Nationally-known StoryCorps will record stories from area residents at Greenfield Community College November 20-22.

GCC and 88.5FM WFCR and 640AM WNNZ- NPR News and Music for western New England, are working together to bring the team of StoryCorps Facilitators to the college. StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening. Since 2003, tens of thousands of everyday people have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share, and is archived for generations to come at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to StoryCorps' award-winning broadcasts on public radio and the Internet. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, creating a growing portrait of who we really are as Americans. During this visit, StoryCorps will also record stories in Amherst, Northampton and Lenox.

Those interested in recording a story through StoryCorps need to make a reservation. Public reservations for the GCC and other western Massachusetts sessions open on Thursday, November 13 at 10am and may be made by calling 1-800-850-4406 or signing up at www.storycorps.net. Limited reservations are available and are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Kathleen Lafferty of Leverett recorded an interview with her mother, Miriam Chapman, when StoryCorps visited the Springfield area in September. Kathleen said, "My 85-year-old mother told me stories of her childhood and her life and both of us enjoyed it very much. Now I really understand StoryCorps' motto, ‘Listening is an act of love.'" Kathleen has this advice for those considering doing a StoryCorps interview: "Don't wait, do it now, with anyone you care about. It doesn't have to be someone old or famous. Don't wait."

GCC's President, Bob Pura, was instrumental in bringing StoryCorps to the community. He said, "The stories recorded by StoryCorps speak to the very fabric of America's values and idealism, as well as to the challenges folks in our community have overcome. Not since de Tocqueville have we had anyone tell America's story as powerfully as StoryCorps does. GCC's mission statement says ‘at GCC, we are passionate about teaching and learning together.' StoryCorps provides a vehicle for all of us in the wider community to teach and learn together."

Helen Barrington, Program Director of WFCR, said, "Bringing StoryCorps to the area is a chance for WFCR to interact with the community. The stories recorded by StoryCorps give us an opportunity to hear more about the rich history of our region and it helps us get many diverse voices on the air."

StoryCorps promotes listening and people sharing their stories through permanent story booths in New York and San Francisco, mobile booths that travel around the country, and a Door-to-Door service which provides StoryCorps Facilitators with portable recording equipment to organizations and communities. Dave Isay, the founder of StoryCorps, tells the story of StoryCorps in a book titled, "Listening is An Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project" that has just been released in paperback. Along with sharing many stories, the book encourages people to have these conversations themselves, whether in a StoryCorps recording booth or not. Recognizing that everyone has stories to tell, StoryCorps is launching the first annual National Day of Listening on the day after Thanksgiving. A new website, www.nationaldayoflistening.org, will be available in early November with lots of do-it-yourself storytelling tools for people to use. StoryCorps encourages people to linger with loved ones over the holidays and take the opportunity to do a story interview, whether it's grandparents telling younger generations about their early lives or young people sitting down with a mentor and talking about how the mentor has helped them grow.