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StoryCorps: Recording The Lives And Stories Of Everyday Americans StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate the lives of everyday Americans by listening to their stories.
StoryCorps

StoryCorps

Sharing And Preserving The Stories Of Our Lives

Amid Racial Tension, an Actor Finds His Voice

Changing high schools can be a big blow for a teenager, but Ricardo Pitts-Wiley also had to deal with the racial backlash of desegregation in 1960s Michigan. Then he found his professional calling and peace in an unexpected place: a Shakespeare play.

Amid Racial Tension, an Actor Finds His Voice

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Memories of Mango Sorbet, Jazz Fest and Katrina

After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the lives of Antoinette Franklin and her niece, Iriel Franklin, were changed forever. Now relocated to Texas, the Franklin ladies keep alive the memory of their hometown with hopes of returning in the future.

Memories of Mango Sorbet, Jazz Fest and Katrina

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When Cancer Calls, Family Matters Most

Peg Steinberg was diagnosed not once — but twice — with cancer. Through the difficult times of bouncing in and out of good health, Peg and her son, Dan, recall the source of their strength: family unity.

When Cancer Calls, Family Matters Most

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Launching a Life with $10 and a Dream

Growing up in Tennessee in the 1940s, Larry Young was determined to get off his father's farm and do something else with his life. With $10 and a will to do whatever it took, Young set off for college.

Launching a Life with $10 and a Dream

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A Martha's Vineyard Institution Changes Hands

For more than 90 years, residents and visitors of Martha's Vineyard have bought their groceries at Cronig's Market. Robbie Cronig and Steve Bernier discuss the market that became an institution, and the business deal that sealed a friendship.

A Martha's Vineyard Institution Changes Hands

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After Years of Stigma, Prayers Answered

After years of hoping for a cure for a girl's epileptic seizures, a family's prayers are finally answered. Now an adult, Gloria Mengual describes the stigma of being treated differently from other kids and how her life has changed after surgery.

After Years of Stigma, Prayers Answered

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'My Best Friend in the Whole Wide World'

For more than 60 years, friends Otis Wade and Mandred Henry were so close that each considered the other to be the brother he never had. Shortly after Henry's recent death, Wade recorded his remembrances of their lifelong bond.

'My Best Friend in the Whole Wide World'

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Opinion

Remembering the Horror and Heroes of a Circus Fire

Maureen Krekian was 11 when a fire ripped through the circus she was attending in Hartford, Conn. Thanks to a stranger's quick thinking, she was able to escape one of the worst fire disasters in U.S. history.

Remembering the Horror and Heroes of a Circus Fire

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Father vs. Father: Two Traditions Square Off

Tony Gargagliano's father came to New York from Italy as a teenager in 1908. But he held on to many of his Old World ways — much to the aggravation --and the delight — of his son. For instance, there was the day they went to get his father's third marriage annulled.

Father vs. Father: Two Traditions Square Off

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Opinion

The Train Down South: A Trip to Segregation

In the 1950s, Jim McFarland's grandmother took him on a train trip from New York to see relatives in the South. It was a summer ritual. As soon as the train hit Washington, McFarland knew he was far from New York.

The Train Down South: A Trip to Segregation

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Wisconsin Author Trip: Meeting J.D. Salinger

As a young man in Wisconsin, Jim Krawczyk's favorite writer was J.D. Salinger. And in the late 1960s, Krawczyk decided to go on a roadtrip to meet his hero — in Cornish, the small New Hampshire town that the celebrated recluse calls home.

Wisconsin Author Trip: Meeting J.D. Salinger

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A Father Disappears; A Daughter Wonders

Teenagers LeKeisha Williams and Tia Williams are schoolmates and best friends. The pair, who are not related, recently talked about Tia's father, who left her life very early. LeKeisha asked Tia, "Who is important in your life right now?" "My mother," Tia answered.

A Father Disappears; A Daughter Wonders

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Opinion

The Day Bonnie and Clyde Came Calling

Late one evening in 1933, when Trudy Henry was at home in Dodge City, Kan., with her mother and sister, a man and a woman drove up to their house. What followed could be seen as an innocent visit — if it weren't for the names of the couple in the car: Bonnie and Clyde.

The Day Bonnie and Clyde Came Calling

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