Writing family stories
Writer and teacher Brenda Hudson shared her story-project method when the Family History Interest Group met on April 13.
Writing your family stories
Wed, Apr 13 2022, 10am
“Writing your family stories” will be our topic when UMRA’s Family History Interest Group meets via Zoom from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13. An invitation with the link to join the meeting will be sent to all UMRA members a week before the meeting.
Have you always wanted to capture your family stories but never gotten around to it, or known where to begin? Perhaps you started but are stuck or overwhelmed. Perhaps you have written a great deal but are looking for new aspects of family history to share. Maybe you want to pen your stories just for yourself, without any intention of sharing. If any of these scenarios rings true, this presentation is for you.
Our guest presenter, Brenda Hudson, ’10 PhD, will guide us in her story-project method to capture your family’s history easily and quickly, one story at a time. Learn how to overcome doubt, writer's block, and/or being overwhelmed as Hudson shares practical and creative ways to finally write or expand the stories that shape your family’s past, present, and future. By the end of the session, you will have the encouragement and direction needed to start or continue writing your family stories.
Hudson teaches writing at Walden University, The Loft, and Voiced Life. Her book "Story by Story: 15 Projects to Write Your Family Legacy" is the foundation for the workshop she will be leading.
Come prepared for a short writing exercise! There will also be time for questions and answers.
—Lynn C. Anderson and Craig Swan, FHIG co-chairs
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.