Families and their stories are messy, tragic, comic and unique. Writing them down can be illuminating, comforting and healing, even if you opt never to share them with anyone else. Or you may be inspired to create a record in one form or another that your present and future family members will treasure.
Putting together a family history from boxes full of ephemera and a head full of jumbled memories can feel daunting. But the beauty is, you can start anywhere. Captioning photos is a great first step, before the stories of the people in the pictures are forgotten.
In this workshop, I will guide you with simple prompts to start writing your family story, one anecdote at a time. You will take away a few completed mini stories. You might go home and write some more. You might want to pursue a bigger project, like a photo story book, digital recording, or even a memoir.
The workshop can be adapted for groups of different sizes and offered in person or virtually for anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. It can also be designed as a series.
The session Mary ran for us was great! She engaged the audience right from the beginning and was honest but encouraging about the challenges of writing personal stories. Her last minute adjustments to accommodate the group size enhanced the overall experience for everyone. – Zile Ozols, Manager, Programming and Partnerships, Brantford Public Library
Mary Fairhurst Breen 