Asking grandparents about their lives
Over on my personal podcast site, I’ve posted recent oral history interviews with my paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather. Both grandparents willingly sat down with us—my daughter and I listened to grandpa, and the entire Zuiker clan listened to grandma—and let us record their life stories.
This is the simplest storyblogging thing to do: when you have the chance, listen to an elder talk about their lives, and be ready to record your conversations.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be redesigning this site, offering tutorials and tips on oral history and podcasting, and asking about your own experiences listening to your parents and grandparents.
Tar Heel Tavern #57: StoryBlogging
I’m happy to welcome the Tar Heel Tavern to StoryBlogging; this site will host the 57th edition of the carnival of North Carolina bloggers. (What’s a carnival of bloggers? It’s a weekly roundup of blog posts from multiple bloggers, a way to promote the writing many bloggers at one shot. It so happens that the carnival of bloggers concept was started right here in North Carolina.)
StoryBlogging is a grassroots initiative to bring together oral history, memoir writing and blogging. So, the theme for the Tavern this week is memoir blogging. Please submit a post, recent or ancient, in which you tell a story about a moment in your life. Or, submit a post in which you share the history of one of your family members. Podcasts will be accepted, too.
Want an example? See A Family Orientation.
You can also help me kickstart an important effort of the StoryBlogging project. We’re looking for examples of multi-generational storyblogging. Please consider visiting a nursing home or retirement community in your neighborhood and chatting with a senior citizen about his or life, and then sharing that person’s story on your blog. (Just be sure to tell the person that you’ll be doing this; this informed consent is important.) I’ll have a special gift to anyone who submits such a post this week.
Please submit your Tavern entries (your name, post title, post permalink) to mistersugar AT gmail DOT com by Saturday, March 25th at 7 p.m.
While you’re at it, mark your calendars for the StoryCorps mobile booth, which begins taking reservations Tuesday, March 28th at 10 a.m.
[There’s also a storyblogging carnival that collects posts with short stories (mostly fiction, I believe).]