Post #88 – Women’s Memoirs, Book Business – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Recently David Adelman of ReelTributes.com contacted us with the following email note: “I saw you listed on Dan Curtis’s top 10 blogs of 2011. Congratulations on this achievement! I’ve read through some of the blog posts and I can certainly see why you were selected. The posts are informative and entertaining.”
Okay, our faces were red. Such a nice compliment. I confess, however, neither Matilda or I were familiar with Reel Tributes. On our own, each of us checked out the site, and I suggest you do the same. Based out of Philadelphia, Reel Tributes produces beautiful, high-end documentary histories for families wanting to capture their stories for all time. They combine interviews, photographs, family movies, archival footage, music and more to turn lives into legacies.
David went on in his email to us, inviting Matilda and me to guest blog on Reel Tributes. Naturally, we have jumped at the opportunity and will be doing something for David and his readers some time in March. In the meantime, however, we found that Reel Tributes has an expert interviewer on staff, Lin Joyce. Perfect! Matilda and I have had it in mind for some time to do a series of posts on interviewing and how to get more information for one’s memoir by talking with family and friends. There are some techniques that help make this an effective technique.
So, we asked David if Lin might be available to write something for us. She graciously agreed, and below is a charming story that shows one very simple technique for getting an interview subject to open up. Lin originally titled this piece “Mining for Memories: Looking for Gold.” After reading it, I couldn’t help but add, “(and Listening),” and as you read Lin’s piece I think you’ll understand why.
Lin Joyce, Head Interviewer, Reel Tributes
Lin is a professional personal historian and an active member of The Association of Personal Historians (APH)–a marvelous organization. This past October, Matilda and I attended the APH annual conference and gave both a pre-conference workshop on Writing Alchemy and two workshops on publishing and marketing. I notice, too, that Lin’s bio on the Reel Tributes site mentions that she has two Asian Leopard cats. If that means she has a pair of Bengals, then she is well entertained at home. As I write this, my 20-year-old Bengal Sabrina is sitting close by my left hand…a cooler cat there never could be.
Matilda and I (and if we’re lucky, Lin) will be writing more about interviewing in the weeks and months ahead. In the meantime and without further ado, her’s Lin’s delightful post:
“Mining for Memories: Looking (and Listening) for Gold”
by Lin Joyce
I remember Mary, a very elderly woman I once interviewed. She wanted to preserve her life stories but was struggling with how and where to begin. [click to continue…]
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