Record

After organizing and digitizing your collection, the next step is to record the stories. The photos are meaningful only if your family knows who’s in them, where they were taken and when. Like many families, you probably also have many significant stories that you don’t have photos for.

FamilyArchive offers several services to record your stories: oral history interviews, individual writing coaching or writing workshops (when available). You will emerge with a manuscript that tells the stories behind your photo collection and the stories between the photos (what happened when the cameras weren’t around).

We discuss the interview topics you’re interested in recording and create an outline to focus your interview. We can:

·      record at your location (travel fees apply outside of NYC);

·      record remotely via Skype or FaceTime or;

·      provide guidance for a friend or family member to record the interview with you.

With every Oral History Interview package we provide an intelligent verbatim transcript and a mastered audio recording.

We tailor a coaching program based on your writing goals, whether you wish to capture your family’s immigration story, an in-depth profile on a beloved relative, or your childhood memories.

1 round of correspondence includes:

·      You receive a packet of prompts from FamilyArchive;

·      You write according to the prompts and/or whatever moves you from the packet;

·      You email your writing to FamilyArchive for feedback;

·      FamilyArchive sends specific feedback, which may include what works in the current writing; stories that can be expanded; areas that could use more sensory detail.

Minimum package is 3 rounds of correspondence. Coaching can be done through a combination of local (NYC) meetings, remote email and Skype/FaceTime sessions.

We facilitate in-person small group writing workshops (5-10 people) in the NYC-metro area focused on family history and memoir topics.

Each session will run approximately 2 ½ hours and may include the following:

·      Specific theme or topic for each session;

·      in-session writing prompts;

·      immediate feedback from the facilitator and group;

·      opportunity to share and receive feedback for edited work.

Workshops are generally 6-8 sessions. When available they will be announced via our blog, email list and events calendar. If you would like us to bring a workshop to your location, please contact us for details.