Memories Matter
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“Little gifts keep coming”
Once you invite people to share memories about your lost loved one, you’ll hear familiar stories—but there will be some new gems, too, and those are gifts.
“Little gifts keep coming,” she said to me in awe. “Stories I never heard before about him.”
My client lost her beloved twenty-something son the previous year and is undertaking to create a tribute book in his honor. During our first consultation I helped her write a letter to her family members and her son’s friends inviting them to contribute stories about him—what they loved, moments that reveal his character, favorite memories.
Often I work with clients to create a tribute book over the course of two to three months with a deadline to have books in time for a celebration of life, memorial service, or other rite honoring their lost loved one. This time, though, my client wants to take her time: The journey of receiving and lingering over the tributes about her son is as important to her as the book she hopes to pass on to her grandchildren.
So, a few months had passed between our initial consultation and this follow-up call. She was surprised by people’s willingness to share their memories (I was not). She was grateful for the fact that friends shared not just platitudes and descriptive adjectives, but stories—real stories!—about her son (I was too). And she was not prepared for some of the things she was discovering; they weren’t shocking, but rather intimate…evoking a visceral response. “For now, I am putting all that in a box.” Did she mean metaphorically, I wondered? “Well, I have a physical box, but yes, metaphorically, too—my grief is so strong that there are some things I just can’t handle right now.”
This one short interaction with my client revealed a few truths that I have witnessed over and over again during my years creating books to memorialize our lost loved ones.
Stories are gifts.
All family stories are gifts, but they are priceless gifts when the story is about someone who has passed away. So if you know someone who is grieving—even if it is years past their loved one’s death—share that story; you know, the one that keeps coming up when you think about the deceased, the one that makes you smile or laugh. Write them a quick note (it needn’t be long to be meaningful!) or pick up the phone for a quick chat (even if you haven’t spoken to them in ages). You’ll be giving a gift that’s easy to give, and that will be received with gratitude and awe.
People WANT to share their memories, so don’t be shy about asking.
If you are putting together any kind of tribute to honor a lost loved one, whether it is a memorial slide show, a book of memories, or a compilation video with words of condolences, don’t hesitate to ask people to participate. If you loved the person who has passed, so too did others. Have you ever had the experience of attending a wake or shiva and finding yourself amazed at the animated conversation and the memories swirling around the room? It’s ingrained in us to celebrate our loved ones when they are gone, and most people will be more than willing to share their stories in writing.
Don’t endeavor to create a tribute book immediately after a loved one has passed.
There is a heaviness to grief. And while grief has its own timeline and rarely goes away entirely, those early days of loss are not, in my experience, the best time to begin a project. Don’t get me wrong, I have worked with (and will certainly again work with) folks who urgently want to memorialize their loved one in the wake of a death. But the process can be much more healing and rewarding when a few months have passed. When a loss is fresh enough that the deceased is constantly on your mind, but not so fresh that you can’t laugh and sit with your joyful memories of them; when that loss is recent enough that even distant relatives and work friends won’t be surprised by your request for stories, but not so recent that you can’t focus on managing a project of this nature…that’s when I recommend beginning a tribute effort.
Life Story Links: January 9, 2024
Our first curated roundup of 2024 is overflowing with recent stories of interest to life story and memoir writers, family history lovers, and memory-keepers.
“We are all virtuoso novelists…[who] try to make all of our material cohere into a single good story. And that story is our autobiography. The chief fictional character at the centre of that autobiography is one’s self.”
―Daniel Dennett
Vintage postcard celebrating the new year (“Bonne Année”) courtesy The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Spaces, stuff, and story
IMAGINED IMAGES
“For Maria Mavropoulou, growing up without a family archive interrupted her sense of belonging, leaving her with the haunting sensation that something was always missing. Rather than accept this lack, she turned to AI to fill in the gaps.”
“DECORATING IS AUTOBIOGRAPHY”
“How do you memorialize the people you loved and lost? Object by object, the CNN anchor is finding out,” reads the intro to this peek inside Anderson Cooper’s home—and how he decides what to keep and, by extension, what to remember.
PACK YOUR MEMORIES
“Reminding people that sentimental belongings—whether a photograph, a figurine, or an item of clothing—matter too could be a small stride toward helping them recover emotionally after a disaster.” Why we should think about adding a meaningful supplement to our disaster kit.
