City of San Diego - StoryCorps

We’re Building an Audio time capsule of san diego!

You’re invited to help us tell the story.

The City of San Diego is partnering with StoryCorps Studios. StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that helps us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all – one story at a time. Since 2003, StoryCorps has given over half a million Americans the chance to record interviews about their lives. StoryCorps preserves the recordings at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. 

If you are a member of the San Diego community, we invite you to choose someone you care about and record an interview together.

Ask and answer questions like: 

  • What does it mean to be “from” San Diego?
  • What do you wish more people knew about San Diego?
  • ​​How does your community support each other?
  • What does your future hold for our community?

There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to have a StoryCorps conversation. But, if you need an example to get started, listen to the conversation in the video on the right-hand column. You can use the free StoryCorps Connect online platform to record in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a strong internet connection, access to a laptop or desktop computer with a microphone, and an open heart.

Record Your Interview

How recording works

You’ll use the StoryCorps Virtual Recording Booth (powered by StoryCorps Connect) to record your conversation. 

Step 1

Decide if you and your partner want to record in the same room or record from different locations.

Step 2

When you’re ready to record, create a free StoryCorps online account, then you’ll enter the StoryCorps Virtual Recording Booth. 

Step 3

Hit “Start Recording Audio“, follow the prompts to introduce yourself, and dig into your conversation!

Step 4

When you’ve finished, you’ll be prompted to save your recording as part of the City of San Diego Collection in the Archive.
Record Your Interview

Recording faq

 

Choose someone you care about – a loved one, a friend, a mentor, a neighbor, etc – whose experiences or wisdom you want to document and celebrate.
StoryCorps conversations are meant to be spontaneous, authentic, and unscripted. We’ve developed a list of great questions to inspire your conversation, but ultimately what you talk about during your recording is entirely up to you. Follow your curiosity, and use this as an opportunity to ask the questions you’ve always wanted to ask, or document special stories you want to preserve.
When you complete your interview, it will automatically be saved in the StoryCorps archive as part of the San Diego Collection. You’ll have the ability to control the privacy settings for your interview in the archive – with the option to either make your interview public, or to make it accessible only to other StoryCorps online archive users. (You can also delete recordings, and record new interviews, if you need to.) You can adjust your privacy settings at any time.
The City of San Diego will be celebrating and sharing this interview archive locally as part of various San Diego community engagement projects, education projects, and research purposes. It will not be used for any commercial or advertising purposes. We’re excited to share these projects as they come together! For more information, please contact Maureen Jugar.

Why should i participate?

Recording with StoryCorps is an opportunity to:

Honor someone you care about.

Take time to talk about the things that matter most with someone who has played an important role in your life. 

Build understanding.

Your recording will help students, researchers, & more understand the variety of lived experiences in our community.

Create a legacy for the future.

You’ll be part of history, with your story preserved in the Library of Congress and the City of San Diego Collection. 

Seize the moment.

Use this occasion to reflect on the past, think about the future, and take stock of what’s important.
Record Your Interview
Listen to the City of San Diego Collection