StoryCorps  is a national initiative to document the stories of Americans

The Historias Initiative

Historias, which means ‘stories’ in Spanish, is an ongoing initiative to record and honor the diversity of Latino culture.

The StoryCorps Mobile Booth – an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio – will be parked at the National Hispanic Cultural Center for 6 weeks.

National Hispanic Cultural Center
1701 4th Street SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102-4508
(505) 246-2261

Reservations open on May 6.

For reservations call: the StoryCorps 24-hours a day at  1-800-850-4406 or go to the StoryCorps.org website.

StoryCorps Historias plans to collect 120 interviews during its stay in Albuquerque.

StoryCorps was created by award-winning documentary producer and MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient Dave Isay. This unprecedented project has traveled to every corner of America, instructing and inspiring individuals to record their stories in sound. StoryCorps is the largest professionally collected archive of American voices ever gathered. Since its launch in October 2003, StoryCorps has collected interviews with more than 50,000 participants in all 50 states.

At the MobileBooth, interviews are conducted between two people who know and care about each other. A trained facilitator guides the participants through the interview process and handles the technical aspects of the recording. At the end of each 40-minute session, participants walk away with a free CD copy of their interview. With their permission, a second copy becomes part of an archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress for future generations to hear.

During the first year of Historias, StoryCorps will visit cities across the nation, partnering with local radio stations, cultural institutions and community-based organizations to collect nearly 1,000 stories throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

In Albuquerque, StoryCorps is partnering with
89.9 /KUNM-FM

Albuquerque’s NPR station, which will air a selection of the local stories. Selected interviews will also air on Latino USA, an English-language news program broadcast in 31 states and NPR’s Morning Edition.

“StoryCorps reminds us of our shared humanity – by listening to our stories, we walk in the shoes of others and recognize how much we have in common,” says StoryCorps Founder and President Dave Isay. “We are proud to work with 89.9/KUNM-FM to help create a growing portrait of our nation’s fastest-growing minority group by preserving the stories of Latinos throughout the country.” 

“’KUNM-FM is pleased to welcome and work with the good people from the StoryCorps Historias project.

Our 43 years of community service in central and northern New Mexico provides the perfect foundation springboard for StoryCorps to meet and listen to people from the many-faceted communities in our region, “ says Richard S. Towne, KUNM General Manager.  “KUNM is honored to partner with the National Hispanic Cultural Center and the New Mexico Humanities Council to create an opportunity to gather “Historias” for broadcast across the nation on NPR.  We are proud to be able to broadcast so many voices from our region. “

KUNM’s participation in the StoryCorps Historias project is made possible by a grant from the New Mexico Humanities Council .

In addition to Historias, StoryCorps currently has three other initiatives: StoryCorps Griot preserves the voices, experiences, and life stories of African Americans; StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative reaches out to people affected by memory loss; StoryCorps’ 9/11 Initiative honors and remembers the stories of survivors, rescue workers, and others most personally affected by September 11.

StoryCorps Historias is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Community partners involved in this national initiative include the Latino Public Radio Consortium, Latino USA and the U.S. Latino and Latina World War II Oral History Project. StoryCorps also wishes to thank Bill Lynch Associates, LLC, for their assistance with StoryCorps Historias.

About StoryCorps

StoryCorps is an independent non-profit whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. StoryCorps has one of the largest archives of American voices ever created. Each week, millions of Americans listen to StoryCorps’ award-winning broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition. Fifty of StoryCorps’ most emblematic stories have been collected in the New York Times bestseller, Listening Is an Act of Love (Penguin Press). A follow-up book, Mom: Remarkable Stories of American Mothers from the StoryCorps Project, scheduled for publication in Spring 2010, will feature inspiring stories by and about mothers. 

StoryCorps currently operates a freestanding soundproof recording booth at Foley Square in New York’s Lower Manhattan and at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

StoryCorps’ major funders include: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), The Atlantic Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The Annenberg Foundation, and Joe and Carol Reich.

For more information, or to listen to StoryCorps stories.

About KUNM-FM

KUNM 89.9 FM KUNM.ORG is a self-sustaining community radio and Internet service licensed to The Regents of The University of New Mexico.  KUNM operates eight transmitters around central and northern New Mexico to serve more than half the state’s population.  KUNM’s radio programs offer diverse noncommercial news; music and cultural programming produced by students, community volunteers and a core professional staff.