From February 17 to March 11, the national nonprofit organization StoryCorps will be in Pensacola to record the stories of local residents through both in-person and virtual interviews, which will then be preserved in the Library of Congress. Area NPR affiliate WUWF will host this stop on the StoryCorps Mobile Tour, now in its 17th year.

Anyone wishing to record a StoryCorps interview can make a reservation beginning on February 3 at 10 a.m. CST, by calling StoryCorps’s 24-hour toll-free reservation line at 1-800-850-4406 or visiting StoryCorps.org. 

In a StoryCorps interview, two people 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. After each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a digital copy of their interview. With participant permission, a second copy is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear. WUWF will air a selection of the local interviews and create special programs around the project.

To ensure a safe recording environment, StoryCorps has introduced several measures to its recording process in Pensacola. Participants will have the option of recording in person or via StoryCorps’ Virtual Recording Booth, a video-conferencing platform that can be accessed remotely using an internet-connected device. 

Founded in 2003 by award-winning documentary producer and MacArthur Fellow Dave Isay, StoryCorps has traveled to every corner of the United States to record interviews. The organization’s goal, Isay says, is to create a world where we listen closely to each other and recognize the beauty, grace and poetry in the lives and stories we find all around us. 

“StoryCorps tells an authentic American story—that we are a people defined by small acts of courage, kindness and heroism,” Isay says. “Each interview reminds people that their lives matter and will not be forgotten. During this pandemic, the value of preserving these stories, and of strengthening connections between people who may feel physically isolated, is more important than ever.”

For more information, visit StoryCorps.org or wuwf.org/storycorps.