THE DETRITUS OF DAILY DOINGS
“As the blank dates of a new year accrue the granular minutia of our day-to-day stuff, week after week, month after month, the datebook morphs into a retrospective collage that’s as messy as life itself.” A writer on the stories held within her decades’ worth of personal datebooks.
Memoir behind-the-scenes
WHEN SOMEONE ELSE’S STORY RESONATES
“When I write, I’m carrying so much care inside of me. I’m not writing to feel more alone, I’m writing to connect further to all the people who have loved me.”
REVISIONS AND REFLECTIONS
The September 11 tragedy was a major inspiration for Catherine Underhill Fitzpatrick’s memoir. When beta readers and her editor asked her to go deeper into how that time impacted her life, she listened.
A WOMEN’S HISTORY
Emma Southon says her book A Rome of One’s Own “is a history of individuals, because, to quote Svetlana Alexievich, ‘this miniature expanse: one person, the individual. It’s where everything really happens.’”
JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY
“The most compelling stories involve a teller amid discovery. Discovery of self. Discovery of new ideas. Discovery of community.” This lesson from The Moth Storytelling School focuses on how discovery plays a role in crafting a story.
Finding yourself in a family history
WHOSE SCRIPT ARE YOU IN?
From movies to novels to our own family history, “as we access the character in that story, we access ourselves in our own stories.” From Psychology Today, thoughts on the healing power of storytelling.
A QUESTION OF LEGACY
“Some of my ancestors had money, and some held awful beliefs. I set out to investigate what I once stood to inherit,” David Owen writes in this piece exploring varied stories from his extensive family history.
FROM WRITER TO CURATOR
“My interest in my grandmother's story has always been about being curious how our own stories change as life unfolds. This moment in history could not be a better example of that,” Rachael Cerrotti said about adapting her book, We Share the Same Sky, for an exhibit currently on view at the Florida Holocaust Museum.
...and a few more links
A look at Liz Cheney’s memoir, which skyrocketed to the top of the bestseller list upon release.
Former Boston Herald reporter to write the life of Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Invite your loved ones into your family history research at your next get-together.
“Mandela: The Official Exhibition” chronicles the leader’s personal journey with unseen items.
Short takes
Life Story Links: December 12, 2023
Personal historian Dawn Roode’s biweekly curated roundup includes stories of interest to memoir writers and readers, family history fans, and life story lovers.
“It’s significant that whenever we think about people saving letters, we think of them tied up with a ribbon.”
—Brittany Snow & Jasper Guest, September Letters: Finding Strength and Connection in Sharing Our Stories
Vintage poster promoting winter tourism in New York, with original illustration by Jack Rivolta, produced by the Work Projects Administration; image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Digital Collection. The posters were designed to publicize exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs in seventeen states and the District of Columbia between 1936 to 1943.
Memories, memoir and unique histories
“HOW DOES IT WORK?”
After launching an annual subscription of Write Your Life memory prompts, I got some questions about how the program works—so I compiled a list of answers.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A PERSON
“The beauty of memoir is its resistance to confinement: We contain multitudes, so our methods of introspection must, too. This year’s best memoirs perfectly showcase such variety.”
ETHICS, CONSENT, AND TELLING FAMILY STORIES
When weaving first person narrative into a reported piece, award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior says to “take nothing for granted and fact-check your own memory. We are really unreliable narrators.... You want to tape record conversations with your mother, for instance, and rely heavily on archival material when there is material.”
USING SKELETAL REMAINS TO TELL STORIES
“Archaeologists from the University of Cambridge have compiled a series of ‘bone biographies’ that shed new light on residents of medieval Cambridge. The project’s website, called After the Plague, chronicles the lives of 16 ordinary individuals who lived between the 11th and 15th centuries.”
OUR STORIES CHANGE IN THE RETELLING
“The way I talk about an event to my mother is not the same as how I talk about it to a friend, for example. Writing this book was a little frightening, in that it felt like now this would be the definitive version,” memoirist Jami Nakamura Lin says in an interview.
Short takes
All your Write Your Life questions answered
Wondering if 52 weeks of memory prompts will help YOU write about your life at last? Here, answers to the most commonly asked questions about Write Your Life.
Are you wondering if our 52 weeks of memory prompts are the right choice to help you or a family member write about your life at last? Read on for answers to all your questions.
Recently I announced the launch of an annual email subscription of memory and writing prompts called Write Your Life. I have been humbled by your interest, and have learned a lot from the questions people have been asking me via email and Instagram DM. As a result, I have created a FAQ page all about Write Your Life, and have expanded that here to include two more questions I received just yesterday.
