AA:I'mAviArdittiwithRosanneSkirble, andthisweekonWORDMASTER: abigweekfortalkersandlisteners.

RS:ThisThursday, millionsofAmericanswillgatherwithfamilyandfriendstocelebrateThanksgiving-- or"TurkeyDay," asmanycallit. That'sbecausearoastedturkeyisthetraditionalstaroftheholidaymeal, usuallyservedwithextrahelpingsofthelatestfamilynews.

AA:Thisyear, anonprofitgroupthatcollectsoralhistoriesforarchivingattheLibraryofCongressisurgingAmericanstostartanewtradition-- aNationalDayofListening. StoryCorpsisinvitingpeopletosetasideonehourontheFridayafterThanksgivingtorecordaconversationwithanolderrelativeorsomeoneelseimportanttothem. TheinterviewscanbeuploadedandsharedataWebsite, nationaldayoflistening.org

RS:Youdon'thavetobeatrainedsocioculturalanthropologisttobeagoodlistener, butitprobablyhelps. KathWestonisaprofessorintheAnthropologyDepartmentattheUniversityofVirginiainCharlottesville. Andsheistheauthorofanewbook, basedonfiveyearsofridingcross-countrybusesandlisteningtopeopletalkaboutlivesofpoverty.

AA:Herbookiscalled"TravelingLight: OntheRoadwithAmerica'sPoor." TheCensusBureausaysthenation'sofficialpovertyratewas12.5 percentlastyear, or37 millionpeople. Expertsarepredictinganincreaseasaresultofthecurrenteconomiccrisis.

RS:ReporterJesseDukesrecentlytalkedwithKathWeston. TheyrodeabusoperatedbyGreyhound, thelargestintercitybuscompanyinNorthAmerica.

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JD:Sothedrivertakesourtickets, wegetonthebus, findseatsandsettlein.

DRIVER:"We'rescheduledtoarriveatourmainstationinWashington, D.C., atseventwenty-fivep.m. Theuseofelectronicdevicesisdonesowithapersonalheadset... "

JD:Oncewegetmoving, shetellsmeshewantedtowriteabookonlivingpoorintheworld'srichestnation. Asfarassettingthebookonbuses-- well, busticketsarerelativelycheap, soifyouarelivingpoorandyouhavetotravel, you'relikelytotakethebus. AndwhileWestondoeswriteaboutthecausesofpoverty, she'swasmoreinterestedintalkingtopeoplelivingtheirlives.

KathWeston

KATHWESTON:"Youknow, Ireallydidwanttoemphasizethemotion. Whenyoutalkaboutitasliving, Imeanthatiswhatyou'redoing, you'reliving. Andhowdoyoulive? ThosearethekindsofthingsthatI'minterestedin."

JD:Westonlikesthatbustravelisachancetomeetallsortsofpeopletravelingforavarietyofreasons: peoplemigratingtofindwork, peoplevisitingrelativesortravelingtoapoliticalrally. ShemetayoungLatino, travelingtoajob, whogetshassledbecausehecan'tunderstandanEnglish-speakingsecurityguard.

Shestoodinlonglinesforhoursorsharedfoodwithstrangers, orbabysatwhiletheywenttothebathroom.

OneofhermoretellinganecdotesisaboutT.J., ayoungAfrican-AmericanmantravellingtoOklahomaforanewjob.

KATHWESTON:"Sowestarttalkingtohim, andhesays: "Well, I'mtravelingbecauseIhaveanewjobinfoodprocessing.'Andfoodprocessingturnsouttobeakindofeuphemismforworkinginameat-packingplant. Inthecourseoftheconversation, itbecomesevidentthatT.J. hadnofoodwithhimonthetripandhehadnomoneyforfoodonthistripthatwasgoingtotakemorethantwenty-fourhours.

, andthisisaguywhodoesn'tspeakSpanishbasically."

JD:"Sohe'smakingagesture."

KATHWESTON:"Sohe'smakingagesture."

JD:Westonlikesthestorybecauseitshowshowridingthebus, whichalotofusthinkofasuncomfortable, canalsobringstrangerstogether. Butlikemostofthestoriesinthebook, italsohelpshermakeasociologicalpoint.

Shesayspovertyandwealtharerelative. And, forexample, althoughAmericaisaverywealthycountry, theincomeofthebottomtwentypercentactuallyfellduringtheboomofthenineteennineties.

KATHWESTON:"Anditwasnotlostonanyofus, theironyofthiskindofsituation. Youknow, hereheisinaposition, he'sgoingtopackthefood, buthecan'taffordtobuyanyandhecan'taffordtoeatit. Sowhatdoesthatsay? That'sastoryaboutrelativepoverty. Whatdoesitmeanthatthesearethepeoplewhoarebasicallysupplyingandprocessingthefoodfortheworld'swealthiestnation?" Westonsaysthatpeopleonthebushaveopinionsaboutthissortofthingtoo, butshedidn'twanttojustobserve, she

JD:Anotherrideroverhearsusandwantstoaddhertwocentstoourconversation.

WOMAN:"Ifindigenouspeoplewerelistenedto... "

JD:It'sjustthesortofmomentthatcouldbein"TravelingLight," andthethreeofustalkuntilwegettothestation, wherewegoourseparateways.

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JD:ForVFHRadioattheVirginiaFoundationfortheHumanities, I'mJesseDukes.

AA:Andthat'sWORDMASTERforthisweek. Archivesofoursegmentsareatvoanews.com/wordmaster.

RS:Thanksforlistening. WithAviArditti, I'mRosanneSkirble.