Abilene Mothers Featured in StoryCorps New Release"Mom: A celebration of mothers from StoryCorps" Stories featuring two local women have been selected from over 30,000 interviews recorded nationwide by StoryCorps, one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. The women's stories were recorded by the StoryCorps MobileBooth during a 2008 Abilene visit sponsored by AbilenePublicRadio and are included in a newly released book, "Mom: A Celebration of Mothers From StoryCorps". StoryCorps provides Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of their lives. Since 2003, over 50,000 everyday people have interviewed family and friends and their conversations are recorded on a free CD to share, and are also preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to the weekly StoryCorps broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition and on the StoryCorps "Listen" pages.
 Released in time for Mothers Day, "Mom" is a celebration of American Mothers and looks across a diversity of experience to present an entirely original portrait of motherhood gleaned from the StoryCorps interviews. In the chapter titled "Wisdom", Jody Houston, Executive Director of the Abilene Food Bank interviews her daughter, Barbara Cooper, about Barbara's experiences living with Progeria, a genetic, premature-aging disorder. The conversation reveals the close and touching relationship between a child with a life threatening disorder and the mother facing the disorder with her daughter. The chapter "Enduring Love" includes the interview between Myra Dean, Development Director for Abilene's public radio station,KACU-FM, and her boyfriend Gary Jamison about the death of Myra's 9 year old son in a sudden and freak accident. Myra shares her struggles and triumphs in living with the death of her only child. In "Mom", StoryCorps has created a tribute to mothers that honors the wealth of America's national experience. An appreciation of the wisdom and generosity passed between mothers and children, this generation to the next, "Mom" offers powerful lessons in the meaning of family and the expansiveness of the human heart. Order YOUR copy today! Myra Dean, Jody Houston with her daughter Barbara Cooper will sign your book at no extra charge. TO ORDER: Email: myra.dean@acu.edu |