Writing Your Family Legacy Conference LEARN HOW TO RESEARCH, WRITE AND PRESERVE YOUR FAMILY LEGACY. Share the expertise of nationally renowned authors, genealogists and editors, including Patricia Hampl, Diane Wilson, Shannon Gibney, Eric Dregni and Cheri Register. SAT., OCTOBER 15, 2016 Minnesota History Center, St. Paul
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE 9 AM
Conference check-in begins
10 AM
Keynote address with Patricia Hampl
11 AM
Coffee Break
11:30 AM
Breakout Session One:
• Narrative Magic: Embracing or Rejecting “The Facts”
Keynote by Patricia Hampl:
in Order to Tell the Story (W, L)
• Researching Minnesota Newspaper Collections (G)
• Hidden Photos – Pictures in Unexpected Places (G)
• Fact and Speculation: How to Write a True Story (W)
• Doing History with Heart (W)
12:30 PM
Lunch
1:30 PM
Breakout Session Two:
• Turning Points: Uncovering & Writing Your Life’s
Pivotal Moments (W, L)
HOW TO GET THE ME OUT OF MEMOIR— AND LIVE TO TELL THE TALE Memoir is both an ancient and a very contemporary form of writing. In her keynote to start off this day of personal writing, Patricia Hampl will read a bit from her work in progress, and talk about the recent history of autobiographical writing, including some of her own discoveries– many accidental– and the purpose of writing a life in the larger context of history. There will be plenty of time for questions from the audience.
• He Came From Everywhere & Nowhere—
BIO: A Romantic Education and subsequent works established Patricia Hampl as an influential figure in the rise of autobiographical writing. Her most recent book is The Florist’s Daughter. Other works include Blue Arabesque, Virgin Time, and I Could Tell You Stories, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Nonfiction. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1990. Her forthcoming book is The Art of the Wasted Day (Viking Penguin, 2017). She is Regents Professor, University of Minnesota.
Using a Four-Generation Case Study to Break Through a Brick Wall (G)
• Beyond Google & Grandma: How to Find Your Family’s
Records in Archives and Special Collections Libraries (G)
• From Inspiration to Publication (W)
• Telling Your Travels: Putting Words to Place (W)
2:45 PM
Breakout Session Three:
• Our Family Stories and History (W, L)
• If Walls Could Talk: Uncovering the History of Your House (G)
• Devil Is in the Details (W)
• How Do We Interpret the Past? (W, G)
• Behind-the-Scenes Library Tour (G)
4 PM
Conference Endnote with Diane Wilson
Photo by Barry Goldstein
SESSION FOCUS KEY W: Writing L: Writing with the Loft Literary Center
G: Genealogy Writing Your Family Legacy Conference
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BREAKOUT SESSION ONE: 11:30-12:30 AM 101: Narrative Magic: Embracing or Rejecting “The Facts” in Order to Tell the Story Two people experience the same event, and yet have markedly different accounts of it. A group of siblings grow up in the same family, but one tells a story of abuse, the other of support and liberation. An African American searches out any documentation of her ancestors, and can find nothing in the existing historical record indicating that any of her relatives existed before slavery was abolished. Each of these anecdotes reveals the illusory nature of “the facts,” and illuminates the need for the researcher and storyteller to be both open to the malleability of the truth, and at times, to also create it in the service of the questions she or he is asking. In this workshop we will tackle thorny issues such as: What do you do when the historical record is limited at best, empty at worst? What are the ethics of storytelling, vis-a-vis various subjectivities? What role does power play in the stories we tell...and those we do not? What is the role of the imagination in the telling of incomplete stories, and stories that may not belong to us? And finally, how can the researcher/writer use imagination to open up space for the possibility of the story/stories to blossom? BIO: Shannon Gibney is a writer, educator, activist and the author of See No Color (Carolrhoda Lab, 2015), a young adult novel that won the 2016 Minnesota Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Her writing has appeared in Al Jazeera America, The Crisis, Gawker and other venues. A Bush Artist and McKnight Writing Fellow, she lives with her family in Minneapolis. FOCUS: WRITING WITH THE LOFT Photo by Kristine Heykants
