NPR's StoryCorps visits Houston

The StoryCorps MobileBooth has been conspicuously parked outside of the Houston Museum of Natural Science for a few days now, giving you plenty of time to come up with a few good interview questions for your grandfather (or whomever), before they head out on February 3rd.

StoryCorps is a project sponsored by National Public Radio, among other organizations, that has set out to document the everyday history of everyday Americans. The program airs on NPR's Morning Edition. Here's how it works: people come in pairs (friends or family) to interview each other at the StoryCorps Booth. After 40 minutes spent with each other and an interview guide, they leave with a CD of the interview, a copy of which is also sent to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. NPR airs minute-long excerpts of the interviews. Dave Isay, the creator, speaks on the significance of this project:

Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen the profound effect StoryCorps has had on the lives of those who have participated in the project, and we’ve seen the power that these stories have had on the millions who have heard them on NPR and on the Web. We believe that listening is an act of love. StoryCorps will engage communities, teach participants to become better listeners, foster intergenerational communication, and help Americans appreciate the strength in the stories of everyday people they find all around them.

Two StoryCorps MobileBooths are currently on tour in America. To make reservations for an interview, visit the StoryCorps website.