Listening as an Act of Love Response

David Isay's reflections on the StoryCorps project illustrates the unique powers of sound as a medium. The intimacy of the recording space in the StoryCorps trailer simultaneously allows folks to connect with the person across from them and feel like their story is part of something much bigger. I think this is partially due to the performative nature of the liminal space created in the booth. Isay mentions that people would tell stories they had told a thousand times, but the interview companion and facilitator listened intently. The booth is a unique place, outside of the participants everyday lives, where they can simply tell their stor, even if it's been told a thousand times, and feel like it has meaning and purpose. 

 It's interesting to think about this recording project compared to something similar that might be executed on youtube or elsewhere on the internet. I am thinking about the "It gets better project" started by Dan Savage, where people shared their coming out stories through online videos. This project also created a space for stories of "regular" people. I think the difference between something video based that exists online and the StoryCorps project is that the radio project has a sense of intimacy and permanence that empowers the storyteller. StoryCorps is about sitting across from someone else and listening as much as it is about producing content. Secondly, it allows the participants to feel like they have contributed something that will last. The stories shared for "it gets better" will hopefully survive on the internet and in the minds of the teens who need to hear those stories, but the archiving involved with the StoryCorps project allowed the participants to feel like "they exist." 

After hearing the excitement of an interviewee, Isay Exclaims, "I realized as never before how many people among us feel completely invisible, believe their lives dont matter, and fear they'll someday be forgotten."A few years ago I did a podcast recording project with a group of ELL (English Language Learning) 3rd graders where they wrote, performed, and recorded their own stories. I often do projects where the writing is acted out in a final performance, but this was the first time I had ever set the end goal as a recorded vocal performance. The students struggled through the writing and were embarrassed about their English skills during the recording. I coached them through it, trying to help them find confidence in their speaking skills. In the end it wasn't perfect, but I mixed down the recordings and added some background effects and music. I played the recording for the class and when they heard their voices their entire faces lit up with delight. They had that same sense of "I exist" that David Isay talked about. The teacher later told me that they wanted to listen to the recording over and over again, day after day.