If you’ve still got questions, please leave them in the comments and I will respond asap!
Frequently asked questions about the Write Your Life annual subscription
Are the writing prompts in Write Your Life difficult?
No! The prompts in this subscription are carefully curated so they spark memories in a fun way. They are open-ended, which means that every person can interpret them in their own unique fashion; it also means that one prompt might spark so many memories that it inspires multiple stories over many days of writing. We have included tips from writing experts to make the process as smooth as possible for you, but we encourage you to write the way you talk. It’s all about capturing your memories, not writing a bestseller.
How much does Write Your Life cost?
A one year subscription (52 weeks of curated prompts) costs $132, with an introductory rate of just $99 through the end of 2023. Subscribe to our newsletter to be alerted to occasional discount codes or sales.
Do I do my writing online/via email?
No, to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible, YOU choose how you record your stories. There is no app or other software needed for Write Your Life.
Many people handwrite their stories. We recommend a journal dedicated just for this purpose or a loose-leaf binder where you can arrange things to your liking and easily edit.
Other people type their stories on a computer (our fingers can usually work a keyboard faster than we can write). In this case, I recommend creating one document that you update each time you write (don’t forget to back it up to the cloud or to an external hard drive so you don’t lose your precious memories!).
And for some, who don’t prefer to write at all, speaking their stories into a voice recorder (such as the one on most smart phones) is the most convenient option; those digital recordings can be easily shared with loved ones via email, and transcribed with AI software so you ultimately have a written version of your memories, too.
How long will the writing take each week?
As little or as long as you like. Participants may choose to write brief answers that aim to succinctly share your memories, in which case you may spend as little as 45 minutes on a single prompt and create something of value. Or you may wish to luxuriate in the process, spending an intentional hour on the “remembering” portion of the prompts, for example, then writing a little each day, revising and editing to create a polished family history story by the end of the week. Some questions may resonate more than others, too, so one week’s prompt may take longer to write about than another.
What if I can’t stay on schedule?
While we send you a prompt every week, we understand that life can get in the way of even the best intentions—vacations, work, family engagements, even laziness can interrupt your flow. Don’t stress. Simply print out the prompts you have missed—there’s a beautifully designed page to download in every email for this very purpose—and return to it later, when you have more time. The goal is to regularly capture your memories, not to militantly keep to an arbitrary schedule. The best time to start is now, and the best time to finish is…when you can!
Can I pause my subscription at any time?
Unfortunately, we do not currently have that capability. See above on what to do if you fall behind.
Do I have to read the free e-book that accompanies my subscription?
Of course not. You can skip the book and hit the ground running as soon as your first prompt arrives. The e-book, which is delivered two days after your subscription begins, has some helpful tips on how to prepare for your life writing journey, how to sound authentic on the page, and more. It’s 26 pages of goodness, but it’s not required reading!
What types of themes will be covered in my Write Your Life subscription?
Most themes last a few weeks, with prompts within each theme to inspire your writing. Over the course of the year, themes will include: Childhood; Food; Identity; Life Transitions; Fun & Favorites; Lessons, Values & Legacy; plus a handful of creative themes to wrap things up.
I’m buying Write Your Life now as a gift for someone else. How do I make sure the emails don’t start coming to them right away?
If you know when you would like the emails to start (the week after someone’s birthday, for example), then you can specify that date in the form when you make your purchase; their subscription will begin on the date you specify. If you are not sure, then I would recommend buying a gift certificate and letting your recipient sign up when they are ready to begin.
Will I get a printed book at the end of the year?
Unlike some other services out there, Write Your Life does not create a book from your writing. There are two key reasons for this:
The quality of those books is not really great, and the business model those huge companies have is not sustainable for a small business such as Modern Heirloom Books.
I want you to focus on really getting your memories down—being thoughtful about your answers, and enjoying the journey of remembering. Your family members won’t care about the format, they’ll be thrilled that your stories were recorded at all!
I will give you ideas for creating a book or other keepsake at the end of your writing, I promise. And if you’re not the DIY type but want your stories and photos designed in an heirloom book, you might consider hiring us to design your book…but that’s not for everyone, and it’s NOT necessary!
How else does Write Your Life differ from StoryWorth and those other services?
