This Week in Personal History... July 18

curated links to blogs and articles of interest to personal historians and family biographers

“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