This program features more favorite stories from the Moth, a not-for-profit storytelling organization founded in New York in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green.

In the first hour, hear stories about a batboy for the New York Yankees who goes on a wild goose chase for a left-handed bat-stretcher; an Irish-Catholic family obsessed with the Kennedys who dedicate a summer to spying on their idols; a comedian who experiences the ultimate heartbreak; and a drill sergeant who faints at the sight of blood.

The second hour kicks off with a severely stuttering child who years later becomes the world's premier jaguar expert. Plus, a Texas tale of moon pies and bedazzlers; the surprising story of a Harlem man who ends up at a rodeo in Oregon; and one father's way of coping with a son who loves the color pink.

Fri., Nov. 27 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on WAMU 88.5. Worth catching if you can; some really good storytelling.

And don't forget other good sources: The Moth, Ignite, Ignite-DC, and Speakeasy-DC. All have podcasts to which you can subscribe with iTunes.

November 27th is the National Day of Listening, a day created by the non-profit organization StoryCorps, an organization dedicated to preserving personal, community, and cultural history through spoken stories. You can participate by interviewing a loved one or community member.

Since 2003, StoryCorps has been actively traveling the country and helping communities record their oral history. You may have heard some of its local and nationally recorded stories on your local NPR stations. We shared the idea of the National Day of Listening with you last year, its inaugural year. This year we're back to encourage you to participate again, or if you missed out last year, to participate for the first time. Check out the video below for an overview and some DIY information so you can participate at home:

You'll find a DIY packet here. Whatever method you use to record your interview, like the excellent open-source sound recorder Audacity, a tape recorder, or a video camera, make sure to play around with your tool of choice to make sure it's in working order before you sit down to conduct your interview. Sure you've got working gear but not sure what kind of questions you could ask? Check out the StoryCorps questions generator here.

Whether you participated last year, you're going to participate this year, or you've just got some tips and tricks for recording and interviewing you want to share, let's hear about it in the comments.

National Day of Listening

Though he was ill and in pain,
in disobedience to the instruction he
would have received if he had asked,
the old man got up from his bed,
dressed, and went to the barn.
The bare branches of winter had emerged
through the last leaf-colors of fall,
the loveliest of all, browns and yellows
delicate and nameless in the gray light
and the sifting rain. He put feed
in the troughs for eighteen ewe lambs,
sent the dog for them, and she
brought them. They came eager
to their feed, and he who felt
their hunger was by their feeding
eased. From no place in the time
of present places, within no boundary
nameable in human thought,
they had gathered once again,
the shepherd, his sheep, and his dog
with all the known and the unknown
round about to the heavens' limit.
Was this his stubbornness or bravado?
No. Only an ordinary act
of profoundest intimacy in a day
that might have been better. Still
the world persisted in its beauty,
he in his gratitude, and for this
he had most earnestly prayed.