50 Before 50 #4 - Capturing memories with StoryCorps

A funny thing happened when I was cleaning my kitchen yesterday. I found the City of Brookfield quarterly newsletter- usually a highly predictable publication with information about recycling, taxes and seasonal events. I typically peek at upcoming events at the Brookfield Public Library as well, and noticed an upcoming recording session for StoryCorps at the library....tomorrow! For the uninitiated, StoryCorps is a non-profit celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Their mission is to preserve and share stories via their national broadcast on NPR, podcast, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. They also work with the Library of Congress to archive the stories and make them searchable and accessible to anyone for generations to come.

I knew immediately that recording an interview with StoryCorps needed become one of my 50 Before 50 skills. There was no doubt in my mind who I would interview and the subject we would cover. I would interview my mom, Carol Neufeldt, and we would talk about my brother, Mike, and his incredible life journey. After quickly confirming availability with the librarian and Mom on Friday morning, I went to work creating my list of questions. I owed it to Mom and Mike to be thoughtful and well prepared.

We met for coffee this morning before our recording session. Not a big stretch for us- coffee and conversation are a regular part of what we do to stay connected with each other. Mom liked the questions I prepared (phew!), and we played with the order of the questions before heading across the street to the Brookfield Public Library.

Maura from the Library staff brought us back to the board room, where the traveling recording studio was set up. After stepping through intros and registration, Maura shared some additional information about the StoryCorps mission and some tips to get the most from our experience. The most important one was about time- we had a maximum of 40 minutes to record our interview. Yikes. How could we cover everything we wanted to share about Mike in 40 minutes? Impossible!! The answer was right in front of me- I would have to manage our time well and prioritize what is most important to preserve and share with others. Time to channel my inner Barbara Walters!

Time went by so quickly, I followed the questions, but had to make decisions on the fly to eliminate questions that had been covered already and to skip ones that would not fit into the flow of the conversation. (Sorry, Alex- your question about how Uncle Mikey got into collecting baseball cards did not make the cut.) The flow was very comfortable. I definitely learned a few things that I did not know or that I did not appreciate when I was a little girl growing up with a brother who was often sick and in the hospital. Before we knew it, Maura was giving the 2 minute signal to wrap it up. I asked Mom the final question- what advice do you think Mike would have for Joey and Alex today? You will need to listen to the recording when it is available in a few weeks.

Don't worry- I will post it here.

Interviewing for StoryCorp was a skill I had not contemplated learning when I started making \ list(s) for my 50 Before 50 challenge. If you have known me for awhile, then you might remember that I considered becoming a journalist for my career. It has always been the path that I didn't choose, and I often wonder how different my life would be had I chosen that path. Over the years I have found ways to explore this path not taken. One might say this blog is another exploration of that path. I don't think I will be a journalist at this point in my life, but I can tell my stories and help others tell their stories as well. Definitely not The End...