Many Americans are preparing for a welcome pause to busy work lives and packed schedules. Thanksgiving traditionally presents opportunities for family and friends to gather, dine, and talk about their lives.
StoryCorps hopes to capture some of those conversations for its Great Thanksgiving Listeninitiative — and all it takes is a smartphone or computer.
The Great Thanksgiving Listen is not just for families to talk among themselves. Any two people are encouraged to share their personal stories, which are archived in the Library of Congress. Some are selected to air on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”
This fall, StoryCorps' iconic Airstream trailer was parked outside St. Louis Public Radio’s studio in Grand Center. The St. Louis stop was the most popular this year, with 248 people in conversation with one another and sharing their stories.
Interim managing editor Jonathan Ahl and St. Louis on the Air producer Miya Norfleet listened to many hours of conversations recorded during the St. Louis stop. They selected and edited several conversations, including Pastors Gerald Kleba and Lauren Bennett discussing their ministry to inmates on death row.
In another recording, mother and daughter Rebecca Massie and Juliet Simone shared what went through their minds when deciding to become parents. Simone explored the option of sperm donors and had a couple of rounds of treatment. After Simone gave birth to her first son, a call from a geneticist led to Massie revealing a big family secret — she and her husband also conceived via sperm donors for Simone and her younger brother.
For more highlights of StoryCorps’ visit in St. Louis, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
