“Ami Polonsky’s newest book for young readers, World Made of Glass, is set in 1987 and features Iris, a 12-year-old facing her father’s death from AIDS. In an era when the president hadn’t uttered the word “AIDS,” Iris copes with her grief and anger at losing her father and the discrimination he and his friends face, and finds solace by getting involved with ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.” Read full article here and see the interviews here.
Blog
Monash Scholar at Columbia University
“New York City is a long way from Wiradjuri Country but that hasn’t stopped filmmaker Bronte Gosper from remembering what her identity means to her. A Monash scholar, Gosper landed in New York City to complete an oral history Masters at Columbia University. As part of her masters, she’s making a documentary recording the histories of Aboriginal activism in Australia. The Wiradjuri woman said she wanted to make this documentary after she noticed the lack of stories being told from the point of view of Aboriginal women. “I wanted to record the histories and stories of Indigenous female activists who’ve worked to empower their communities, particularly in the years fro1980 to 2005,” she said.” See full story here.
Connecting Generations
“Heartwarming course alert! Each student in NYU Steinhardt’s “Wellness and the Human Connection” class is paired up with a local older adult, forming close relationships through weekly interviews over the course of the semester and ultimately writing an oral history of the person’s life.” See more here.
Journal – new CFP deadline
The deadline for peer-reviewed articles for the 2023 issue of our journal Studies in Oral History has been extended to 16 December 2022.
Find out more here.
2022 Podcast Winners
An Australian history podcast, The Last Outlaws, took home the top award for Podcast Of The Year giving listeners a memorable audio experience. The prize was received by Leyroy Parsons, who is a descendant of Jimmy Governor, podcast narrator and co-writer. The podcast focuses on painting the portrait of two Aboriginal men, as well as an exploration of the society that would become Australia – the painful history of stolen ancestral remains.
Osher Günsberg presented the award, saying “the podcast skilfully blends both archival research and oral history into an enthralling narrative, with exquisite sound design, beautifully visual moments, and careful scripting all for a very important story.” See full story here.
BBC 100 Years
From the BBC Oral History Collection here are the key 100 personalities, producers, and innovators that tell the inside story of the BBC here.
Black Summer Bushfires
“The Bundanoon History Group has conducted an oral history project about lessons learned about the black summer bushfires. The group has interviewed 31 people including local residents, RFS members, and wildlife carers to name a few.” See full story including links to interviews here.
Meeting 26 November 2022
We plan to have a meeting on 26 November at the Queensland Spinners, Weavers & Fibre Artists hall at 12 Payne Street, Auchenflower. Beginning at 10.00 am, this will be a special “end of year” meeting which will include a general meeting, followed by a Q&A/Peer Support/informal discussion. We hope many of you will come along to celebrate the end of the year. For those who cannot come in person, we will have Zoom available.
Please let me know (mulligan53@iinet.net.au) before 21 November whether or not you will be attending, either in person or by Zoom. We will have a catered morning tea and lunch.
Suzanne Mulligan
Oral History Queensland
News from Oral History Australia
There’s been a lot going on associated with our recent national conference:
2022 OHA Award winners
2022 OHA Journal available
Call for Papers for 2023 Journal
OHA President’s report
2022 Biennial Conference website
Canada project examines veterans’ live post war
“Michael Petrou, the research project’s lead historian, believes In Their Own Voices will fill a gap in war historiography by highlighting the positive and negative effects on veterans and their families as they moved on with their lives.” Read full article here.