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This Week in Personal History... August 1
This week’s collection of personal history links includes meaningful first-person storytelling, tips for family historians, & a fun Finding Your Roots TV teaser.
“Be the silence that listens.”
—Tara Broch
This week’s collection of links includes some meaningful first-person storytelling, tips for family historians, and a fun TV teaser—enjoy, memory-keepers!
Roundup of Personal History Links - August 1, 2017
In the News
A LIFE IN THEATER
“I was compelled by the idea of a grieving daughter going through her father’s boxed up treasures in the theater that made his name,” writes Michael Paulson in the NYT. What James Houghton left behind: keepsakes from a life in theater.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Interested in family history? Then, like me, you're probably a fan of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s Finding Your Roots. The series returns on October 3, and here’s a sneak peek at some of the guests.
On the Blogs
VIETNAM-ERA ACCOUNT
“I would soon realize arriving in the middle of the night in a strange place was the Air Force’s first step in ripping us away from the civilian life we had left,” writes Doug Elwell in “Falling Through the Rabbit Hole.”
Personal historian Sarah White, who conducts life-writing workshops through her Madison, Wisconsin–based First Person Productions, is always looking for creative nonfiction contributions like this one.
THE PHOTO LEGACY YOU LEAVE YOUR KIDS
Prepare your family photos so they provide comfort—not a burden—to your children when you're gone. It’s one of the most meaningful legacies you can leave your kids.
CHEERS!
The story of how wine glasses made Katelyn Burns, a trans woman, feel more connected to three generations of women in her family than ever before. A powerful true story of identity, belonging, and names.
Worth Checking Out
For newbies to the world of personal history, this thorough and easy-to-follow toolkit is a step-by-step guide to doing a successful oral history project. It's a great resource for anyone wanting to preserve an individual’s unique memories & life stories. Thanks to @FionaCosson for sharing!
#MemoriesMatter #Legacy #LifeStories #Memoir
This Week in Personal History... July 25
Our collection of links for the week of July 25, 2017, runs the gamut from frivolous (Meryl Streep’s hair) to significant (the value of storytelling to bridge divides).
“Your legacy is every life you’ve touched.”
—Oprah WInfrey
This week’s collection of links runs the gamut from frivolous (think Meryl Streep’s hair) to the significant (the value of personal storytelling to bridge divides). Which story lingers with you after reading? Please comment and share with other memory-keepers and storytellers!
Roundup of Personal History Blogs - July 25, 2017
In the News
“The dead help the living face what lies ahead. In exchange, the living must translate the lives of the dead into history. They can find myriad ways to do so, from visiting gravesites to writing someone’s biography.” An interesting look back at the phenomenon of postmortem photographs in The Atlantic.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STORYTELLING IS BRIDGING DIVIDES:
Storytelling evenings aim to engage Muslim & Jewish communities in conversation at a time when the climate is strained. “The ability to have conversations across difference has never been more difficult and never been more important.”
In Beirut, where the tradition of public storytelling has faded in recent decades, a new phenomenon is drawing crowds: autobiographical storytelling events where participants share their experiences on a theme such as love, transition, or roots.
On the Blogs
ANNUAL TIME CAPSULE
Birthday letters are an easy way to keep a consistent & meaningful record of your life, writes Olive Lowe of Phoenix-based Life Stories by Liv.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Family names can reveal more than just family history—they can be indicative of social & cultural influences, and sometimes plain old taste. Australia-based personal historian Rose Osborne takes a light look at the women in her family.
MEMORIES IN CONTEXT
For Richmond, Virginia–based Carol McLaren, July 20, 1969, is a date with both personal & historical significance. Read about her memorable childhood experience that just happened to coincide with “a giant leap for mankind.”
Worth Checking Out
Spotted: Meryl Streep donning a teased-up mouse-brown wig to better resemble Katharine “Kay” Graham, who she’s portraying in a Spielberg-led biopic. It’s based on The Washington Post publisher’s Pulitzer Prize winning 1998 memoir, Personal History, which I highly recommend you read (whether you plan to see the film or not)! Get a taste of the book in Nora Ephron’s original New York Times review from 1997.
