StoryCorps’ MobileBooth Visits Ten U.S. Locations, Capturing Personal Stories for Posterity at the Library of Congress
This month, StoryCorps hit the road with its MobileBooth—an Airstream trailer converted into a mobile recording studio. The 2022 Mobile Tour began on January 5 in Tampa, Florida, and will visit a total of 10 U.S. cities, before ending on December 19 in San Antonio, Texas. In each location, the Mobile Tour partners with local radio stations to help spread the word and invite local community members to record conversations.
Since 2005, the StoryCorps Mobile Tour has facilitated tens of thousands of meaningful conversations between people who know each other, and every year, StoryCorps’ MobileBooth crisscrosses the country to record residents in 10 communities nationwide. In addition to local radio stations, StoryCorps partners with cultural institutions and community-based organizations to help spread the word locally.
“In its travels to communities across America, the Mobile Tour honors our nation’s stories and reminds us of the beauty, poetry and grace in the voices of everyday people that are hiding in plain sight all around us. During these challenging times, the value of preserving and strengthening connections between people who may feel physically isolated—is more important than ever.”
— DAVE ISAY, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF STORYCORPS
2022 Mobile Tour Schedule
Click here for a complete tour schedule; reservations can be booked online. For the general public, reservations are usually available about two weeks before the Mobile Tour’s arrival in each location.
For this year’s tour, participants can record in-person at a local community location selected by our radio partner or via the “virtual recording booth,” allowing participants to record remotely using StoryCorps’ free recording tools. During a StoryCorps interview, two people 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 and after each 40-minute recording session, participants receive a downloadable link to their interview. With their permission, the conversation is archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations.
In each tour stop, StoryCorps’ local public radio station partner will air a selection of the interviews recorded and, in many cases, create special programs around the project. StoryCorps may also share edited versions of select interviews collected throughout the tour via NPR broadcasts, podcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. Overall, the Mobile Tour plays a critical role in bringing the StoryCorps experience directly to individuals and communities where they live.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is the Founding Partner of the StoryCorps Mobile Tour. CPB’s support has enabled the StoryCorps Mobile Tour to visit 180 towns and cities nationwide since 2005, recording tens of thousands of stories.