The difference between StoryCorp and StoryCorps
“Initial S from a Gradual: Saint Augustine,” c. 1420, Cleveland Museum of Art.
The short answer? One “S”
The longer, more helpful answer?
StoryCorps (with an “S” at the end) is an American non-profit organization founded by Dave Isay in 2003. It’s dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing people’s life stories.
StoryCorp (without an “S” at the end) is a Canadian company founded by Arthur Thuot in 2020. It delivers storytelling training for government, business, and nonprofit teams.
StoryCorp and StoryCorps are two separate, unaffiliated organizations. Both work with stories, so it helps to know which one is which.
“Manuscript Illumination with the Presentation of Christ in the Temple in an Initial S, from a Gradual.” Master of Bagnacavallo, Italian, ca. 1278, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
StoryCorps helps people record meaningful conversations about their lives
Its recordings are collected at the U.S. Library of Congress and in its online archive, and selected stories reach wider audiences through broadcasts, podcasts, animated shorts, and other formats.
The organization is pronounced “story-core” (in English, the “corps” is borrowed from Old French) and evokes, like the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, civic service to a shared humanitarian mission.
“Initial S with Saint Peter Liberated from Prison.” Italian, first half 14th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
StoryCorp helps people find, develop, and tell stories in their work
StoryCorp offers storytelling workshops, courses, keynotes, team retreats, and coaching.
Depending on the session, participants might practise finding the story in a project’s setbacks, making a complicated idea simpler and more compelling, or choosing details that help an audience understand what happened.
StoryCorp is pronounced “story-corp,” with the “p.”
Which one are you looking for?
To record a life story or explore an archive of personal conversations, visit StoryCorps.
For storytelling training for your organization, learn how StoryCorp training works or get in touch to discuss a session.