BUCKSPORT — National storytelling program StoryCorps invites the public to attend an interactive event November 15, 2023, at 6 p.m., at the Alamo Theatre, in Bucksport. StoryCorps’ One Small Step initiative – in partnership with WERU Community Radio – encourages finding humanity even in people with whom we disagree.

The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

WERU is one of five public and community radio stations across the country selected to participate in StoryCorps’ One Small Step initiative, an effort to bring strangers with different political beliefs together for a conversation—not to debate politics, but to get to know each other as people. 

During the One Small Step event, audience members will have the opportunity to listen to audio from One Small Step conversations recorded by WERU One Small Step facilitators Chris Battaglia and Michele Christle. A panel of local One Small Step participants will share their reflections on participating in the program. Attendees will be invited to try out One Small Step conversation questions with other audience members. To register for the event, visit weru-one-small-step. eventbrite.com.

“Doing outreach for One Small Step, as well as witnessing the conversations themselves, has been incredibly rewarding,”  said WERU One Small Step facilitator Michele Christle, in a news release. “While there’s no perfect formula for bringing our communities together, this program is one small step individuals can take toward strengthening our communities and getting to know our neighbors.” 

“One Small Step conversations are like practice runs for real-world conversations that test us,” said WERU One Small Step facilitator Chris Battaglia. “This program addresses the insecurities people feel about these kinds of conversations, nationwide, on all sides of the spectrum and helps participants feel more comfortable connecting with people that think differently than them.”

As part of this partnership, WERU will record 25 One Small Step conversations by the end of December 2023. WERU is still recruiting participants, especially people who identify as conservative, right-leaning, or Republican. To learn more about participating, visit weru.org/onesmallstep, call 207-479-5827, or email onesmallstep@weru.org.

Earlier this year, WERU Community Radio announced its partnership with StoryCorps, the national nonprofit dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs, as part of StoryCorps’ One Small Step Radio Station Hubs project. StoryCorps’ One Small Step and the Radio Station Hubs are made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Learn about WERU and One Small Step here.

About One Small Step

Piloted in 2017 and launched in 2021, One Small Step is a nationwide initiative to remind the country of the humanity in all of us, even those with whom we disagree. The initiative brings strangers with different political views together to record a 50-minute conversation—not to debate politics, but to learn who we are as people. Audio recordings of each interview are archived at the Library of Congress and by StoryCorps. To date, over 4,200 people across 40 states have participated in a One Small Step conversation. Listen to One Small Step interviews here and learn more at takeonesmallstep.org.

With support from CPB, the five 2023 One Small Step Station Hubs join 24 other public media stations that have partnered with One Small Step since 2018.

The other 2023 One Small Step Radio Station Hubs are KHOL (Jackson, WY); KRCB (Rohnert Park, CA); KUOW (Seattle, WA); and WVPE (South Bend, IN). 

One Small Step is made possible by the generous support of The Hearthland Foundation, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, The Marcus Foundation, the Walmart Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Fetzer Institute, Stand Together Trust, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Robins Foundation, New Pluralists, and Schwab Charitable Fund made possible by the generosity of Present Progressive Fund. StoryCorps thanks these donors for their commitment to this project and to bridging divides in America. 

About WERU Community Radio

On May 1, 1988, WERU began broadcasting at 89.9 FM in Blue Hill, in Noel Paul Stookey’s converted chicken barn. Since then, over 1,200 people have volunteered, on-the-air and behind-the-scenes, and over 100 volunteers currently produce programs featuring many genres of music, as well as public affairs programs like Wabanaki Windows, Talk of the Towns, and The Democracy Forum. WERU’s radio signal reaches all of Waldo and Hancock Counties, and parts of Lincoln, Knox, Kennebec, Penobscot, and Washington Counties, and its digital platforms (Internet streaming and a Smartphone app) reach well beyond that. Always striving to be “A Voice of Many Voices,” WERU provides diverse programming to lift spirits, raise awareness, and make connections! Learn more at weru.org.  

About StoryCorps

Founded in 2003, StoryCorps has given over 620,000 people, in all 50 states, the chance to record interviews about their lives. The award-winning organization preserves the recordings in its archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and shares select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, engender empathy and connection, and remind us how much more we have in common than what divides us. StoryCorps is especially committed to capturing and amplifying voices least heard in the media. The StoryCorps MobileBooth, an Airstream trailer that has been transformed into a traveling recording booth, crisscrosses the country year-round gathering the stories of people nationwide. 2023 marks StoryCorps’ 20th anniversary. Learn more at storycorps.org.

About the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and subscribe for email updates.