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personal history

Life Preservers Podcast: Episode 12 – Stories in the Walls: The Actor’s Temple of New York City

April 18, 2017

How many of these names do you recognize as famous entertainers? These are their given names and many of them appear on the Memorial plaques at The Actor’s Temple. If you don’t know, Google them to find out: Benjamin Kubelsky Aaron Chwatt Sonya Kalish Edward Israel Iskowitz Shirley Schrift Mendel Berlinger Mechel Saltpeter   For more[Read More]

How We Tell Our Stories

June 1, 2016

By Pam Pacelli Cooper President, Verissima Productions   We tell stories with video and audio. In the personal histories we create we hope to capture the successes and happy moments, but also the moments of pain, mistakes, and repair. If future generations see only the “great” moments of their grandparents’ lives, they may be cowed and dispirited, rather[Read More]

Life Preservers Podcast – Episode 2: An interview with Leah Abrahams

May 11, 2016

What do Georges Briard, Gertrude Stein, and a Lutheran fraternal organization have in common? Find out when you listen to our interview with Leah Broyde Abrahams, personal historian. As a subject in our series on getting to know personal historians, Leah describes the path she took to become one, what she has learned, and some insights on why creating[Read More]

Making Choices in Personal History Part 2: Contemplation How do you decide to embark on a personal history? In our last blog, we began to explore the stages of decision-making, based on the work of James Prochaska and his colleagues in their ground-breaking research on lasting change and how it happens. Today, we’re going to discuss the second stage of change. Contemplation: “Hmmmm…” In pre-contemplation, we introduced the idea of presenting information that was previously unknown: that there is such a thing as a personal history and that it will have lasting value in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. This is the “awareness” stage, a move from ignorance to knowledge. We encouraged the “educator,” to share information freely and then step back to allow it to percolate, rather than trying to rush decision-making and action. Now suppose you haven’t talked with them for a couple of months. It’s perfectly fine to check in and ask them and ask if they’ve thought any more about it (being aware of the personality of the person you’re contacting). At this point, if they say either, “I’m thinking about what it might mean to do something like this, but I need to take some more time to make any decision, or, “I hadn’t thought about it but, now that you remind me, I’d like to think further about this. “This is the signal that he/she is in the “Contemplation” stage. What are the indicators: 1. Consideration of the possibilities without any action steps being involved; Their Sitting on a fence where previously no fence existed; 2. No immediate time frame being discussed. ‘I’m aware that this is something that has benefited others and might be of benefit to me, but I’m not ready to jump in just yet.” How can you be helpful in this stage? 1. Validate their decision-making process: “I understand that you want to think about this some more. That’s great. It’s a big step. You want to make sure that if you do this, it feels solid. “ 2. Clarify and discuss: Help them understand the pros and cons of doing a personal history (e.g., the pro of having something for my siblings, great grandchildren, community; the con of how much it would cost, the time it would take, I don’t feel like I’d have anything to say, etc.) 3. Illustrate the value of contemplation: Just carefully weighing the options will deepen their understanding of their process and help them achieve resolution.

Personal History & Making Choices – Part 2

April 27, 2016

1) name the steps in the change process; 2) relate them to the stages people go through in deciding to preserve life stories; and 3) give hints about how to recognize and work through each stage. Stage One: Pre-Contemplation…”What Are You Talking About?” Our culture is awash in storytelling and life preservation, from Story Corps -- to the Humans of New York Facebook page -- to the huge Roots Tech genealogy convention. Yet when someone’s son says, “Maybe we ought to tell the story of our family?” or a member of the local historical society says, “Maybe we ought to digitize those oral histories that are stored on crumbling paper in the back room…” a person may often say, “Our story is not very interesting,” or “We don’t have the money to digitize those records,” or “I don’t have the time.” This is what is called the Pre-Contemplation Stage. In the Pre-Contemplation Stage everyone can see that there is a need but the person with the need can’t see it, or doesn’t think it applies to them. How do you help people move out of this stage? Raise Consciousness, Educate, Inform! Since you are reading this blog, you are most likely not in pre-contemplation, but you probably know someone who is -- a family member, a business associate, a friend, maybe even the Board member of your local historical society. Here are some steps you can take to raise awareness DO: 1. Cite facts: List the variety of benefits derived from preserving their life histories. (Most people in pre-contemplation have never even considered them as personally relevant.) 2. Share the positive changes that came into your own life as a result of creating a personal history. You can also listen to our current podcast to hear how one Personal Historian’s life changed as a result of her family journey. …or watch an episode of Henry Louis Gates’ show, “Finding Your Roots.” 3. Point out some of the consequences of failing to preserve lives, e.g., “I wish I knew what mom thought about my dad’s years in the CIA,” or “I’ll never be able to find out more about mom’s time as a missionary in Laos,” or “I think those are my great uncles, but grandma is dead and there’s no legend on the back of the photo.” DON’T 1. …try to move the person along too fast. You are not trying to get the person to act at this stage—they are not ready-- you are helping to raise their awareness. 2. …be discouraged if it takes a while…even if you feel an urgency, the desire to proceed needs to come from within. If it doesn’t it won’t sustain and the project will never start or it will feel like it’s your project, instead of theirs. Are you a professional personal historian? This may help you understand why we often experience such long lead times between the first contact and the initiation of a project. Do you know someone who would benefit from doing a Personal History? Learning the stages involved in choosing and changing may provide insight into the complexity of the process. Look around you this week. How many people do you see who are still in the pre-contemplation stage of doing a personal history? Please share what you discover with us. Next Week: Stage 2: Contemplation: “Hmmm….”

