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IANAL. However, this is how I understand it:
Once something is written down, the writer automatically gains copyright on it. I imagine emailing would have the same effect. You would then need that person's permission to use that, or create a derivitive work of it - ie, putting it in your own words. This could be as simple as the person including the phrase 'I give you permission to modify this as you see fit and include it in your collection.' in the email (but IANAL, so don't trust me on exactly what they need to say.
Furthermore, there's the issue of where the person who tells you the story got it from. Maybe it's a legend that's been around for a long time, and is in the public domain. No problem. You can have copyright on your retelling/compilation of the story. But, what if the person subconsciously got the idea from a Steven King novel? Or from a professionaly storyteller?
You might run into problems if you published said story, even if you didn't know someone else had a copyright on it.
As much as I hate to say it, you might need to retain the services of a copyright lawyer, just to answer some questions and make sure you cover yourself properly.
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