November 26 is National Day of Listening, a day when StoryCorps and Texas Public Radio ask all San Antonians to take an hour to record an interview with a loved one. Start a new holiday tradition: set aside an hour to interview a friend, a loved one, or someone in their community about his or her life.

The stories told to us by our family and community members constitute our personal histories and give us a sense of ourselves. National Day of Listening was instituted as a way to honor those people and their experiences by preserving their stories, ensuring that they will be available to influence many future generations.

To record your own National Day of Listening interview:

1. Find someone you’d like to interview
2. Create your question list
3. Sit down to record your conversation

Participants are encouraged to record their interviews using equipment available in most homes—a computer, a cell phone or pen and paper. StoryCorps has created a free Do-It-Yourself (DIY) interview guide with step-by-step interview instructions, equipment recommendations, and sample questions to help you prepare for your interview.

The National Day of Listening was started by StoryCorps in 2008 as a way to provide an alternative to "Black Friday" shopping sprees. By participating in this year’s National Day of Listening, we hope you’ll find that taking the time out to interview someone about his or her life is the least expensive but most meaningful gift that we can give.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, preserve, and share their stories. Each week, millions of Americans listen to StoryCorps’ award-winning broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition. StoryCorps has published two best-selling books: Listening Is an Act of Love in 2007 and Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps in 2010.

Help your community organization participate in the National Day of Listening

Community organizations can use the National Day of Listening as a way to chronicle their own history, or the stories of the people they serve. There are two ways your community group can get involved with the National Day of Listening:

1. RECORD INTERVIEWS

• Set a goal for the number of interviews you'd like to conduct. Your goal should be personally significant and recognize a specific community.
  
  
• Example: By interviewing five war veterans, I will honor their service and learn about an important event in history.
  
  
• After you've planned your interviews, use StoryCorpsʼ Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide to help you through the process.

2. HOST A NATIONAL DAY OF LISTENING EVENT

• Open your home, workplace, or community center to teach people how to conduct and record interviews using StoryCorps' Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide and recording equipment.

National Day of Listening interviews can complement the work of:

• Rotary clubs
• Veterans associations
• Boy and Girl Scout troops
• Homeless shelters
• Retirement homes
• Hospices
• Tutoring or mentoring programs
• Arts organizations
• Faith-based communities

Ideas for community service interviews:

• Sit down and interview some of the clients at a local soup kitchen.
• Volunteer at a hospice to ask patients to reflect on their lives.
• Record an interview between a young person and his or her mentor, or between members of different faiths.

After you have finished your interviews, don't forget to post them to StoryCorps' online Wall of Listening!