Making Choices & Personal History

April 13, 2016

CLICK to hear Episode 1

Life Preservers Podcast: Episode 1 – An Interview with Marcia Orland

April 13, 2016

Welcome to  the first episode of our new podcast! Each episode of Life Preservers: A Personal History Podcast  will feature interviews designed to help you think about personal history–what it is, how to do it, why to do it, and how personal histories create a correspondence with the future. In addition to the interviews, we’ll point[Read More]

Stumbling Into Paradise A Personal History Short By Pam Pacelli Cooper President, Verissima Productions I don’t love freeways. And we were tired after a month of exacting work. So I asked Rob, my husband and partner, if we could exit the California 101 and travel on a smaller, “blue” highway near Summerland. We pulled off and drove for a few miles before we saw what looked like the lot for an old gas station or shack, but instead of an entrance to a 711 we saw two gorgeous Indian statues. We had a mission and almost kept driving, but Rob said, “Did you see what I saw back there? Let’s go back and look.” I had seen it, but had been too schedule-bound to suggest we stop. Thanks to him, we stumbled into Paradise. The lovely entryway was only the beginning of our journey into a world of calm and healing just off the highway. The Sacred Space is deceptively small from the outside, but, once you enter, you come upon a warren of rooms, all tastefully furnished with artifacts from the East—jewelry, Buddhas, books, cards, and a dazzling array of minerals. The staff immediately offers water or tea. There is no pressure to buy and no overt religious message other than the message to relax and enjoy. We meandered through the many rooms, admiring the beauty and thinking we were done. Then, we looked through a doorway and found the gardens. Completely hidden from the road are two separate sets of gardens, with private and elegant places to sit and relax tucked away at several different levels, a pond, a small stream, miniature bridges and more statues. It is as if you were transported to a forest refuge in Thailand or India. After two hours we left, refreshed and grateful. I know, I know, some people have said, “Oh, it’s so California,” meaning that comment not entirely kindly. But…it is more than that. It was a journey into other lands and another mindset, and all because we decided to stop and look inside. Question: What special places have you discovered that have brought you into another, expanded sense of your world? Tip: If you’re anything like me, and love the side roads, you owe it to yourself to read William Least Heat Moon’s Blue Highways a classic of slow travel. See more about the Sacred Space including the story behind it: http://www.thesacredspace.com

Stumbling into Paradise: The Sacred Space

April 6, 2016

**Interested in reading Blue Highways? CLICK HERE to get a copy.

Creating a Correspondence with the Future: A Monthly Newsletter

April 1, 2016

We’re excited to announce the launch of a monthly e-newsletter, beginning in April. We’d love to have you join us and subscribe. Just CLICK HERE to be put on our mailing list! Want to know more? Watch this quick iPhone video we shot on location for an introduction to what will be contained in each[Read More]

Orchids East and West: A Personal History Short Story

March 22, 2016

“Hamilton” the Musical makes History be Here and Now!

February 17, 2016

Who Lives? Who Dies? Who Tells Your Story?* “Hamilton,” a Personal History By Pam Pacelli Cooper President, Verissima Productions Click to listen to “Non-Stop” from Hamilton Click to listen to “Who Tells Your Story” from Hamilton

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