National Day of Listening
Every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a gentle invitation to put down the shopping bags and pick up the stories of the people you love. In 2026 it falls on November 27. Set aside one hour, press record, and give someone you love the rare gift of your full attention.
- Roots
- Launched in 2008 by StoryCorps, the nonprofit oral history project founded by Dave Isay
- Also on Nov 27
- Black Friday · Native American Heritage Day · Maize Day
- Hashtag
- #NationalDayOfListening
3 ways to celebrate
Interview a Loved One at Home
Gather the family after the holiday meal and ask a grandparent, parent, or elder to sit for a one-hour recorded interview. Use StoryCorpsu2019 free do-it-yourself guide for sample questions, and record on a phone, computer, or even pen and paper.
Bring a Story to Your Community
Interview a neighbor, a teacher, a veteran, or someone whose story your neighborhood should know, with their permission. Share the recording with a local library or historical society so it becomes part of the communityu2019s memory.
Start a Listening Project at Work or School
Organize a listening hour where students or colleagues pair up and interview each other about their lives. Collect the recordings into a class or team archive, and let everyone hear how much story is sitting in the next desk over.
Plan ahead
National Day of Listening is observed on Day after Thanksgiving. Here is where it lands for the next ten years, handy for planners, marketers and party people.
Fast facts
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