Dave Isay
What if there was a special place where you and a loved one could speak to each other about whatever interested you, and have it recorded and uploaded so future generations could hear it.
What if you could interview your grandmother, and she told you who she is, what she has learned in life and answered other intriguing questions.
Is there such a place?
There is and with time, it could have a profound effect on you:
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49 year old Dave Isay was a radio producer, conducting interviews with newsmakers, when he hit upon a remarkable idea.
Many of the best stories are not those of celebrities or newsmakers but of individuals ignored by the conventional media for not being well known.
In response, in 2003 Dave started StoryCorps and setup a small quiet booth in New York's busy Grand Central Terminal.
In that booth, with a story facilitator present, two people speak to each other for up to an hour.
The interview is recorded on a CD for the participants, and it is uploaded to the StoryCorps site at the American Folklife Center in the U.S. Library of Congress so that theoretically forever, it will be available to anyone who would like to hear it.
These interviews have become so popular, that additional interview locations now exist and over 100,000 people have already participated, from ages 5 to 105, and in 80 different languages.
It is the largest collection of oral history ever.
This will become a global phenomenon so that wherever you are, you can record an interview and have it uploaded to the U.S. Library of Congress.
Currently, StoryCorps is creating an App for your smartphone or other electronic devices so that you don't have to wait for a portable booth to arrive in your area.
With guidance you can conduct the interview and upload it yourself.
This StoryCorps concept is so powerful, that in 2015 TED TALKS awarded its Million Dollar Prize to the company to more rapidly expand these oral communications.
If you would like to learn more, please view at least in part this 21 minute TED TALKS video of Dave, recorded in Vancouver, in March of 2015: http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_isay
His story and some of the others StoryCorps has recorded will touch your heart.