WORLD 16 May 2008 Two organizations declare May 16 an international day for sharing life stories. Oral historians Studs Terkel, Paul Thompson to be honored

May 16 has been chosen for "Listen! -- International Day for Sharing Life Stories." The May date was chosen to honor two pioneers in the tradition -- Studs Terkel in the United States and Professor Paul Thompson in England. May 16 is Terkel's 86th birthday and is also Thompson's retirement date from the Department of Sociology at Essex University. Tributes to both men will be the highlight of public storytelling events in Sao Paulo, Cape Town, Melbourne, Toronto, Stockholm, Hamilton, New Zealand, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Denver, Berkeley, Columbus, Ohio and Long Island, New York.

The organizers are The Museum of the Person International Network (Brazil, Portugal, USA and Canada) and the Center for Digital Storytelling (USA). The goal is to establish May 16 as an annual day for sharing, listening to, and gathering the stories of people’s lives.

A prize-winning American author and radio personality. Terkel is best known for oral history books on the 1930s Depression, World War Two, race relations, working, the American dream, and aging. Briton Paul Thompson pioneered the development of life stories and oral history within the sociology and social history disciplines. Jan/08

RELATED READING:

Studs Terkel web
http://www.studsterkel.org/bio.php

Paul Thompson biography
http://www.essex.ac.uk/Sociology/people/staff/thompson.shtm

International Day for Sharing Life Stories web
http://www.ausculti.org/

Center for Digital Storytelling
http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html

Contacts: internationalday@storycenter.org or internacional@museudapessoa.net, or call Joe Lambert in the U.S., 510 548-2065, or Ana Nassar at the Museum of the Person in Brazil at +55 11 2144-7170.