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Writing Your Family Legacy Conference
102: Researching Minnesota Newspaper Collections Historical newspapers are valuable resources for researching family, local and Minnesota history. The Gale Family Library has an outstanding collection of Minnesota newspapers beginning with Minnesota’s establishment as a territory. Newspapers document ancestors’ lives and can provide a perspective on the community and time in which they lived. In this session, you will learn about the variety (ethnic, labor, political…) of newspapers that have been published throughout the state. Information on how to access newspapers via the library’s catalog and online databases (Historical Tribune and Newspaper Digital Hub) will also be covered. BIO: Brigid Shields has been a librarian with MNHS for many years. She began her career working with the newspaper collection and has a MA in Library Science from the University of Minnesota. Brigid has been active with genealogy groups and has spoken at many conferences and groups throughout her career. She has also been involved with library and archival professional organizations. FOCUS: GENEALOGY
103: Hidden Photos – Pictures in Unexpected Places Whether your family saved every photograph ever taken or none at all, hear techniques of a photo researcher. Look beyond family photos for often overlooked image resources to tell your story. Learn about the possibilities and challenges of photo research in newspapers, government collections and foreign sources. And what do the terms fair use, copyright and public domain mean for the family historian? BIO: Linda James is a researcher specializing in historic photographs for books and films. With a background in archives, libraries and newspapers, she worked at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, managing collections of more than a million photographs. She has been the photo researcher on local historic documentary films, including Tales of the Road: Highway 61, Lost Twin Cities III & IV, and University Avenue: One Street, a Thousand Dreams. Current projects include research on Minnesota’s first black photographer and a Minneapolis woman photographer in Vienna before WWI. FOCUS: GENEALOGY
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104: Fact and Speculation: How to Write a True Story
BREAKOUT SESSION TWO: 1:30-2:30 PM
Whether your ancestors were famous or obscure, any point where your family history intersects with a public trend or event is a rich source for creative nonfiction. So where do you find the story and how do you document your family’s part in it? In this session, you will be invited to talk about what intrigues you most in your family’s history, and we will all figure out how to make broader historical sense of it.
201: Turning Points: Uncovering & Writing Your Life’s Pivotal Moments
BIO: Among Cheri Register’s books are two that combine family history and public history: The Big Marsh and Packinghouse Daughter. Her books about chronic illness and international adoption also draw on personal experience. She taught at The Loft for 20 years and worked as a manuscript adviser for many other writers. FOCUS: WRITING
Are you determined to write your life stories, but find yourself overwhelmed or unsure of how to proceed? In this session, you will learn how to uncover the pivotal “turning points” in your life that make your legacy writing come alive. Brenda Hudson, PhD, will guide you in identifying your turning points—those events, or even subtle shifts, that profoundly change your life. We’ll then explore how these pivotal moments help point the way to possible themes and stories in your legacy writing. Finally, you will practice writing about one of your turning points, using practical and creative journaling techniques.
