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The Magic of Recording a Voice, a Story and a Family History

Join us for a FREE virtual program on March 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET!

You can create time travel.

I remember the expectation I had in 2006 when I popped a simple audio cassette tape into a player and hit "play."
What followed was pure magic, the actual voice of my beloved Grandma Bir. It was like music to me. In 1979 my cousins sat down with grandma and asked her all sorts of questions about her life, her marriage, her kids. The stories she told were golden and full of emotion and humor, and suddenly, I had a deeper understanding of the beauty, the struggles and the victories that made up her life as she and grandpa had raised seven children during the great depression. Grandma died the next year.

I'd been collecting family stories on my own. I've sat down and interviewed many of my Aunts and Uncles and cousins and asked them questions about their lives. It's absolutely fascinating to me and a treasure for anyone who wants to travel back in time and start to breathe life into your family history.

Throughout my career in video, I've collected hundreds of interviews and I've also talked with many people who so wished they still had the chance to ask their parents or grandparents more about their life; questions about where they came from, what they wanted in life and the struggles and beauties of their lived experience. 

So for my hour with you, I'll give you ideas and tips and even questions you can ask someone in your family. It's not hard to record with a phone or camera and I can almost guarantee some of the things they tell you will knock your socks off.

Presented by Joe Collins.