A recent oral history project became more than just another school assignment for a seventh grade class at Readington Middle School. It evolved into an opportunity to forge new relationships while learning other people’s life stories. At their first meeting on Oct. 29, each educator was paired with a group of three to five students with whom they would work over the course of the assignment. During this initial session, the students interviewed the educators, asking about their childhood days, their education and preparation to become teachers, memories of their teachings days, and insights as to how schools have changed since their tenure in the classroom. For full story click here. This is an example of what can be done in the classroom to further oral history.
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The Beatles’ First U.S. Concert
On Feb. 11, 1964, Beatlemania blasted Washington — all shrieks and Arthur haircuts and songs people couldn’t quite make out. Here’s the tale of the historic 1964 visit, as told by some of the people who lived it.
United Arab Emirates Project
Even in his 90s, Khamis Al Rumaithi remembers everything – events, people, places. His vivid memories go all the way back to his childhood in Abu Dhabi. Born in 1920, he received no formal education and learnt to read and write by spending time with elders in his community. Today, his memories and experiences are being put to good use, providing a unique record of life before and after the union. For full story click here.
OHR’s Short Form Initiative
On behalf of the Oral History Review editorial staff, I am excited to publicly announce the journal’s latest project: the short form initiative. What is this? (I imagine everyone wondering aloud with feigned nonchalance.) Well, while the typical OHR article tends to fall between 8,000 to 12,000 words, we are now actively seeking substantially shorter submissions — approximately 3,000-4,000 words in length. The editorial staff will review pieces with the journal’s usual mission statement in mind, but also welcomes submissions that experiment with form and/or boast a multimedia dimension. – See more here.
On behalf of the Oral History Review editorial staff, I am excited to publicly announce the journal’s latest project: the short form initiative. What is this? (I imagine everyone wondering aloud with feigned nonchalance.) Well, while the typical OHR article tends to fall between 8,000 to 12,000 words, we are now actively seeking substantially shorter submissions — approximately 3,000-4,000 words in length. The editorial staff will review pieces with – See more at: http://blog.oup.com/2014/01/oral-history-review-short-form-initiative/#sthash.FlYS4AEm.dpufOn behalf of the Oral History Review editorial staff, I am excited to publicly announce the journal’s latest project: the short form initiative. What is this? (I imagine everyone wondering aloud with feigned nonchalance.) Well, while the typical OHR article tends to fall between 8,000 to 12,000 words, we are now actively seeking substantially shorter submissions — approximately 3,000-4,000 words in length. The editorial staff will review pieces with – See more at: http://blog.oup.com/2014/01/oral-history-review-short-form-initiative/#sthash.FlYS4AEm.dpuf
Food of America’s South
The stories and history surrounding Southern food are just as colorful and diverse as the food itself. The Southern Foodways Alliance (click Our Work button for oral histories) collects stories from across the region and celebrates the contributions of countless classes, races and ethnicities on Southern cuisine. ased in Wilmington, N.C., Sara Wood works as an oral historian with the SFA. The Daily Tar Heel sat down with Wood to find out more about her research and what she has learned from working in the South. For full story, click here.
Full story Boston College tapes
Anthony McIntyre made one thing clear: The project had to remain absolutely secret. If Boston College wanted him to interview former members of the Irish Republican Army, he needed that guarantee. They would be talking about dangerous things—bombings, shootings, and murder. It was June of 2000, just two years after a controversial peace accord ended three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. Mr. McIntyre, an independent historian, was having dinner at Deanes Restaurant, in the center of this small, working-class city, with an Irish journalist and a librarian from Boston College. For complete story, including interview excerpts, click here.
Oral History in the Digital Age
In this podcast Ken Woodard discusses teaching oral history in the digital age. Click here for full article and listen to the podcast.
First 10 Years of StoryCorps
“Ties That Bind: Stories of Love & Gratitude from the First Ten Years of StoryCorps,” by Dave Isay, with Lizzie Jacobs. New York: The Penguin Press, 2013. 202 pages, $25.95 (hardcover). Dave Isay is founder of StoryCorps, the oral history project that has collected conversations between friends and family members for the National Archives and for airing on National Public Radio on Friday mornings for the past 10 years. As StoryCorps began its collection process, Studs Terkel stood in Grand Central Station at the first recording booth and proclaimed: “Today, we shall begin celebrating the lives of the uncelebrated.” During the past 10 years, StoryCorps has more than met all expectations for success by recording almost 50,000 interviews from more than 1,000 locations spread over all 50 states. Read full story here and listen to an interview with Dave Isay here.
Call for Australian Indigenous stories (Sydney)
The city of Sydney is seeking former and current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women to share their stories of war and peace for a special oral history project. Aboriginal artist and curator Fabri Blacklock will select up to 20 stories to take pride of place on the city's new oral history website sydneyoralhistories.com.au with audio recordings, transcripts and photographs. For full story click here.
Samuel Proctor Oral History Project (USA)
Paul Ortiz is one of those rare individuals who has managed to merge his vocation and his avocation. As director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at University of Florida since 2008, he and his team of about 50 students gather interviews with individuals ranging from migrant farmworkers to war veterans. “Our charge is really to try to document living history as much as possible,” Ortiz said. “We’re constantly interviewing people from different walks of life.” For full story click here.