“Your legacy is every life you’ve touched,” said Oprah Winfrey in her 2017 commencement speech at Agnes Scott College. View highlights in this brief video.
Quick Takes
#MemoriesMatter #Legacy #LifeStories #Memoir
This Week in Personal History... July 18
Unexpected stories, digital photo storage, & pop culture offerings that tap into the value of oral history make the cut in this blog roundup for July 18, 2017.
“One lives in the hope of becoming a memory.”
―Antonio Porchia (Italian poet)
This week's posts examine how everyday conversations with folks we already know can yield unexpected and rich stories; outline the best options for saving your precious family photos in the cloud; and highlight a few pop culture offerings that tap into the genuine value of oral history and memory-keeping.
Roundup of Personal History Blogs - July 18, 2017
In the News
“I wanted to show the quiet, normal moments of this family of African-American women: our everyday life, our happy moments, our down moments. ‘Mitochondria’ is a family album, a visual diary of our intimate lives.” Check out this rich gallery of family photographs, telling stories from the life of artist Nona Faustine.
On the Blogs
WHAT PROMPTS STORY SHARING?
There are many techniques to get people started sharing their stories. Yet sometimes, life presents an opportunity to listen that is “out of the box.” Read Just a Whistle by Marjorie Turner Hollman for a glimpse of just such an opportunity.
“SO, I ASKED A QUESTION...”
Even if you have known someone for years, you never really know their whole story. Timing is everything for learning more about the people you love and admire, as Lori Gillespie discovered.
VIRTUAL PHOTO STORAGE
Photographs play an important role in preserving family stories. Where are you keeping yours? So many cloud-based photo storage options are available today that picking one can be a daunting task—here's guidance from the experts at Nevada-based Legacy Tale.
Worth Checking Out
“This is the first time that the two of us have ever spoken about her as a mother,” Prince Harry said of Princess Diana as he flipped through a family photo album. “She was our mum. She still is our mum.” While they are royals whose stories captivate people all over the world, these two sons privately cherish their personal history & memories, as revealed in a documentary premiering July 24 on HBO.
Please leave comments about any of the topics featured here (they’re nothing if not conversation starters, I hope!) and share with other like-minded memory-keepers. And if you're a blogger with content you'd like to see featured here, of course click the link and share what you’ve got!
What Are You Reading?
Let me know what you've read that the rest of us might enjoy—memoirs, how-to or business books, even articles.
#MemoriesMatter #Legacy #LifeStories #Memoir
This Week in Personal History... July 11
The weekly roundup of blogs for July 11, 2017 includes posts on family reunions, legacy letters, & stories of mom, curated by Dawn Roode for all memory-keepers.
“Every man's memory is his private literature.”
― Aldous Huxley
Welcome back, memory-keepers! I hope you had a festive and safe Fourth of July week, and that (if you must) you're easing back into the work week with a smile on your face ; )
This week we take a dive into family reunions, legacy letters, and stories of mom.
Please leave comments about any of the topics featured here (they’re nothing if not conversation starters, I hope!) and share with other like-minded memory-keepers. And if you're a blogger with content you'd like to see featured here, of course click the link and share what you’ve got!
Roundup of Personal History Blogs - July 11, 2017
In the News
“Aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, children and grandchildren—everyone who grieves my Opa has different memories, different recollections of him. Standing by that photo album, I realized we were putting our memories & knowledge & stories together like a puzzle to see a larger picture of the man we’d lost.” Read more in Love by the Puzzle Pieces.
“People almost always tend to gravitate to very personal, impactful stories in their lives. So if you say, ‘Tell us something that's really important to you,’ most people tell something that makes them tear up at a certain point.” Read about an interesting community oral history endeavor in Southern Colorado.
On the Blogs
LEGACY LETTERS
Legacy writing can be both healing and historical, and can make a lasting difference to your family & friends. Here are 5 tips on how to write a ‘love’ letter to your family from Sarah Hamer.
FAMILY REUNION FUN
“On the eve of the reunion a few of the cousins gathered at my parents’ house to celebrate my father’s 85th birthday and started sharing stories,” writes Bruce Summers of Summoose Tales, whose post focuses on how he integrated “adult Show & Tell” at his latest family reunion.
