Search Interviews

Friends and co-organizers Nureaka Ross (28) and Lynette Mejia (51) discuss their involvement in advocating for their local library system and obstacles they have faced along the way.

One Small Step conversation partners Jean Bourg (78) and Brad Sealfon (36) talk about family, growing up, religion, sexuality, community, libraries, planning boards, and living in small towns.

Significant partners Tara Anura (47) and Rebecca Varney (64) sit down to discuss rural politics and local activism. They express their appreciation and pride for one another and the work they do in their community despite how disheartening it can...

Sherwood Regional Library customer, Loretta, discusses kindness from strangers. This conversation was a part of the “All Together Now: Share Your Stories” program for the Fairfax County Public Library’s 2023 Summer Reading Adventure for adults. You can learn more about...

One Small Step partners Laura Middlebrooks (53) and Ted Wiaziowski (47) have a conversation about how they have grown as people and the influences on their lives.

Emily Estes was the Expedition Project Manager for JOIDES Resolution EXP 390 and has sailed on over a dozen additional oceanographic research expeditions. She shares the value of bringing books out to sea and has an interesting approach to selecting...

[Recorded: Thursday, April 27, 2023] Yasir (22) and Evelyn (21) have a One Small Step conversation in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yasir is an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia studying biology on a pre-med track. Evelyn is also an undergraduate...

Brendan John [no age given] talks to his father, Barney John [no age given], about Barney's experience growing up Catholic in Karachi, Pakistan. They reflect on the formation of their belief systems, their faith, and their family.

Friends Russ Howell (70) and Paul Reeves (60) share a conversation about their love of reading. The two talk about their relationship with reading growing up, the books that have impacted them, and the miracle of losing yourself in a...

Colleagues Elma Nieto-Rodriguez [no age given] and Jim Jimenez [no age given] discuss their paths to becoming librarians. The two have been colleagues for nearly 20 years and reflect on the future of libraries.

Melody Schmid & Angela Vaughn, co-workers at Salem Public Library, talk about growing up using the library and how libraries are an important part of a community.

Friends Natasha Herring (47) and Milton Washington [no age given] discuss their origins of inspiration as writers. They begin the conversation with how they met as writers and the similarities between their experiences as children who experienced housing instability/being orphans....

Clint McGuire (56) continues his conversation with his former professor and long-time friend Jack Benjamin (71) about Jack's years building and running a theatre department at the University of South Carolina Aiken. This conversation mainly covers the years 1996-2001. This...

Rebecca Nyman Ellis (47) interviews her mother, Ruth Lawson (68), about the life of Ruth's great-great-grandmother, Matilda Poole.

David Joy (38) speaks with his friend, mentor, and bonus grandma to his children, Kathy Gambles (75), about their decades of friendship, starting when David was a kindergartener in Kathy's library. They discuss what they've learned from each other, the...

Coworkers Julie Johnson (55) and Heather Crockett (43) share a conversation about their programs and impact at United Way of Northern Utah.

Colleagues Richard Mussler-Wright (56) and Jane Zink (56) share a conversation about their children’s experiences in preschool, the importance of accessible childcare, and their work in early childhood education.

Friends Cara Halford (17) and Riley Gibson (18) reflect on their ten years of friendship and look to the future.

Cynthia Hand [no age given] and her birth mother, Suzanne Asha Stone [no age given], share a conversation about finding one another, Cynthia's adoption, and their experiences getting to know each other after they were separated for over 40 years.

Friends Lucille [No name given] (73) and Sue [No name given] (73) reflect on the books that Sue enjoyed through the different stages of her life.

Coworkers, John Ramirez (33) and Maira Sanchez (25), have a conversation about sandwiches, their experiences, Hispanic culture, their job at the library, and how their life has been since COVID-19 began.

Keith Hardin (69) interviews his friend Dave Scott (74) about his career fighting wildfires for the U.S. Forest Service and about how the wildfires he fought inspired his book, "The Fury of the Beast."

Henry Altschwager (75) was interviewed by his son, Lucas Altschwager (39) about his life.

Kathleen O’Dell (68) interviews her long-time friend, Annie Busch [no age given], about her work in the Springfield community, from serving as the Executive Director of the Springfield-Greene County Library to her efforts to aid children experiencing homelessness.

Friends, Anna Sandidge (47) and Donna Young (66), share a conversation about Quakerism. They discuss the role faith plays in their lives, describe their spiritual experiences, and explain what being a Quaker means to them.