PUBLISHING YOUR OWN MAGAZINE

HOW TO GET STARTED

PAGE SIX

ORAL HISTORY TAKING:

Depending on the amount of time you are able to devote to the production of your magazine, there are many additional ways through which you can obtain material suitable for publication from your readers.

As mentioned previously, many people find it almost impossible to write about their recollections despite the fact that they have so much to contribute. I have spent many hours on the phone listening to people relate their experiences to me only to be told that they simply cannot write them down on paper. To make things easier, I have begun visiting people in their homes where I can record their memories as they are told to me.

I am not qualified in the art of documenting Oral History and I do not employ any special techniques or equipment, I simply sit, listen carefully to what the person has to say and take as many notes as possible.

Such personal visits very often provide a much clearer picture than would be available had that person submitted their own recollections to you on paper. You have the opportunity to ask questions, clarify certain points and offer gentle hints to expand on what you have learned so far.

I try to create a situation where the person being interviewed feels comfortable and at ease, as if they were simply having a conversation with me.

Once you have obtained as much information as you deem possible, perhaps over a period of several visits, it is then usually a relatively easy task to compile your hastily scribbled notes into a readable and interesting account of that persons life.

There is great satisfaction to be gained from employing such tactics and being able to record stories that without those efforts would never have become known.

One of the benefits of producing a community magazine is that you will find many people willing to assist you voluntarily. The whole idea of documenting local history through your own personal efforts is something that a lot of people find inviting and I have the assistance of two volunteers who now carry out a number of interviews on my behalf using similar techniques to those outlined above.

While every personal memory has its own special place within your collection, there are occasions when you receive stories that simply make all the effort you have put into the production of your magazine worthwhile.

Your magazine offers people an outlet, giving them the opportunity to relate things that may have gone untold for many years. Hidden away in drawers, cupboards and chests are some of the most intimate and moving stories you are ever likely to read.

I have shared tales of immense sadness, tales of happiness and joy and tales of undying love. To be the recipient of such stories makes me proud to have done what I have done in making available an outlet for such personal expression.

I have received copies of several letters that were sent over sixty years ago from members of our armed forces to their loved ones back home. When you think that after all that time you are suddenly in receipt of a letter that in many cases has laid undisturbed since then you quickly realise what a wonderful project you have created.


Michael Norfolk.