Unalaska, AK – StoryCorps is kicking off their oral history project in Unalaska tonight with an event at the Burma Road Chapel. The project gives community members an opportunity to talk about their lives and have it recorded for posterity.

"It's unique in the sense that it's not one person recording a story but a conversation between two friends, two acquaintances, two partners two people having a conversation about things they care about or people they care about," explains project coordinator Kristine King.

StoryCorps began in 2002 as an off-shoot of a radio story that allowed urban youth to record the sounds of their daily lives. It has since grown into a nationwide project that aims to preserve the stories of ordinary people. It recently started in Alaska.

"We were selected because a kind benefactor who traveled through Unalaska 10 to 20 years ago loved it here, loved StoryCorps, and decided to donate a huge amount of money to have the initiative come to Alaska," King says.

StoryCorps is working from now until April in Unalaska, Dillingham, Nome, Barrow, Juneau and Fairbanks. The interviews have no specific purpose, though you can get question ideas from the StoryCorps website.

"This is not about designated content or dictating what people might be saying but what you want to talk about, what you want to share."

People who participate receive a CD copy of the interview and a copy goes into the Library of Congress. Parts of some interviews will be used as short radio pieces on KUCB and possibly NPR.

The kick off reception is tonight, Thurs. Nov. 6, from 5 to 6 pm at the Burma Road Chapel. You can also set up an interview time by calling coordinators Kristine King and Sharon Svarny-Livingston at 359-8016.