Have you ever felt that no one is listening to you? Like you have to stand on a chair, waving your arms like a madman in order to get your point across?

Well David Isay believed everyone’s voices should be heard. David Isay believed everyday life stories could make fascinating stories while letting people express themselves. He named this art form STORYCORPS.

Storycorps first based themselves in Grand Central. There was a long waitlist for two people to go into a booth with no cameras, just audio recording. There, they were given the opportunity to speak and be listened to.  Some people have called this in the past oral history, but Isay believed it is just an interview. An opportunity for people to ask questions they normally would not have the chance and be answered.

Storycorps is a nonprofit corporation that has been around for 10 years. They employ 100 staff members and have an annual budget of almost $10 million.  Most of these staff members hold interviews with the people who have signed up and ask questions about their normal lives. Sometimes they say interviews don’t go well because people have alternative agendas than just being listened to. The interviewers say some politicians that come in have an agenda to get a certain populace to heed their message and so they don’t speak freely but merely have a script. Storycorps gets huge publicity. Their interviews are posted on websites and played on NPR late at night…you see why some politicians might take advantage of this fact.

In recent years Storycorps incorporated the idea of having two people who know each other intimately have a conversation. This aspect questions the validity of whether it is or is not truly oral history.

Isay originally thought this would be only a 10 year project but after closing the grand Central booth and opening others in Foley Square, Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco, he sees this project expanding to even more horizons.

I think this corporation is interesting. I’m not exactly sure how it works and why people would want to have intimate conversations over the radio where anyone could hear, but if people find this to be beneficial and helpful go Storycorps! What do you think? want to do it?

 STELTER, BRIAN. “When the Listening Trumps the Tale.” The New York Times 23 October 2013: n. pag. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.