Those services provide family history questions that are valuable and interesting, certainly (I provide FREE guides with many such questions, too). The prompts in Write Your Life are different—they are open-ended memory prompts designed to get you thinking, and to find meaning in your experiences. Each email will include specific sparks to help jog your memory, and writing tips to make the process seamless. All the guidance is based on my decades of experience as a personal historian, interviewer, writer, and editor—distilled so you can make the most of your time.
How do I subscribe?
WHAT if I have more questions?
Pop your question in the comments field below and I will reply when I can!
Life Story Links: November 28, 2023
This week's curated roundup is small but mighty, with reflections and advice from personal historians and a look at recent celebrity memoirs of note.
“I hope you will go out and let stories, that is life, happen to you, and that you will work with these stories from your life—not someone else’s life—water them with your blood and tears and your laughter till they bloom, till you yourself burst into bloom. That is the work. The only work.”
―Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves
Vintage poster produced by the Work Projects Administration; image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Digital Collection. The posters were designed to publicize exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs in seventeen states and the District of Columbia between 1936 to 1943.
From personal historians…
WHO WAS SHE, REALLY?
Personal historian Marjorie Turner Hollman’s interest in her great-great grandmother—sparked by caches of letters and a crazy quilt in her family’s possession—“turned into a 30+ year quest to piece together the context and events that surrounded a remarkable woman we never really knew.”
THE REVELATORY SURPRISE OF LIFE WRITING
“You may think you are writing about your life for your family—to honor your ancestors, to give a gift to your descendants. But the truth is deeper. You’ll see.”
SOUND MATTERS
Filmmaker Debbie Mintz Brodsky provides tips for turning an audio recording of a family history interview into a compelling video using photos and videos to bring the stories to life.
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
Yesterday I launched a new offering on my website, a year of memory and writing prompts called Write Your Life, and announced an introductory rate on the blog. This has been a labor of love for me and I am excited to finally share!
HONORING MEMENTOS LIKE A MINIMALIST
“I’ve personally helped hundreds of clients whittle down their mementos and treasures into a handful of airtight waterproof bins, which is certainly an improvement, but also kind of a sad end goal.”
A GRANDSON’S INTEREST
“On her piano, between images of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, is a small cutout photograph of her older sister, Irena, who disappeared eighty years ago. Why hadn’t I ever asked her who that was?” In the film Nina & Irena, a Holocaust survivor breaks her silence after 80 years.(This companion resource facilitates discussions at home or in the classroom.)
…to public figures
CO-OPTING THEIR NARRATIVES
“The [celebrity] memoir offers more than salacious gossip and a jumpstart to waning careers: an opportunity for women defined by their images to finally speak.”
WHO, WHAT, WHERE?
Barbra Streisand’s new memoir—clocking in at a hefty 966 pages—doesn’t have an index (so no skipping to the juicy parts!). That is, until now: Uber-fan Andrew Hopf created an admirably thorough index himself.
...and a few more links
“Why You Maybe Shouldn’t Write a Memoir,” in which the author proceeds to poo-poo “I-talk”
Kindred Tales launches AI transcription services to assist with creation of keepsake memoirs
The Moth and Uncommon Goods have partnered on a few storytelling gift items.
Charles Scribner III on three generations in the book business
Short takes
A year’s worth of memory prompts to help you write your life
Every week you’ll get themed prompts to stir your memories, tips to write your stories with ease, and more! A unique gift for your loved one (or yourself)!
Have you decided you want to subscribe? Click here to purchase our annual Write Your Life email subscription for just $99!
I am thrilled to announce that my Write Your Life annual subscription is now live and available to purchase at an introductory discounted rate!
For years I have offered curated family history questions for free (and that hasn’t changed!). These free guides offer up questions that can be used to conduct family history interviews with loved ones OR as memory prompts to guide your personal writing. If you aren’t yet familiar, I am referring to:
I’ve also got a unique guide designed especially to empower kids to interview their grandparents, one of my favorite resources to date, for just $5.
These free (and almost-free 😉) resources offer a wealth of ideas for anyone interested in preserving their stories—so why would I create something new and expect people to pay for it? While I am committed to sharing complimentary DIY tips and ideas for legacy preservation, I wanted to provide something a little more robust: something giftable (!!), approachable yet chock-full of value, and easy yet rich with potential.
What a Write Your Life subscription offers
The Write Your Life annual subscription offers a full year of weekly emails for anyone who wants to write about their life (even if the longest thing you’ve ever written is your signature!).
There are a gazillion courses to learn the nuts and bolts of memoir writing. This is not one of them. Here the participant will dive right in—to finding their memories and writing their stories.
