The Reset
I'm very pleased that my short essay about the oral history project and wedding planning was published by the Reset. Read about it here: https://thereset.com/punch-bowl/life-beyond-wedding-planning/
That's all for now!
Antelope Magazine
Over the past year, Meghan McGrath and I have been working on launching a new literary magazine called the Antelope Magazine: A Journal of Oral Histories and Mayhem. It's based on Suzanne Briet’s “What is Documentation?” (1951) where she expands the notion of what a document can be. She uses an antelope as an example: it can be photographed, drawn, recorded and taxidermied when it dies. The antelope is a document.
The Antelope Magazine is attempting to provide a diversity of mediums in honor of this idea. The magazine's inaugural theme is Flight. We have oral histories with beekeepers, pilots, drone enthusiasts, interviews with ecologists, photographs of aerialists and hot air balloons, cartoons about evil birds, and much more.
This is a labor of love of Meghan and me. We are doing this to spread great new work out there. We are committed to paying our contributors for their incredible work. We have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help pay for the printing costs and compensation. If you are interested and able, I am asking if you would be willing to support this new endeavor. Or if you can spread the word with your networks. Or both!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1943130585/the-antelope
Thanks for everything! We can't wait to share the Antelope Magazine with you all.
Lessons Learned
Last week, I had the unusual experience of being asked questions about my work and career. I had someone approach me who was interested in doing their own oral history project and wanted to know more about my process, etc. It was really gratifying that someone would seek out my advice. As a result of the informational interview, I decided to write a post about what I have learned in the past two years of conducting oral histories. This is by no means a definitive list but just a few thoughts.
1. Do your research. Spend time learning about the person you are going to interview before the interview. Or the topic that you are going to talk to them about. Some oral history books say three hours per interviewee but that may not be possible given information interview. But I spend a fair amount of time looking at everything I can about a person. Read old interviews (if available), anything they've written. I go to shows and exhibitions, watch videos. I do all of this so I can prepare questions. Of course those questions may not be used but at least I have them. The person you are interviewing you is doing you a favor. They are giving you their time so use it wisely.
2. Don't put people on the spot. You always want to be respectful of the person you are interviewing. One of the questions that I started the project with was "What was it like being a woman artist?" A lot of times people didn't have an answer. They hadn't really thought about it. After doing some reading, I later realized that I was putting people on the spot. While I somehow knew I shouldn't ask people how their race or religion had impacted their work, I realized that gender was in the same category. These issues may come up in the interview but not because of a direct question of mine. If the person you are interviewing wants to talk about those issues, so be it. If they don't, they don't.
3. Invest in a good recorder. I just bought a recorder and started. If you want to do something with the audio like a podcast, you probably want a nicer recorder. Transom.org has recommendations about equipment. http://transom.org/topics/tools/page/2/
4. Have a release form. This release form needs to be signed so that you have permission to use the material. It helps prevent/mitigate headaches later on. I didn't start doing this until 6 months in. Now I have to track down the women I didn't ask for an interview release form. Ugh!
5. Don't be afraid to ask someone to participate. If you ask someone politely and respectfully, they may agree to participate in your project. I've reached out to people through people, asked for introductions, and when all else fails, I'll "cold" email someone. Some people have never responded but others have and I've done amazing interviews with them. Don't discount an interview because you think they wouldn't have time for you. You never know unless you try.
6. Have a focus. It helps to have a theme you want to explore like women artists in Chicago or athletes in a school. Also having an end goal like a book or archive does help you. It also gives your work some weight to it since people who may participate know you have a plan. You aren't just doing it for the sake of doing it.
7. Have a release form. Have some kind of document that says the person agrees to let you use the material. And then ask everyone to sign it. Preferably, before the interview starts. Or you will have to chase people down afterwards.
8. Share the transcript with people after the interview. This is common courtesy but makes good sense. I tell people that I will do this as they sign the release form.
8. Most important, you can start doing oral histories. You don't have to be in school or have an institution behind you. You can buy a recorder and start contacting people. It's up to you to start!
Those are just a few thoughts that I had about oral histories. Hope it helps those of you out there on the fence about doing your own projects!
55 and Counting
Hello all! It’s been a busy few weeks. This past weekend, I completed interview 55 at the Zhou B Art Center! I’m coming close to the end of the interviewing stage of the project. Only a few more interviews before I’m ready to start the second half of the project: the transcribing and editing of all of the interviews. I’m getting pumped!
I also finished my 8 minute piece for Vocalo. What a process that was! I really learned so much, everything from how to get good tape to how to write for radio. I’m so happy that I had this opportunity. I think my final piece came out well and I can’t wait to share it with you all. I’m not sure when that will be exactly, but I’ll definitely post a link to it when I’m able to share it. I also can’t wait to work on my next audio piece!
Sculpture outside Zhou B Art Center
That’s all the news right now!
Happy New Year!
It's been a few weeks since i've last posted. The great news is that I have completed 52 interviews by the year's end. I've been working on this project since July 2014 with the intention of only doing one interview a month. Clearly, that fell by the wayside.
I just want to reiterate how lucky I am for all the women who have taken the time to meet with me and share their thoughts and stories about their work and lives. People have been so generous with their time and sometimes their homes and studios. I already knew that Chicago was filled with amazing people but I'm so thankful to have it reaffirmed over and over again. Thank you to all the participants!
For those of you wondering about the timeline of the project, I am nearing the end of the interviews. I had originally thought that I would continue interviewing until June 30, 2016 but I don't want a 500 page book. Now, I envision stopping around 60 interviews. So yes, the research stage is near an end. Once I finish the interviews, I'll work on getting everything transcribed; I have some transcriptions completed. And then, the grand work of editing interviews for the book is next.
So stay tuned!
Also this news about Sundance directors is exciting. Not 50% but the numbers are moving in the right direction.