of the interview. Cancellations made within 48 hours of a scheduled appointment may incur a $50 cancellation fee.

Credit card information collected will never be used to process donations. If you plan to make a donation, please bring a preferred form of payment with you to your appointment.

Yes. If you are unable to make a reservation online, we encourage you to sign up for our wait list by calling 800-850-4406.

Learn about what to expect during your interview here. Bring a list of questions with you. You can use our Question Generator to help you create a list of questions. You may also want to bring a bottle of water. StoryCorps provides tissues at the booth.

Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes before your scheduled interview time.

StoryCorps interviews are designed to record conversations between people who are part of one another’s lives, so we do ask that you bring a partner. If you do not have a partner, come with an idea of what you’d like to talk about–a StoryCorps Facilitator will be on-site to help you share your story and ask questions.

A two-person interview is ideal: you and your interview partner. The booth is small, but it can fit an additional participant; interviews between two people tend to work the best, though.

StoryCorps interviews are intended to be unscripted conversations. However, you are welcome to bring something short to read to incorporate into your conversation.

We suggest you do not bring children younger than 10 to your interview.

Yes. While StoryCorps does not offer translation services, participants can record their story in any language they prefer. Many of our Facilitators are fluent in Spanish.

All interviews are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. For more information about the StoryCorps archive, please read the FAQs on the American Folklife Center’s website. Some interviews are also stored in smaller collections; please visit the Archive Partners page for more information.

StoryCorps interviews are not available online. A small percentage of StoryCorps interviews are edited and made available on our Listen page, NPR’s website, and other institutional partners’ websites.

We hope one day to have all StoryCorps interviews available online, but until that time we encourage you to make copies of your recording to share with friends and loved ones.

We generally do not provide a transcript. However, we do make exceptions in certain situations. To find out more, please fill out an inquiry form, or contact us at 646-723-7027.

If you want to have your interview transcribed, we recommend the Audio Transcription Center in Boston, MA. You can send them your StoryCorps CD, and they will transcribe the entirety of the interview and return it to you. For pricing and additional information, visit www.audiotranscriptioncenter.com or call 617-423-2151.

After your interview, StoryCorps provides you with a CD recording of your conversation. You may burn extra copies yourself, or if you do not have the equipment, Kinko’s will copy CDs for you. If your CD is lost or damaged, you can order a $25 replacement CD by calling 646-723-7027 or by submitting an inquiry.

Every StoryCorps participant decides whether or not his or her interview will be archived. If you don’t want your interview archived, do not sign the release form StoryCorps provides after your interview.

No. While StoryCorps encourages people to record one another’s stories, we do not have the resources to collect, process, and archive interviews not recorded by StoryCorps. This also ensures that the recording quality and format of each interview are standardized so they can be easily accessed by future generations.

Everything you hear on the radio or on our website comes from a StoryCorps interview that has been archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps radio producers edit these stories from the original 40-minute recording. The people in these interviews come to StoryCorps in many ways — they may be public radio listeners who heard about us on the radio; they may have scheduled an interview as a result of our community outreach efforts to build an inclusive archive of American voices; or, we’ll hear about a relationship that seems like a perfect fit for a StoryCorps interview, and invite the people involved to record a conversation.

Only a very small percentage of StoryCorps’ interviews are edited and produced for broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition. Interviews are chosen through a long and thorough editorial process. Participants whose interviews are selected for national broadcast will be contacted by a StoryCorps producer before their interview is aired.

The only CD available for purchase is the audio companion to Listening Is an Act of Love, available online.

Yes, StoryCorps began podcasting in 2007. Please visit our Podcast page for information on how to subscribe.

The regular lead-in guitar music for StoryCorps broadcasts is from the album Turnstyles and Junkpiles by the group Pullman. The music is available for purchase or download at Thrill Jockey. On some occasions the music may be different.

StoryCorps broadcasts are not available for download, but you can listen to all of our broadcasts on our Listen page, or you can subscribe to our podcast.

Yes, please visit our Book page for more information.

StoryCorps’ animated shorts series debuted in 2010 and was a huge success. We hope to produce more in the years to come. Our animation team selects stories from our archive, and then each short is produced in house with the animating and directing talents of Rauch Brothers Animation. Please visit our Animation page for the newest videos and the latest information about StoryCorps animated shorts.

StoryCorps will not accept previously made films or animate non-StoryCorps interviews. For information about StoryCorps’ animated shorts, please visit our Animation page.

There are several ways that both individuals and organizations can participate in StoryCorps in their own communities. StoryBooths and MobileBooths require advanced planning, commitment, and resources from communities. You can also bring StoryCorps to your community through our Door-to-Door service, or by recording your own Do-It-Yourself interviews.

In order to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives, StoryCorps works with local community organizations in our MobileBooth and StoryBooth locations as well as through our initiatives. Please submit a detailed proposal of how you would like to partner with StoryCorps here.

StoryCorps offers resources to educators who would like to incorporate StoryCorps into the classroom, including a Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide, a customizable letter to parents, a flyer, and an educators’ toolkit, all available for download here. We’d love to hear from you! Please share your experience with us.

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If you would no longer like to receive postal mail from StoryCorps, please contact support@storycorps.org with the subject “Mailing List” and include your name and address in the email. If you prefer, you may call us at 646-723-7027.

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