Every week you (or your gift recipient) will get:
prompts to spark memories in a specific theme
specific (enjoyable!) writing assignments
concrete tips to improve writing and stay on track
…and a dose of inspiration.
PLUS, a bonus printable sheet so you can revisit your prompts any time.
The annual subscription—normally $132, but on sale now for $99—kicks off with six weeks of Childhood Memories prompts, followed by prompts for Food Memories; the third theme explores Life Transitions. From there you will move into themes including Identity; Fun & Favorites; Lessons, Values & Legacy; plus more creative themes to continue exploring your memories.
We’re talking 52 weeks of open-ended memory prompts!
How are Write Your Life prompts different from the free family history questions?
Here’s a quick rundown of how a paid annual Write Your Life subscription compares to the free family history guides on my site, so you can decide which might be right for you:
WRITE YOUR LIFE SUBSCRIPTION
✔ Subscription is tailored specifically to WRITING your memories, rather than family history interviews.
✔ Prompts are delivered weekly to your in-box, helping you maintain a regular memory-keeping practice.
✔ Prompts and questions are open-ended. (Open-ended writing prompts are both inspiring and able to be used multiple times—so if one theme really resonates for you, print your “assignment” and save it to use again!)
✔ Prompts are probing, encouraging you to go beyond surface memories to finding meaning.
✔ Each email includes a simple but relevant writing tip.
✔ Each email includes an inspirational quote on that week’s topic.
✔ Every prompt is beautifully designed as a printable page to add to your personal library.
FREE GUIDES
✔ Guide is tailored specifically to FAMILY HISTORY INTERVIEWS, rather than writing your memories.
✔ Questions are beautifully designed as a printable guide to add to your personal library.
✘ There are no weekly emails, so no accountability, and no help creating a regular memory-keeping practice.
✘ Prompts and questions are NOT open-ended.
✘ Prompts are straightforward rather than probing, encouraging fun memories but maybe not overly thoughtful responses.
✘ There are no writing tips or inspirational ideas to supplement prompts.
Why a Write Your Life subscription makes a thoughtful gift
What could be as meaningful as inviting someone you love to share their stories?! Buying a year’s worth of memory and writing prompts for a family member tells them you value their legacy. That you want to learn more about them. Hear their stories. Connect more deeply.
It’s a great gift idea for the person in your life who is challenging to buy for—but for whom you want to get something truly special.
It’s also a unique way to create something extraordinary for your loved ones—buy YOURSELF a subscription, write about your life, and share what you write with them!! (Don’t you wish someone had gifted you such a legacy?)
How to get your limited-time discounted rate
Through the end of the year I am offering the Write Your Life Annual Subscription for just $99 (regularly $129). There is no discount code needed, and no limit to how many you can buy (gift it to multiple family members, why don’t you?).
More memory-keeping gift ideas
Our recipe card set goes above and beyond capturing ingredients and cooking instructions for your family’s favorite foods. Open the cards to reveal space to record your memories of these foods!
Is it a recipe handed down through generations on your mom’s side? Was it your child’s go-to meal as a toddler? Does the smell remind you of Thanksgivings past, Nanna’s kitchen, or early memories in a special home?
Preserve your family recipes and all the precious stories they call forth.
This 20-page guide is chock-full of good things to help you get your kids involved in capturing stories from their grandparents!
Designed especially for kids ages 8 and up (and we mean way up—you’re never too old to embark on a conversation with your loved ones!), the e-book includes:
• 45 family history questions
• 3 fun bonus activities
• interview recording tips
• historical timeline
• ideas for what to do post-interview
Once you purchase, you will receive a link to download your Kid Kit.
“It was more for me than anyone else—what a surprise”
You may think you are writing about your life for your family—to honor your ancestors, to give a gift to your descendants. But the truth is deeper. You’ll see.
Have you ever considered that writing about your life might be as much a gift for yourself as for your family?
Last week I met with a client with whom I have worked for almost two years. She first came to me having endeavored to write her life story. After writing a few short chapters, she was having difficulty staying on track and writing in a way she hoped would be engaging for her grandchildren. I worked first as her memoir coach, then as her editor, and now we have seen her stories all the way through production—on that day last week, we were reviewing the final draft of her beautifully designed book one last time before sending it off to be printed.
The previous time we met, to go over her first draft proof, my client expressed doubts. She was feeling ambivalent about having told her story at all. Would her grandchildren ever care? Would her grown sons even want to read it? What if she offended someone? Was the effort narcissistic?