Check out the inspiration behind Bruce's story-sharing device and find a Show & Tales event near you (from personal experience, I can attest you won't be disappointed!).
IN SEARCH OF...
Meghan Vigeant of Stories to Tell is seeking women to interview about their experiences gathering their own mother’s stories. Have you interviewed or recorded your mother telling her stories, delved through her journals, or interviewed other family members about your mom? If so, reach out to Meghan—who knows where the conversation will lead?!
Worth Checking Out
One of the best ways to get to the heart of someone's story is to ask them great questions.
Even oral historians who have conducted countless interviews still hone their craft. A new (rather meta) podcast, The Turnaround with Jesse Thorn, turns the tables on interviewers, making them the interviewees. The first episode with Ira Glass was a delight.
Radio Rookies, produced by WNYC, has compiled resources to help students conduct better interviews—but I would say these links (which include advice on how to record interviews, how to choose a topic, and a handy question generator) are great tools for anyone wanting to interview their own family members to capture stories for posterity.
What Are You Reading?
Let me know what you've read that the rest of us might enjoy—memoirs, how-to or business books, even articles.
#MemoriesMatter #Legacy #LifeStories #Memoir
This Week in Personal History... June 27, 2017
Weekly roundup of blogs & news stories of interest to personal historians, memory keepers, and life storytellers curated by Dawn Roode. Comment, share, contribute!
“Live, love, laugh, leave a legacy.” –Stephen R. Covey
If you’re visiting this site, it means you’re a memory-keeper, a storyteller, the family archivist. However you identify yourself, I am fairly certain you’d agree that preserving our most meaningful stories for the next generation is paramount.
Welcome to the first in what promises to be a weekly roundup of stories geared just for you!
Personal history is a vital industry that includes oral historian bookmakers like myself, videographers, ghostwriters, genealogists, biographers…and many more; we are united by a shared mission of preservation & story gathering. This site has plenty of advice and book ideas & inspiration, and we’d love to work with you to create a coffee table book bringing your stories to life. But we can also refer you to personal historians with services more closely geared to what you’re looking for, or who are closer to your home—many of them whose blogs are featured in this roundup.
Please leave comments about any of the topics featured here (they’re nothing if not conversation starters, I hope!) and share with other like-minded memory-keepers. And if you're a blogger with content you'd like to see featured here, of course click the link and share what you’ve got!
Roundup of Personal History Blogs - June 27, 2017
In the News
Explore 22k immigration photos & read the accompanying personal stories from the @naagovau's collection on the revamped “Destination: Australia” site
Did you know your home movies may be unwatchable soon?
“Why You Need to Stop Procrastinating and Transfer Your VHS Tapes to Digital ASAP”
“Videotapes Are Becoming Unwatchable As Archivists Work To Save Them”
Some insightful writing & glorious photos documenting lesbians from all walks of life, from perhaps a surprising source: “American Women: Pride”
On the Blogs
“Turn, Turn, Turn” by Verissima Productions' Pam Pacelli Cooper on the nature of change, and her company's next big documentary endeavor (can't wait to learn more!).
“Stories Are Everything” by Dawn Roode of Modern Heirloom Books: Why Soledad O'Brien and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. value stories so much.
“In the Beginning, or How We Created Something from Nothing,” a conversation between personal historians and partners Samantha Shubert and Susan Hood on the occasion of the first anniversary of their business, Remarkable Life Memoirs: “There’s such a market for preserving people's stories that I feel really positive about how it’s going to go for us.” So do we, so do we! Happy first anniversary, ladies ; )
What Are You Reading?
Let me know what you've read that the rest of us might enjoy—memoirs, how-to or business books, even articles.
#MemoriesMatter #Legacy #LifeStories
#Legacy Links: June 10 - Photographs, Memory, and Life Lessons
This week's top 4 legacy links all focus in some way on the enduring power of photography—the power to connect us with the past, to inspire, and my favorite, to reveal stories and truths.
Our top 4 #legacy links for the week ending Friday, June 10, 2016
1 - Families photographed with images of their descendants make a powerful connection to past.
