September 27, 2007

Share your memories, bring history to life

The Timberland Regional Library system is launching a districtwide initiative titled "Remembering Aloud" to provide elder citizens with ways to share their personal histories at local libraries.

In Grays Harbor and Pacific counties, the Aberdeen and Raymond Timberland libraries will feature sets of three workshops by a veteran storyteller and journaling teacher. The Hoquiam Timberland library will facilitate monthly conversations for seniors and families that jog memories and elicit stories by specific topics such as "Fun & Games," and "The Home Front." The McCleary Timberland Library will take the program to a retirement home. Librarians will use sets of memory starters for each topic, including music, photos, videos and writing prompts. Other Timberland libraries will be scheduling Remembering Aloud programs in the coming weeks.

Joe McHugh, novelist and storyteller from Olympia, will inaugurate the initiative with his presentation "The Telling Takes Us Home." McHugh will tell family stories—gems he’s collected from across America. Audience members will be invited to share a family story or two of their own. The event will be held Sunday, October 14 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Aberdeen Timberland Library.

Storyteller and educator Rebecca Hom is offering two sets of workshops designed to teach older adults how to develop powerful stories from their cache of memories. The workshops will be held on Mondays, October 15, 22 and 29 at both the Raymond and Aberdeen Timberland libraries. The Raymond series will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; the Aberdeen series will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The workshops are free of charge. Advance registration is required.

"We will explore why we tell our stories, how to go about telling them, and how they fit into the larger history of our times," said Hom. "The focus will be on the spoken rather than the written word, on strong images rather than proper grammar. We will lift the words off the page into our retellings." At the first workshop, Ms. Hom will teach journaling techniques and other methods for recalling memories. At the other two workshops, participants will develop oral stories from those memories.

Monthly conversations at the Hoquiam Timberland Library begin Wednesday, October 10 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the topic of "Fun & Games." On November 14 the topic will the "The Home Front" and on December 12 the subject is "Music." Registration is not necessary.

The McCleary Timberland Library and McCleary Historical Society will present Remembering Aloud programs at The Beehive Retirement Facility, 401 W. Maple Street, McCleary. The first topic, on Thursday, October 26 from 3 to 4 p.m., is "Remembering the Home Front." "Remembering the 50s" is the topic for November 29. All are welcome; people don’t have to be residents of the facility. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is not necessary.

Library addresses and phone numbers for more information:

Revised 09/28/07