Things That Matter: A New Life for Children’s Fort

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Jane Shafron

The New York Times carried a piece in its “Books” section recently called Memories of a Bedtime Book Club. It was about that poignant moment when it finally comes time for a parent to put away the children’s picture books. … Continue reading →

Posted in Life Stories as Video, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Stories of Survival May Have Therapeutic Aspects

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Libby Atwater

I’m a survivor. Perhaps that’s why, as a personal historian, I connect so well with people who have endured difficult times. Many feel compelled to tell me their stories. I know from first-hand experience that telling your stories—the good, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dealing with Emotions, Life Stories as a Book, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Creating Memories Through Family Recipes

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Dani Schor

In Remembrance of Things Past, Marcel Proust uses the shell-shaped French cake called the “Madeleine” as an example of involuntary memory—for Proust, tasting the cake triggered a memory without intellectual effort.  As he wrote, “No sooner had the warm liquid … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

King’s ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail’ Honored at 50th Anniversary

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Fran Morley

If history is not recorded, it can be lost. These simple words convey a profound message; one that any personal historian understands and talks about—probably on a daily basis. Most of us in this profession speak to the everyday lives … Continue reading →

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Why Are We Hesitant to Record Voices?

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Gloria Nussbaum

Last week in my post “Where Are the Voices From Our Past?” I looked at some of the reasons that we as a culture seem more comfortable with taking photos than with recording the human voice—even the voices of those … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Stories, Life Stories, Life Stories as Audio, Personal Historians, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Where Are the Voices From Our Past?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Gloria Nussbaum

A recent editorial in the New York Times got me thinking. Why is that we have boxes, albums, and electronic devices full of photos but few, if any, recordings of the voices of the people in those photos? In his … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences, Family Stories, Life Stories, Life Stories as Audio, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Do You Know Me? It’s Still Me…

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Sue Hessel

When my first job out of college took me to another city, the only thing I really missed was all the people from back home who “knew me from before.” Over the decades, I’ve come to love my new city … Continue reading →

Posted in Elderly/Aging, Family Stories, Memory Loss, Personal Historians, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments