Listening Challenge 2011

We challenge you to listen, to collect stories and to take part in StoryCorps' National Day of Listening!

(WARNING: if you watch the video you will be inspired 

and will learn everything you need to do to get started!)

The Books for Walls Project is pleased to be an official state partner of the acclaimed oral history project StoryCorps in celebrating the fourth annual National Day of Listening on Friday, November 25, 2011. On the day after Thanksgiving every year, The Books for Walls Projectand StoryCorps are asking all Americans to start a new holiday tradition: set aside an hour to interview a friend, a loved one, or someone in their community about his or her life.

To record your own National Day of Listening interview:

1. Find someone you’d like to interview
2. Create your question list
3. Sit down to record your conversation

StoryCorps has created a free Do-It-Yourself (DIY) interview guide with step-by-step interview instructions, equipment recommendations, and sample questions that is available online at www.nationaldayoflistening.org. You can record your interview using equipment that is readily available in most homes—from cell phones to tape recorders to computers or even pen and paper.

The National Day of Listening was started by StoryCorps in 2008 as a way to provide an alternative to "Black Friday" shopping sprees. By participating in this year’s National Day of Listening, we hope you’ll find that taking the time out to interview someone about his or her life is the least expensive but most meaningful gift that we can give.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, preserve, and share their stories. 

Join the Books for Walls Project and take part in the 

National Day of Listening!

Then please come back to The Listening Challenge 2011 and tell us how your listening and story collecting goes! Feel free to share your thoughts, insights and of course stories!