“Most [people] don’t even know how impressive they are until they tell their stories to others. ‘By God, I matter!’ one woman exclaimed.”
—James E. Birren and Linda Feldman

The stuff of memory

PRECIOUS OBJECTS
From a chipped crystal decanter that reminds the storyteller of a bold 1911 journey to a pair of shoes worn by another narrator’s family member when fleeing the Nazis—objects hold stories.

VOICES FROM THE PAST
Her father recorded soundbites of their family life on vinyl records (some 200 of them!). Now nearing 80, Ms. Kelly has inherited these circular time capsules of domestic life, with their scratchy resurrections of the past.

’TIS THE SEASON FOR NOSTALGIA
The holidays, for many, are a time of family togetherness, tradition, and memory-making. Why not let the gifts we give to our loved ones reflect those values? My round-up of unique gifts for memory-keepers and family historians.

Story preservation planning

YOUR MEMOIR: A PLAN
“Any and every item you have penciled in on your bucket list deserves not just a little hopeful dreaming every now and then, but a plan—a way to make your future dreams your present reality!” Here, a plan to get your memoir off your bucket list and into the world.

SAFEGUARDING FAMILY STORIES
“Preserving family stories is a passion of mine, but it can often become overwhelming. There just doesn’t seem to be a clear beginning, and the ending often seems far, far away.” Lisa Duncan of Heirloom Explorer has gathered resources and her favorite Instagram accounts to inspire your own memory-keeping.

BRIDGING GENERATIONS
“When my mother died in 2014, I realized how much I didn’t know about her life. I never asked the questions that haunt me now—questions about what interactions she had, what it was like to live in her time in the places she did.” Read an excerpt from Elizabeth Keating’s new book, The Essential Questions.

Turning memory into art

IN PICTURES
Why did Steve Martin decide to turn his favorite memories as an actor into a memoir illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss? Because “an anecdote in cartoon form is very succinct. You don't have to set the scene….You could just do the gist of the story.”

A PERPETUAL MEMOIRIST, RECOGNIZED
Many authors write about their lives. Over nearly fifty years, Annie Ernaux, the 2022 Nobel laureate for literature, has discovered new ways to do it.

‘TRAVEL GUIDE’ TO FAMILY’S UNSPOKEN PAST
Composer Michael Gordon’s new musical work reflects on his father’s flight from Poland in 1939 and “about what [his family] took with them, and what they didn’t; about the complications of piecing origins together amid tales unheard and traumas untold.”

CONJURING A LOVED ONE THROUGH MEMORY
“As time passes and stories pile up, it can become difficult to distinguish between original memories and those borrowed from family lore or photographs…. The animation in [the short film] The Garbage Man revels in this ambiguity, bringing together the past and the present…and sitting them all down over lunch.”

PROFILE TO EMULATE
This beautiful piece about an author I love, Octavia Butler—“the girl who grew up in Pasadena, took the bus, loved her mom and grandmother, and wrote herself into the world”—also includes links to understanding her via “her most misunderstood work; her writing style; and her famous journal entry.”

...and a few more links

• A unique correspondence via postcards between two creatives

• “12 Months to a Full Memoir or Essay Collection:” a generative workshop with Chloe Caldwell: applications due in December

• Consumer Reports: Digitizing family memories ahead of the holidays

• How to collect memories (without cluttering up your home)

• A curated collection of preservation materials for all your family history belongings, from Gaylord Archival

• “Memory and grief are at the heart of this year’s best cinema”

• What meaning is held by the mysterious objects on Van Gogh’s kitchen table?

• Review of David Sedaris’s new book of diary entries

Short takes