105: Doing History with Heart BIO: Brenda Hudson, a recipient of the Loft’s 2016 Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, is a teacher, editor, writer and a credentialed journaling instructor through the Center for Journal Therapy. She holds an MS in journalism from Boston University, and a PhD in rhetoric from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Writing Studies. Helping others express themselves through writing is her passion. She regularly offers classes in legacy writing at The Loft Literary Center and through Voiced Life.com. FOCUS: WRITING WITH THE LOFT
What is the relationship between the historian and the subject, the writer and the document, the genealogist and the family? Join Peg Meier and Annette Atkins as they share favorite stories, letters and documents that have inspired trips to the research library to learn more. How can we use our hearts—as well as our heads—to understand the past? BIO: Peg Meier wrote for the Star Tribune for 35 years. She has researched and written seven books, including three drawn largely from historical photographs: Bring Warm Clothes; Too Hot, Went to Lake; Wishing for a Snow Day. Bring Warm Clothes is one of the best selling books on Minnesota history. In 2011, she edited the 1927 diary of 13-year old Coco Irving when Coco lived in what is now the Minnesota governor’s residence on Summit Avenue. The History Theatre turned it into “Coco’s Diary” and presented it in its 2012 season. BIO: Annette Atkins teaches history as the stories of people’s lives: who were they, how did they see the world, how did they understand what they did, what mattered. She explores the ways that the past is a foreign territory and how we can be good travelers there. In addition to teaching college students, Annette has taken a special interest in working with adults, and last spring taught a course on Writing Your Family History at The Loft Literary Center—and for the Selim Center at the University of Saint Thomas, a course on “stuff” and the stories objects tell. She has written numerous articles and four books, including Creating Minnesota: A History from the Inside Out, a history of the state.
202: He Came From Everywhere & Nowhere – Using a 4-Generation Case Study to Break Through a Brick Wall How do you figure out where your ancestor is from when each document you uncover lists a different birth date and location? Using research about a local family from St. Paul’s Rondo community, you will learn how I broke through this brick wall and uncovered a neat piece of Minnesota history in the process. BIO: Mica Anders is a professional genealogist with over ten years of experience. Her special interests include African American genealogy and families from Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Mica holds an MFA in studio art. She enjoys combining her two passions—genealogy and art—to create unique family history displays for her clients. FOCUS: GENEALOGY Photo by Stephanie Morris
FOCUS: WRITING 6
Writing Your Family Legacy Conference
Writing Your Family Legacy Conference
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203: Beyond Google & Grandma: How to Find Your Family’s Records in Archives and Special Collections Libraries Chances are you (or a family member) have a small collection of items that represent your family’s legacy: photographs, diaries, letters and so on. You may have also located fascinating information via searching the Internet. However, what do you do when you want to find information beyond what grandma and Google can provide? Ask a librarian! Special collections libraries and archives often have a treasure trove of information documenting families and individuals, although understanding how to find and access these records can be a challenge. Join MNHS librarian Jennifer Rian to learn general search tips and tricks, types of collections that may be available (both online and in-person), and receive pointers for how to best prepare for this special type of research. BIO: Jennifer Rian has been part of the team of reference librarians at the Gale Family Library since spring of 2015. Specializing in group learning experiences at the library, Jennifer loves to work with researchers of all kinds to track down pieces of historical information to tell the story of their family or community. A native Iron Ranger, she delights in connecting people with resources and special collections outside of the Twin Cities metro area as well as the vast collections here at MNHS. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Florida State University. FOCUS: GENEALOGY
204: From Inspiration to Publication Join first-time author Frank White, along with his editor and publisher from Minnesota Historical Society Press, for a conversation on how an idea travels from a personal history project to a published book. White recently published They Played for the Love of the Game, which tells a tale of unsung heroes and forgotten stars who battled discrimination and other hardships to play the game they loved. BIO: Frank White says, “Growing up watching my father in the ’50s and ’60s has given me a personal history as I traveled with him to watch him play. I also played during my younger life until high school and have played with some outstanding players of that time period. I’ve been compared as a Fast Pitch softball player to my father and have played on some of the best teams of the time period and with some of the Minnesota Hall of Fame softball players, including my father Louis “Pud” White and Leroy Hardeman. I’ve also been the RBI Coordinator for the past 15 years and have seen the reduction of African American baseball players in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. I’ve been involved with sports for the majority of my life as a coach, board member for many statewide organizations and have continued to be involved with baseball. I’m also considered a ‘historian’ in the Rondo community and Saint Paul.” BIO: Josh Leventhal is acquisitions editor at the Minnesota Historical Society Press. He has worked in publishing for more than 20 years in a variety of subject areas. For MNHS Press, his areas of focus include sports, popular culture, music and performing arts, nature and environment, and Scandinavian studies. BIO: Ann Regan is editor in chief at the Minnesota Historical Society Press, the oldest publisher in the state and the largest historical society press in the country, where she has worked for many years. She works closely with authors to develop their manuscripts into books. FOCUS: WRITING
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205: Telling Your Travels – Putting Words to Place
302: If Walls Could Talk: Uncovering the History of Your House
Travel the world (or at least to Wisconsin) and tell your story! We will examine the idea of place and being out of place, as well as how to approach cultural differences with humor and respect. We’ll look at various travel essays, memoirs and guidebooks, including those by authors Bill Bryson and David Sedaris. We’ll learn about one of the earliest “travel writers,” Herodotus, then Dante and others who searched our world to gain new understanding of our planet. Most of all, we tell our own stories.
