Valley residents invited to share stories with Northwest Public Broadcasting

Lewiston Tribune, July 1, 2020

Northwest Public Broadcasting’s StoryCorps’ Mobile Tour is turning its focus on the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley beginning this week in an effort to collect and preserve valley stories.

StoryCorps is a nonprofit organization and is supported by donations and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and has been recording people having meaningful conversations since 2003. Because of the pandemic, recordings are being made remotely.

“In light of COVID-19, we created an online platform where you can have a StoryCorps conversation virtually with a partner, assisted by one of our trained facilitators,” said a StoryCorps news release. Facilitators “will walk you through the entire process so you can focus just on connecting with your partner and having your conversation.” Facilitators “will explain how you get a copy of your recording, and if you choose to we will preserve it in the largest single collection of human voices at the Library of Congress.”

Recording sessions will begin July 8 and continue through Aug. 7. Residents who would like to participate may sign up by visiting www.storycorps.org or calling (646) 872-3619.

A handful of recording slots have been reserved for people with disabilities, according to Vicki Leeper, marketing specialist at Disability Action Center NW in Moscow. Valley residents with a disability who are willing to share their experiences may book appointments through Leeper at www.dacnw.org or (208) 883-0523.

Participants 55 and older who are willing to share their experience as a StoryCorps contributor are invited to contact Golden Times editor Julie Breslin for a possible feature story. She can be reached at jbreslin@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-6635.