StoryCorps’ MobileBooth Travels to Ten U.S. Locations, January 5-December 21, Recording the Stories of Everyday Americans and Preserving Them for Posterity at the Library of Congress
Brooklyn, NY—December 15, 2022 – StoryCorps, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of people from all backgrounds and beliefs, today announces the itinerary for the 2023 StoryCorps Mobile Tour. Over the course of 2023 — which marks the organization’s 20th anniversary — StoryCorps will visit 10 locations nationwide. Participants will have the option of recording in-person or remotely, using StoryCorps’ free recording tools.
StoryCorps will travel to the following locations (see schedule below). Reservations are free and can be booked online at storycorps.org/mobile-tour. Reservations are usually available approximately two weeks before the Mobile Tour’s arrival in each location.
StoryCorps Mobile Tour Schedule 2023
| January 5 – February 10 | El Paso, TX | KTEP |
| February 16 – March 10 | Marfa, TX | Marfa Public Radio |
| March 16 – April 21 | Taos/Albuquerque, NM | KUNM |
| April 27 – May 26 | Logan, UT | Utah Public Radio |
| June 1 – June 28 | Colorado Springs, CO | Colorado Public Radio |
| July 6 – August 4 | Kalamazoo, MI | WMUK |
| August 10 – September 8 | Green Bay, WI | Wisconsin Public Radio |
| September 14 – October 20 | St. Louis, MO | St. Louis Public Radio |
| October 26 – November 22 | Mobile, AL | Alabama Public Radio |
| November 29 – December 21 | Lafayette, LA | KRVS |
As a public service organization, StoryCorps believes that everyone’s story matters and the Mobile Tour plays a critical role in its mission by bringing the experience directly to individuals and the communities where they live. Since 2005, the Mobile Tour has recorded thousands of meaningful conversations as the MobileBooth criss-crosses the country each year with trained facilitators to record residents in cities and towns nationwide. StoryCorps collaborates with local cultural institutions and community based organizations in each region to help encourage participation. Additionally, StoryCorps partners with local public radio stations, which air a selection of the interviews recorded with participant’s permission. In many cases, the local stations will also create special programs around the project.
Dave Isay, Founder and President of StoryCorps, said, “StoryCorps is driven by the belief that every life and every story matters, and we are especially committed to seeking out and preserving voices that are underrepresented in the media. The Mobile Tour makes the in-person StoryCorps experience accessible to communities in every corner of the country, helping us to build a collection of recordings that mirrors the vastness of the American experience.”
During a StoryCorps interview, two people – often close acquaintances or family members – record a meaningful conversation 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 step by step and after each 40-minute recording session, participants can access the interview through StoryCorps’ free Online Archive. With participant permission, their conversation is also archived at the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center for future generations to enjoy and learn from.
StoryCorps may also share edited versions of select interviews collected throughout the tour via its NPR broadcasts, podcast, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is the Founding Partner of the StoryCorps Mobile Tour.
About CPBThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.