Homeowners and Twin Cities residents who want to know more about the history of their house and neighborhood can learn how to do the research at this session. Jackie Beckey, reference librarian, will discuss how to use maps, city directories, photographs, architectural periodicals and archival collections to piece together the past.
BIO: Eric Dregni is the author of 16 books including Never Trust a Thin Cook, Vikings in the Attic, In Cod We Trust, Midwest Marvels, Follies of Science and Weird Minnesota. He is an associate professor of English, journalism and Italian at Concordia University in St. Paul and dean of the Italian Concordia Language Village, Lago del Bosco, in the summer. FOCUS: WRITING
BREAKOUT SESSION THREE: 2:45-3:45 PM
BIO: Jackie Beckey has been a reference librarian at MNHS since 2014. You can often find her at the reference desk helping people with family history projects, geeking out over historical maps, and drinking endless cups of coffee. She also loves to help folks uncover the history of their homes and has organized and taught many classes on this subject at MNHS. Jackie holds a master’s degree in Library Science from Saint Catherine University. In her free time, she performs in local musicalgroups as a violist and consults the large sheet music collection at MNHS for creative inspiration. FOCUS: GENEALOGY
301: Our Family Stories and History
303: Devil in the Details
Our family stories are shaped by historical events. Famine, epidemics, environmental changes, government policy, war, new inventions and discoveries have swept up our ancestors in movement over oceans and land. This writing workshop will help you pinpoint the pivotal moments in your history, whether it be in Minnesota, Germany, Norway, Somalia, Mexico or anywhere else on the planet, and help you develop a narrative timeline of the migration that brought you here.
How do writers take everyday but specific details of personal experiences and turn them into literary vehicles that carry infinite meanings? Taiyon Coleman will share writing strategies for finding universal meaning within your own personal stories. By making these broader connections, your writing will have the possibility of connecting to a wide range of readers.
BIO: Nicole Helget is a writer from southern Minnesota. Her own first book, The Summer of Ordinary Ways, is a study of how farm policy affected her family in the 80s. Her subsequent adult novels, The Turtle Catcher and Stillwater explore the impact of war abroad and westward expansion on the people of Minnesota. Two middle-grade novels, Wonder at the Edge of the Earth and The End of the Wild put her characters in conflict with the Civil War and fracking. She currently studies rural development and higher education policy at the Humphrey Institute. She lives in southern Minnesota with her family. FOCUS: WRITING WITH THE LOFT
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Writing Your Family Legacy Conference
BIO: Although her first dream was to be a backup dancer for former hip-hop artist Heavy D, Taiyon J. Coleman is a writer, educator and consultant, and her writing has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Currently completing her first novel, Chicago @ 15, she lives in Minneapolis with her family. FOCUS: WRITING
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304: How Do We Interpret the Past?
305: Behind the Scenes Library Tour
What do documents, archives, oral histories and material culture have to offer researchers wishing to know more about the social history of everyday people? Brenda Child will lead a discussion on sources, and explain how she went about research for a recent book. My Grandfather’s Knocking Sticks: Ojibwe Family Life and Labor on the Reservation (MNHS Press, 2014), begins with a family memoir of her grandparents’ working lives.
