National Day of Listening Encourages Conversation Instead of Shopping on November 26th

In 2008, oral history project, StoryCorps had an idea to encourage people across the country to use the day after Thanksgiving not for shopping but for conversation.  That idea became the first National Day of Listening.  The tradition has continued and public radio stations around the country, many of whom air StoryCorps during Morning Edition, are getting on board. Here in the Miami Valley, WYSO has set up its own page explaining how you can participate.

It’s pretty simple: sit down with someone you care about: a parent, grandparent, relative or friend and invite them to share their story.  You can record the story on a laptop, iPhone, tape recorder or even with a paper and pen, but just the simple act of listening can be enough.

There are tips on how to get started including a video from StoryCorps on WYSO’s website.  You can also hear some interview between local residents from when the StoryCorps mobile booth was in Dayton this spring.  The national version of StoryCorps airs on WYSO 91.3FM every Friday morning during Morning Edition (5-8am), and Miami Valley StoryCorps (comprised entirely of local interviews) airs Wednesday mornings during Morning Edition.