A photography exhibit, on view until tomorrow at El Tejar del Mellizo community center in Seville, Spain, presents photographs of the living descendants of those who lost their lives during the Spanish Civil War. Organized by the Our Memory Association, “DNA of Memory—Graves from the Franco Regime” features photographs by more than 30 Spanish artists. The images capture descendants carrying photographs of relatives killed at the beginning of the Civil War, and they are more provocative and moving than I could have imagined. If you don't happen to be in Seville tomorrow (!!), I urge you to click on the photo below to view the various photographs on HuffPo.
In a photo from the "DNA of Memory" exhibit, Narvaez Hernandez holds up photos of his parents, Enrique Narvaez Borrego and Concepcion Hernandez Garcia, who both died in Marchena, Seville, when Hernandez was 3 years old. Photo by Javier Diaz, courtesy Our Memory Association
2 - How a personal quest to find family resemblances turned into something more.
This one's not new, but somehow I missed it when it made the viral rounds last year. See what fellow personal historian Rachael Rifkin discovers when she undertakes a unique experiment to recreate eight photos of her relatives. Her musings on the nature of descendancy are as enticing as her photo recreations.
According to a family tree, Rifkin's cousin Ibolia, left, died at Auschwitz in 1944. Rifkin estimates this picture is from sometime in the 1930s. Image courtesy Life Stories Today
3 - One decade, one family, one photographer: This is a photo book I am looking forward to.
Thanks, Family Search, for bringing this one to our attention. Photographer Thomas Holton's book The Lams of Ludlow Street \, which chronicles one family through 13 years' worth of photographs, will be published next month.
"As Mr. Holton got to know the family, the project became more personal. He would pick up the children from school. He visited the Lams’ relatives in Hong Kong and China. When he married, Cindy was his flower girl,"
writes Annie Correal in the New York Times article. Make sure to click through the accompanying slideshow!
4 - What happens when a suitcase of photos sends her on the storytelling adventure of a lifetime.
In the vein of "Finding Vivian Maier," a North Carolina woman hit the found photos jackpot when she discovered a suitcase full of one man's life effects, including photos, letters, and other ephemera—and then began a journey of discovery as she sought to uncover the stories his things revealed. Her site is wonder to behold.
Read an introduction to her photographic treasure hunt on the ever-interesting Save Family Photos:
"Handling these seemingly random artifacts serves as a constant reminder that the sometimes cryptic, occasionally awkward, and often amusing snippets of the past were once as alive and vital to their creators as my own emails, journals and vacation photos are to me."
#Legacy Links: June 3
This week's roundup includes #legacy links from fellow members of the Association of Personal Historians and other pro storytellers: Click for a short “flash memoir,” a moving commencement speech video, a powerful 3-word sentence, and reactions to the remake of the classic “Roots” miniseries.
This week’s roundup includes links from fellow members of the Association of Personal Historians and other professional storytellers.
Our top 4 #legacy links for the week ending Friday, June 3, 2016
1 - Read this “flash memoir” for a quick dose of inspiration.
I have written about life vignettes: scenes from a life and other short biographical stories that distill memories and provide a glimpse into an individual's life. Sarah White of Stories Well Told goes a step further and delves into what she calls “flash memoir”:
brief essays that capture a small moment of time, but invite contemplation. They work in a “flash,” like a lightning bolt that suddenly illuminates a landscape.
Read contributor Kay Frazier's flash memoir, “Balloons Are for Kids” for a quick dose of inspiration.
2 - There's always one commencement speech from graduation season that resonates far and wide.
Pam Pacelli Cooper, president of Verissima Productions, shares a 2016 Colgate University commencement address from Dr. Omid Safi of Duke University, in which he eloquently—and with great humor and warmth—speaks about the many definitions of success, love, and justice. “Welcome into the circle of compassion,” he tells the graduates. And he leaves them, and us, with much to ponder—including, as Pacelli Cooper does, about the vital role memories of hardship and pain play in our own legacies.
If you are short on time, fast-forward to the 36-minute mark, when Dr. Safi is introduced.
3 - There’s power in a 3-word sentence.
