Even in New Orleans' French Quarter, where one expects a certain amount of weirdness, the StoryCorps mobile booth looked out of place. Something like a cross between a gypsy wagon and a futuristic pod, it is about the size of an RV. Inside it are two rooms: a recording studio, where people come to record interviews with loved ones, and a business area with a table and chairs, where the booth's facilitators make calls and work on their laptops.

Sitting at the table and wearing a pair of wireless headphones, I listened to six interviews during a day in the booth. Although Katrina was not everyone's main focus, it was clear that it's hard for New Orleanians not to think about the hurricane. A woman asked her mother about retired life-and what it had been like to evacuate to Florida. A few Vietnamese American waitresses from Caf? du Monde talked about their boss-and what it had been like to ready the caf? for reopening after the storm.

Instructions for someone who wants to participate in StoryCorps might go something like this: 'First you choose someone you think has interesting things to say. Then you take them to a soundproof booth, pay $10, and ask them about whatever you want for 40 minutes. You will receive a recording of the interview, and so will the Library of Congress. And if you and your interviewee are interesting, funny, or poignant enough, a portion of your interview might end up on public radio.'

StoryCorps was founded in 2003 by radio producer David Isay. After a decade of listening to ordinary people record extraordinary stories,
Isay knew that most people had something worth preserving. 'We believe that the stories of everyday people are as interesting as those of Donald Trump and TomKat,' Isay says. 'StoryCorps tells people they matter and they won't be forgotten.'

StoryCorps is familiar to the listeners who hear the interview segments that air on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. More than 7,000 people have participated in the grant-funded program so far, and StoryCorps has expanded. In addition to the original two New York City booths, two new mobile booths now travel across the country. The fact that so many people flock to the booths confident that their stories are worthwhile is indicative of a recent change.