By Wendy Gragg

Tribune-Herald staff writer

Today, in between making turkey sandwiches and shopping until you drop, sit down with someone and let them tell you a story.

StoryCorps, the nationwide oral history project, is promoting today as the first-ever National Day of Listening. The idea is to spend an hour interviewing someone — an older relative, friend, teacher, neighbor — about his or her life. Tape-record the conversation, catch it on camera or write it down in shorthand — but, most importantly, listen.

Recording these conversations isn’t just a way to learn about others. It also teaches us about ourselves, said Stephen Sloan, director of the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University.

“Too often, we’re not intentional enough about preserving our own legacy,” Sloan said. Interviewing a parent or grandparent captures a piece of your own background, he said. “Even though our families may make us crazy sometimes, if we don’t understand them, we don’t understand ourselves.”

Researchers at the Institute for Oral History conduct interviews to capture stories from individuals about certain topics.

“That’s the passionate part of history,” Sloan said. “Trying to understand how (an event such as World War II) manifested itself to one individual or family.”

StoryCorps offers a do-it-yourself guide on the Internet to help get people started. The questions they suggest asking include:

* What are some of the most important lessons you have learned in life?

* What are you most proud of?

* What was the happiest moment of your life? The saddest?

* Is there something about yourself that you think no one knows?

* How would you like to be remembered?

Recordings of stories and plenty more tips captured by StoryCorps can be found at www.storycorps.net.

wgragg@wacotrib.com

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