If you’ve ever found yourself in your car a bit before 8:30 on a weekday morning, tuned to NPR and weeping despite yourself, you’re already familiar with StoryCorps.

I was fortunate enough to catch wind of Isay speaking this evening at The Margaret Mitchell House where he spoke of the project and book, played some of the two minute pieces we’ve all enjoyed with watery eyes and made a made a pretty significant announcement for Atlanta.

Five years and one month ago, StoryCorps started with one booth in Grand Central Terminal and since then, they’ve recorded 24 thousand stories. The news for Atlanta readers: they’re planning to open their second permanent booth in our fair city.

The details are still being worked out but according to both Dave Isay (founder and president of Story Corps) and WABE leadership, the temporary booth will be located in Studio 3 of their offices on Bizmark road. They plan to open the permanent location in the Center for Civil and Human Rights in 2011.

Atlanta was chosen in part due to The Griot Project, a special initiative launched in Atlanta to document African American voices including that of Morehouse School of Medicine professor Dr. Lynn Weaver. Dr. Weaver is one of the Atlanta residents whose story is featured in the book Listening is an Act of Love – A Celebration of American Life From the StoryCorps Project.

The success of the The Griot Project combined with the work of three women Isay and WABE referred to as “the league of extraordinary gentlewomen” we have won the privilege of being a part of StoryCorps and CPB history.

Soooo wonderful. I don’t know about you, but I’m already making a mental list of the friends I want to take to the booth and spend forty minutes sharing stories with.