Remembering 9/11

Like so many others, I’m reflecting this week about the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

I didn’t work at VPR back then, in fact, I had only recently moved to Vermont. Without cable or internet in the old Shoreham schoolhouse that was my new home, VPR was my only link to what happened that day. I didn’t even see video footage of the attacks until a week later. Ten years on, I am still grateful to VPR for being both my source of information and of comfort in the days that followed.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks and Tropical Storm Irene are very different events, of course, but as we have received comments and calls from listeners about our coverage of the storm and its aftermath, I can’t help but draw comparisons. It is a big responsibility to be your lifeline and a source of comfort in times of crisis, but it is one we take very seriously.

This week, VPR is remembering 9/11. Listen for interviews, stories, commentaries, and an audio “memory quilt” of your reflections, which was produced in partnership with the Vermont Folklife Center. On Friday, join a conversation about 9/11 on Vermont Edition at noon and 7 p.m. And on Sunday, listen beginning at 8 a.m. for special coverage from NPR.

You can explore our coverage and share your reflections online here.

A Memory Quilt of 9/11 Reflections

Vermont Public Radio will be at four locations around the state this Saturday, August 20, collecting Vermonters’ thoughts and memories of September 11^th.

VPR reporters will be stationed in the following locations to record reflections for an audio "memory quilt" that will be broadcast the week of September 5^th in commemoration of the 10^th anniversary of 9/11:

• Barton: Orleans County Fair, in the far corner of the parking lot, 1-4 p.m.
  
• Brattleboro: Farmers Market, Rte. 9 near the Creamery Covered Bridge, 10 a.m. – noon
• Burlington: City Hall Park near Church Street, 10 a.m. – noon.
  
• Rutland: Farmers Market at the northwest corner of Depot Park, 10 a.m. – noon.

Reporters will ask participants about their experience of September 11, 2001, and how the events of that day changed their daily lives and the way they view the world.

VPR is also working with the Vermont Folklife Center, which is making arrangements to record people at its office in Middlebury.

Watch for details next week about more ways to participate in this project. All of the audio will be posted at VPR.net. And all the comments will be collected and preserved in the archive at the Vermont Folklife Center.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Shawn Baldwin