The Pratt Library will present a public program on their involvement with StoryCorps in the aftermath of April 2015’s civic unrest. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind and has collected and archived more than 50,000 interviews from more than 80,000 participants. Millions listen to weekly StoryCorps broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition and on storycorps.org. Capturing reflections from people who live in West Baltimore was of paramount importance to the Pratt Library; they worked quickly with StoryCorps to make certain to archive the thoughts and feelings of community members in the moment. StoryCorps producers will be onsite at the Pennsylvania Avenue branch library on July 27 and 28, 2015 to conduct 12 interviews, and library personnel will conduct an additional 20 interviews in the three months following. These stories—carefully recorded and curated—will form the basis of a valuable public program addressing key Baltimore stories and the questions—and solutions—they inspire. The program will include a panel discussion followed by audience participation.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Baltimore Stories project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is a collaboration between the University of Maryland, Maryland Humanities Council, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance.