Our People's History

Our People's History—Our Stories

Our People's History is a creative telling of history inspired by the true stories of our families. 

Before we were HTHMA students, before we first thought about college, before we had our first dreams of what we might become when we grow up, where we might live or what we might do along the way, our parents, grandparents and extended families had their own hopes, dreams and inspirations; they fell in love and had their hearts broken; and they seized opportunities, had their own accomplishments and much more.

Our People's History is a thoughtful mix of creative nonfiction that tells individual stories of growing up, gaining an education, having a job, raising a family, and more—in an American history that lives through our family stories.

Your story should be based on a true story—and it may be purely nonfiction—but it may also contain many elements of creative writing. For example, you might create conversations or creatively show the setting, which is fine, as long as it is believable and based on your family story.

Requirements:

· Record an oral history from at least one family member & present it as a written interview.

· Your story must come from real characters in a specific historical setting and a specific plot.

· Incorporate relevant historical and/or cultural information.

· Present thoughtfully revised writing that uses appropriate creative and historical writing techniques.

· Include at least one picture.

To receive a “higher” grade, incorporate the following:

· Record and incorporate oral histories from additional family members.

· Record and incorporate testimony from an expert or witness.

· Thoughtfully incorporate relevant American history in support of the story.

How to get started:

· Talk to your parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles—ask about their first job, what school was like, how your parents met, and so on.

· Ask about events that are important in your family. Did anyone immigrate? What was the world like when your parents met? Ask what family stories they heard as kids.

· Ask your parents (or relatives) what bits of history stand out to them—do they remember an election, a protest, a war, or any other event, person, or idea as important?

· If you have a topic, time period, bit of history or idea you want to write about, ask your parents or family where they were or what they were doing, or if they were affected by the times, places or events that interest you.

Important dates:

August 29—Five "story starters" due in class. See my example below. Please bring in a document that looks like this, but with a minimum of five story starters about your family members. If you don’t have pictures for every story, that’s okay. If you don’t have any pictures at all, that may be a problem. If you have problems, please contact Randy as soon as possible.

August 31—Primary Documents due in class.

Sept. 4—Historical & cultural context due in class. Schedule your interview and arrange for all technology!

Sept. 5—10 interview questions due in class.

Sept. 10—Interview transcripts due in class

Sept. 14—Completed Interview posted to DP ("completed" includes a headline, subheadline, introductory article, photo/visual element, caption, and edited interview).

Sept. 17—Interview reflection due in class

Sept. 18—Our People's History Story draft #1 due in class

Sept. 20—Our People's History Story draft #2 due in class

Sept. 27—Our People's History Story Exhibition drafts due

Historical & Cultural Context—Due Sept. 4

Choose 3 to 6 topics from the class list (below) and record notes, observations, ideas, etc. that are relevant to your time period & topic.

Include at least 2 primary sources or primary documents.

Include at least 2 other sources or documents.

Use this research to generate questions for your interview.

What is historical and cultural context anyway? According to our class, it is this.

More Primary Documents:

An Historical Newspaper Archive can be found here: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Example Interviews

"The Design of the Job" by Lynn Le (her mentor interview)

A Narrative-style Interview:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/7928784/Bill-Withers-interview.html

Rolling Stone Interviews:

Steve Jobs

Barack Obama

Julian Assange

Interview Critiques

Please answer all of the following, in writing. Please make sure that you cut/paste/transcribe any quotes accurately! Please make sure that you are kind, specific and helpful.

1. What stands out most about this interview? Why do you feel this way?

2. List at least three questions that you have about the draft you are looking at. These should be questions that help the author/editor understand what goes on in your head as you read. They should also (ideally) be questions that you really do want answers to. That helps the author anticipate what the reader is thinking.

3. What is the relationship between the article and the interview? How does one connect with the other? Think about how the article prepares the reader for the experience of deeply understanding what is discussed in the actual interview.  

4. What constructive feedback do you have for the author? Please specifically reference parts of the draft or locations in which you see areas for improvement. Explain—or ever write out—what you would improve and why.

5. What is the relationship between the headline, sub-headline and the interview? How does one connect with the others? How are specific nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs used well? Could different headlines or sub-headlines better communicate the essence of the story?

6. What are the most important steps for this author to take now?

7. What is the most important positive element of this piece of writing for the author to keep in mind as he or she moves forward?

Suggested Reading Material—Books

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Manhunt by James L. Swanson

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

No Name in the Street by James Baldwin

Suggested Reading Material—Books that are collections of shorter writing.

The Heart That Bleeds by Alma Guillermoprieto

Looking for History by Alma Guillermoprieto

Suggested Reading Material—Articles

"Death of an Innocent: How Christopher McCandless Lost His Way in the Wild," by Jon Krakauer. Here is the original article, reprinted on The Independent's website.

"Into Thin Air," by John Krakauer. Here is the original article, preserved by archive.org. It is very hard to find the article online nowadays!

"Orchid Fever," by Susan Orlean. Here is the original article, on the author's website.

"The Taste Makers," by Raffi Khatchadourian. Here is the original article, on the author's website.

"Painkiller Deathstreak," by Nicholson Baker. Here is the original article.

"Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," by Gay Talese. Here is the original article.

"Consider the Lobster," by David Foster Wallace. Here is the original article.

"Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu." by John Updike. Here is the original article, published on the baseball almanac site.

If you would like to read beyond this list, please stay true to what might be called "narrative nonfiction" or "literary journalism."

Other Resources

Lots of writing resources for narrative nonfiction & literary journalism: http://www.writersandeditors.com/narrative_nonfiction_57378.htm

The Library of Congress' archive of historic newspapers: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Many many different news sources' archives: http://www.ibiblio.org/riverat/internet/archives.html

The New York Times searchable archive from 1981 to present: http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?srchst=nyt&&srcht=a&srchr=n

The New York Times searchable archive from 1851 to 1980: http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?srchst=p

According to our class, "narrative nonfiction" and "literary journalism"...

• • Balance "facts" with a "story"

  • Define the setting clearly for the reader.

  • Develop characters.

  • Develop conflicts and the plot.

  • Use "immersion reporting" (the reporter is "there" or the reader is "there")

  • Use symbolism

  • Can focus on ordinary people

  • Can get an extraordinary story from ordinary people

  • Emphasize the perspective of the writer and/or the characters

  • Writer makes conscious choices about structure, tone, etc.

  • What initially seems like a simple story gives way to lots of layers

  • Is well-researched with interviews, details, observations, visits, etc.

  • Is accurate!

  • Tells a great story!

Videos from Spring, 2011