Sometimes people just need a little reminder, and storyteller Nikki Groom delivers:
4 - Did the epic “Roots” remake retain its original potency?
I have DVR'd the series, and the blockbuster remake is still available for streaming. Journalist David Zurawik offers his take in the Baltimore Sun, and opines that
perhaps the greatest storytelling triumph of “Roots” is that Haley wrapped all of it, from the inverted captivity narrative to the Kunta Kinte hero quest, in the structure of a family saga. “Roots” is essentially a cosmic version of the kinds of stories told at family gatherings about those who came before us...
I'd love to hear your take on the remake: Was the more graphic violence redeemed by the storytelling? Did the miniseries have a strong impact on you?
#legacy #FamilyLegacy #FamilyHistory #LifeStories #storytelling #writing #custombooks #OralHistory #design #genealogy #MemoriesMatter #LegacyLinks
5-Bullet Friday Legacy Edition: May 27
We’re launching 5-Bullet Friday Legacy Edition here on the blog, in which we compile five of our favorite articles, tweets, Instagram posts, or other shares from around the web on topics near and dear to our mission:
#legacy #FamilyLegacy #FamilyHistory #LifeStories #storytelling #writing #custombooks #OralHistory #design #genealogy #MemoriesMatter
I’m a huge Tim Ferriss fan, and his 5-Bullet Friday emails are one of the only newsletters to which I subscribe that I actually open every single time they land in my inbox. They’re brief, substantive, and interesting.
In homage to Tim’s format (and fun alliterative name), we’re launching 5-Bullet Friday Legacy Edition here on the blog, in which we compile five of our favorite articles, tweets, Instagram posts, or other shares from around the web on topics near and dear to our mission:
#legacy #FamilyLegacy #FamilyHistory #LifeStories #storytelling #writing #custombooks #OralHistory #design #genealogy #MemoriesMatter
Our top 5 #legacy links for the week ending Friday, May 27, 2016
1 - Ahh, the good old days!
Our elementary school years are rife with memories. Jennifer at Red Barn Memories shared this retro graphic on Instagram, and her blog offers quick questions to ask your loved ones about their early school years to help get their stories on record:
2 - From diaries to collages on poster board, from Snapchat to Instagram, teenagers are adept at proclaiming their interests in graphic storytelling fashion. Two recent examples that resonate for me:
- Actress Chloe Sevigny’s contribution to a magazine called “FanPages” was a collage she made in fifth grade—and, oh how familiar it looks to what hung on my own walls (if ONLY I had saved them!).
Chloe Sevigny's pinboard, courtesy “FanPages”
- And actress, feminist, and writer Lena Dunham published a limited-run book with all benefits going to Girls Write Now, an organization I support. The concept? Excerpts from her journals written during 2005-2006—when she was a vulnerable and open 19-year-old.
3 - Before you throw away your child's artwork...
Scanning or photographing kids’ artwork is a wonderful way to preserve some of the color and whimsy of their childhood. Here’s a little sketch my 6-year-old son did in between activities at school this week:
"Ladybug Dreaming," pencil and crayon on paper, by Vittorio, age 6
4 - Oral histories connect us to our cultures and identities.
Jane Jun, a student at the University of Chicago, shares some of her own personal history, and the realizations it brought her to.
"Perhaps this type of knowledge, transmitted from one mouth to another, preserves a certain kind of magic that ought not be lost, offering a real and intimate form of learning intricately tied to culture and identity. I wonder what sorts of discoveries we, as students, can also gain from examining our own family histories, and the kinds of thought-provoking and extraordinary stories we can unearth about how we came to be where we are today."
Illustration by Meera Joshi, courtesy The Chicago Maroon
5 - Is this the app you need to quickly scan all those dusty photo albums?
Tech I’m testing now: Unfade. This app looks to be a great way for the average family memory-keeper to turn shoeboxes of photos into lasting digital files, especially handy for when convenience and ease of use trump having full control over the digitization process.
Have you tried this photo scanning app yet? Thoughts?
My first “scan” took all of two seconds, and I gotta say I do like the simplicity, color quality, and auto-cropping! Full review to come.