That wasn’t the first time I had heard her express reluctance around the telling of her stories. As her memoir coach I did more than provide writing assignments and feedback; I was also a sounding board for how she should frame her stories, yes, but also for the reservations that cropped up during the process. And you know what? I had been there before. So many of my clients experience this rollercoaster of emotions around writing their life.
Each time this client and I had a talk about the value—or perceived lack of value—around writing her stories, we would circle back to her initial goals: wanting to tell the stories of her life both to create a legacy around her parents’ fortitude and resilience during the Holocaust years and beyond (to honor her ancestors), and to provide touchstones for her grandchildren, who might one day find wisdom in her own lived experience (a gift to her descendants). She always resumed her writing with renewed vigor. She had tapped into both the gravity and the joy of writing about one’s life.
During this particular meeting, though, my client became aware of something I had known all along: That examining and writing about her life was as much a gift to herself as to her family. She smiled at me and grasped my hand across the table: “Do you know what?” she whispered. “All of this, it was more for me than anyone else.” I sat quietly, smiling at her revelation. “What a surprise that was for me!” she added.
And here’s the thing: I can repeat this over and over when talking to a prospective client; I can write about it till the cows come home, as they say. But no one really gets it (or believes me) when I tell them that writing about their life is a gift they can give to themselves. That it is healing. Revelatory. Fulfilling.
So together we focus on the other why’s—honoring those who came before, and sharing with those who come after. We create legacy and family history and write FOR our loved ones.
And then, almost always, a surprise…that the process was worthwhile even if it was just for THEM.
Related reading
Life Story Links: November 14, 2023
From biography and memoir recommendations to explorations of memory, truth, and family history, this week’s curated roundup has diverse and rich reads.
“We must acquiesce to our experience and our gift to transform experience into meaning. You tell me your story, I’ll tell you mine.”
—Patricia Hampl, I Could Tell You Stories
Vintage poster with original artwork by Alexander Dux promoting tourism, June 1939, produced by the Work Projects Administration; image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Digital Collection. The posters were designed to publicize exhibits, community activities, theatrical productions, and health and educational programs in seventeen states and the District of Columbia between 1936 to 1943.
Their stories, in print
A NEW LOOK AT KING WHO ABDICATED
A new bio of King Edward VIII weaves together his own writing, interviews, and diary entries from his original ghostwriter to form “an extraordinary new portrait of one of the most famous characters in modern royal history.”
AN ICON TELLS ALL
My Name Is Barbra, Ms. Streisand’s long-awaited (and rather enormous) autobiography, doesn’t have an index, but a writer for the NYT has teased out “the best bits.” Oh, and the audio book (read by the author) clocks in at a mere 48 hours.
What becomes of our memories
‘OBSESSIVE, DIARISTIC RUMINATION’
“But what I did understand then was that [reading her journals] was an incredible honor, perhaps even a trespass, which came with a responsibility.” Anne Liu Kellor on keeping (a giant chest full of) journals.
REMEMBER WHEN…?
Last week I offered up a few ideas for how to remember intentionally, rather than letting social media sites such as Facebook or the Photos app on your phone be your only source of “memories.”
IT’S IN THE TELLING
“I wanted to see what the local newspaper reported about my grandfather’s act of bravery in preventing a lynching.” How two versions of a family story sparked a writer’s quest for truth.
Personal history, public access
ACCESS TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
“What reduced me to tears was the fact that my great-great-grandmother had spent 60 cents on two “baker tins,” more than the payment she received for an entire day’s work.” How a researcher discovered some of her own history at the National Archives, and an introduction to a project to make Freedmen’s Bureau records available to the broader public.
UNSEALED AT LAST
Unopened love letters in Britain’s archives are “a treasure trove bearing intimate details about romance and daily life in mid-18th-century France.”
20 YEARS IN…
In this podcast episode, StoryCorps goes back to the organization’s early days, including the challenges of building a recording booth in Grand Central Terminal, and follows up with participants from the first-ever radio story they broadcast on NPR:
INTERACTIVE MAP OF MEDIEVAL MURDERS
“While historical records have increasingly been digitized, Ms. Swarthout said that online archives were not always easy to use...[but] tools like the murder map are a fresh way to synthesize large amounts of old information. ‘It’s just very fun to go through.’”
...and a few more links
Short takes
Learn about our Write Your Life course, providing memory prompts, writing guidance and a dose of inspiration to anyone who wants to preserve their stories now.