StoryCorps Northwest

In partnership with

The StoryCorps mobile tour was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Additional support for the Lewiston-Clarkston stop was provided by Innovia Foundation.

Marianne Patton and Susan Little

Air Date -09.09.2020

Growing up in Chelan, Susan Little knew early being gay was unacceptable in her small town. In today’s StoryCorps Northwest, Susan and her wife Marianne Patton talk about those early days, and how much has changed for gays and lesbians since they fell in love 35 years ago.

StoryCorps Northwest – Rosalyn Schragg & Leanna Hayes: an improbable journey

Rosalyn Schragg, left, and Leanna Hayes at their StoryCorps Northwest recording.

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We all take different paths through life. Some a lot riskier than others. In this edition of StoryCorps Northwest, Rosalyn Schragg tells friend Leanna Hayes about her improbable journey from northern England to Central Washington.

Rosalyn settled down in Soap Lake. She married a chiropractor, had a family, became a grandmother and great grandmother.

This is the last edition of StoryCorps Northwest 2022 recorded as part of NWPB’s Centennial. To hear past stories, click on StoryCorps NW under the Music & Culture tab.

StoryCorps Northwest – Nancy Puburn & Cynthia Bounds: Dad goes to war

Nancy Pyburn, right, and daughter Cynthia Bounds at their StoryCorps Northwest recording.

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Sometimes, when everything feels right, something can make your world crumble. Something like a draft letter, sending your dad to war. That’s what happened to Nancy Pyburn of Moses Lake. In this edition of StoryCorps Northwest she tells her daughter Cynthia Bounds about how World War 2 changed her and her parents’ lives.

This episode of StoryCorps Northwest was recorded in Moses Lake as part of Northwest Public Broadcasting’s centennial celebration.

StoryCorps Northwest – Ric Carlson, Andy Kovach & Alex Kovach: Brent Blake and the great Soap Lake lava lamp

From left to right, Alex Kovach, Ric Carlson, and Andy Kovach at their StoryCorps Northwest Recording.

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How do you bring money into a small town? Tourists can help, but first you need something to attract them. In this edition of StoryCorps Northwest, Soap Lake residents Ric Carlson, Andy Kovach, and Alex Kovach talk about their friend Brent Blake and his crazy idea to build a massive lava lamp.

This episode of StoryCorps Northwest was recorded in Soap Lake as part of Northwest Public Broadcasting’s centennial celebration.

StoryCorps Northwest – Cindi Rang & Brianna Motzkus: making masks for the pandemic

Brianna Motzkus, left, and her mother Cindi Rang at their StoryCorps Northwest recording.

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The early pandemic was chaos. Masks and other PPE were scarce. Cindi Rang and her daughter Brianna Motzkus own a quilting shop in Ephrata. They sprang into action and started making masks. In this edition of StoryCorps Northwest, they talk about how quickly things moved in the first few weeks of the pandemic.

This episode of StoryCorps Northwest was recorded in Soap Lake as part of Northwest Public Broadcasting’s centennial celebration.

StoryCorps Northwest – Maria Luz Oppen & Harriet Weber: From Mexico to the Quincy Valley

Maria Luz Oppen, right, and Harriet Weber at their StoryCorps Northwest recording.

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Moving 400 miles isn’t easy. Now, imagine it was on horseback and by foot. Maria Luz Oppen, of Quincy, talks about being young and moving from Mexico to the U.S. in the 1950s. In this edition of StoryCorps Northwest, she has a conversation with longtime friend Harriet Weber of the Quincy Valley Historical Society.

This episode of StoryCorps Northwest was recorded at the Quincy Valley Historical Society’s Heritage Barn as part of Northwest Public Broadcasting’s centennial celebration.

StoryCorps Northwest – Lidia Kyrychenko Drake & Katrina Zens: A Ukrainian girl survives the Holocaust

Lidia Kyrychenko Drake, right, and Katrina Zens at their StoryCorps Northwest recording.

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There are many things we may take for granted like a piece of fruit. Holocaust survivor Lydia Kyrychenko Drake was five-years-old when she sent to a concentration camp. In this edition of StoryCorps Northwest she tells her granddaughter Katrina Zens about her liberation and tasting a banana for the first time. Both live in Moses Lake.

This episode of StoryCorps Northwest was recorded in Moses Lake as part of Northwest Public Broadcasting’s centennial celebration.