John has come to terms with the fact that I love David Isay. Since we've never met, there's no reason for my husband to be jealous. Actually, John should love David, too. David gives people a voice. That is something that John feels as strongly about as I do.
The MacArthur Foundation certainly loves David, too. They named him a Fellow in 2000. What did he do with the award money? In 2003, he launched StoryCorps.
David's bio says that he grew up in New Haven, Connecticutt & Manhattan, but I know better - the man is from another planet. You can try & convince me that he is a mere earthling like the rest of us, but I am not buying it.
He received the MacArthur "Genius" Award due to his work as - of all things - a radio producer. Radio? Seriously? Oh, yeah!
What an astonishing range of projects, from the Yiddish Radio Project, showcasing (and preserving) the richness of Jewish radio shows from the 1930s-50s to The Execution Tapes, drawn from a trove of tapes recording 23 electrocutions in Georgia (not for the faint of heart).
Not surprising the MacArthur Foundation came knocking on his door. What did he do with his no-strings award money? He gave America a voice.
Think of the timing - David Isay is named a MacArthur Fellow in 2000, a year later is 9/11. And David had the means to make a difference. Boy, did he ever!
In October 2003, he set up his first StoryBooth - a mini recording studio - near Track 14 in NYC's iconic Grand Central Station. A simple message was emblazoned across the small, odd-looking structure - Listening is an Act of Love. The legendary Studs Terkel cut the ribbon.
Terkel's connection to the project went beyond its mission of recording stories of everyday Americans - something at which he was a master - to his own roots in the 1930s' Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Writers' Project, David's inspiration for StoryCorps.
So far, StoryCorps recordings are closing in on 50,000 stories shared from over 80,000 Americans in all 50 states, Washington D.C. & several territories.
In 2000, David was named a MacArthur Fellow & used his award money to launch StoryCorps. This past November, he received the TED Award - $1 million dollars, plus the TED community’s wide range of resources & expertise. His "one wish to change the world"? Take StoryCorps global!.
Less than five weeks ago, David accepted his award & let the world in on his heart's desire: “Here is my wish - that you will help us to take everything we’ve learned through StoryCorps and bring it to the world so that anyone, anywhere, can easily record a meaningful interview with another human being, which then will be archived for history. Tonight, I’m going to make the case that inviting a loved one, a friend or a stranger to record a meaningful interview might just turn out to be one of the most important moments in that person’s life — and in yours.”
Once again, David is leading the way, with an updated version of the StoryCorps app, just released in beta version. Anywhere, anyone with an iPhone can conduct a StoryCorps interview. The app includes a microphone, instructions, and the ability to send audio files. As David describes it, the app "Helps you pick questions, and gives you all the tips you need to record a meaningful StoryCorps interview, and then with one tap upload it.”
Anyone, anywhere - my bet, even on David's home planet, wherever that may be!
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