Collecting since 1849, the Minnesota Historical Society’s library is the world’s premiere library for research about Minnesota’s people, places, history and culture. Join a staff-led tour of this impressive collection featuring 500,000 volumes, directories, atlases and plat books of the state, along with the largest collection in the world of Minnesota fiction and works from local private presses, and nearly every newspaper published in the state. FOCUS: GENEALOGY
BIO: Brenda J. Child is a professor of American Studies and former chair of the Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota. She received her PhD in history at the University of Iowa. Her first book, Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900-1940 (University of Nebraska, 1998), won the North American Indian Prose Award. Child’s newest books are Holding Our World Together: Ojibwe Women and the Survival of Community (Penguin, 2012) and Indian Subjects: Hemispheric Perspectives on the History of Indigenous Education (with Brian Klopotek, SAR Press, 2014). A recent book, My Grandfather’s Knocking Sticks: Ojibwe Family Life and Labor on the Reservation (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2014) combines a family memoir of her grandparents’ working lives, with a broader history of others of their generation. It won the National American Indian Book Award from Arizona State University, the Best Book in Midwestern History from the Midwestern History Association, and was nominated for a Minnesota Book Award for Best Book on Minnesota History.
CONFERENCE ENDNOTE WITH DIANE WILSON : 4 PM Drawing from her own writing experience, author Diane Wilson will encourage writers to document their family histories as a way to witness their own stories, deepen their understanding of who they are as human beings, and ultimately reshape our collective history. BIO: Diane Wilson is a prose writer whose memoir, Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past, was awarded a 2006 Minnesota Book Award and selected for the 2012 One Minneapolis One Read program. Her 2011 nonfiction book, Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life, was awarded the 2012 Barbara Sudler Award from History Colorado.
Child is a trustee of the National Museum of the American Indian-Smithsonian. She serves on the Repatriation Committee, the Executive Committee, and chairs the Scholarship and Collections Committee. She is also a trustee of the Minnesota Historical Society. She was an original consultant to the exhibit Remembering Our Indian School Days at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, and co-author of the book that accompanied it, Away From Home (Heard, 2000). The exhibit is credited with increasing attendance at the Heard Museum, especially Indian visitors, and she is now part of a team reinterpreting the exhibit. At the University of Minnesota, she was a recipient of the President’s Award for Outstanding Community Service and is also part of a research group that developed a major digital humanities project, the Ojibwe People’s Dictionary (ojibwe.lib. umn.edu), which launched as a website in 2012. Child was born on the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota, where she is a citizen and member of a committee writing a new constitution for the nation of 14,800. She resides with her family in Saint Paul and Bemidji, Minnesota. FOCUS: WRITING 12
Writing Your Family Legacy Conference
Writing Your Family Legacy Conference
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BECOME A MEMBER
The Minnesota Historical Society MNHS preserves Minnesota’s past, shares our stories and connects people to history. Your membership support helps MNHS use the power of history to transform lives. Learn more at mnhs.org/members or call 651-259-3131.
The Loft Literary Center Become a member and support the Loft community. As a nonprofit organization, the Loft relies on your member support to keep this thriving community of readers and writers going strong. When you make a tax-deductible membership contribution, you help build a vibrant Loft community. You provide low-income access to creative writing classes, free and low-cost readings with writers and artists, grants and mentorships to Minnesota writers, artist residences in schools and community organizations, and so much more. Thank you. For more information or to join today, visit loft.org/support or call 612-215-2597.
ACCESSIBILITY MNHS and the Loft are committed to creating an accessible program for all. Please let us know if you have any access needs or concerns. ASL interpreters are available upon request with a minimum of three weeks’ notice. Call 651-259-3400 for more information. Wheelchairs are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis from the ticketing desk on Floor 1. Electric scooters are also available with valid ID. For more information about accessibility see minnesotahistorycenter.org/accessibility or contact Maren Levad at 651-259-3480.
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