BY BTL STAFF
KALAMAZOO – In partnership with WMUK, a Michigan Public Radio affiliate, and the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center, StoryCorps will record interviews to document diverse voices from the Kalamazoo LGBT community, providing participants the opportunity to preserve their stories and help make history. Stories will be archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
A select group of 36 people will be chosen to participate in a one-hour recording session to be held on the Western Michigan University campus. The 18 pairs of participants will share the mic with a friend, partner, spouse or relative who will help them discuss their experiences and vice versa. Not all stories will be selected to air on WMUK or NPR; however, with permission and approval from participants, some stories that are particularly relevant to the history of the LGBT community in Kalamazoo may be selected to show at a local public forum in the late fall or winter. Some stories may be available on the web.
StoryCorps recognizes the profound historical importance of capturing the stories of the LGBT community and the urgent need for this work to happen. StoryCorps OutLoud Initiative is a multi-year initiative dedicated to recording and preserving LGBT stories across America. OutLoud honors the stories of those who lived before the 1969 Stonewall uprisings, celebrates the lives of LGBT youth and amplifies the voices of those most often excluded from the historical record.
Registration for a select number of interview slots is open and will conclude Oct. 23. Those registering will be contacted by Oct. 30 regarding their status and the selected 36 will record their story Nov. 5-7. Interviews for StoryCorps will be recorded at WMUK studios in the first floor of Friedman Hall on the WMU campus.
To sign up for a chance to be one of the 36 individuals to share their story with StoryCorps, go to http://www.kglrc.org/services/storycorps-outloud-initiative/.
