Life Event Storyboard Cards For Memoir Team Writing
Young people collaborate with older adults to mutually capture memories of major life events and write a memoir of each of their lives using life event storyboard cards
Written by Avi Solomon
How would you describe your idea in one sentence?
Young people collaborate with older adults to mutually capture memories of major life events and write a memoir of each of their lives using life event storyboard cards. This is a mutually beneficial relationship that leverages the unique talents of each team member.
-Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:1 (23a)
A storyboard is a sequence of images and words drawn together on a page to form a narrative. A storyboard is an apt metaphor for how we make sense of our own life history. Storyboarding can be used to sense emergent patterns in our own life story and to envision the life experiences that we wish to welcome into our future.
A Life event storyboard card is a paper storyboard template with life event prompts (e.g. what is your first memory, who influenced you the most, what is the recipe for your favorite dish etc.) printed on the back of the card to help quickly capture major life events.
The life event prompts can be adapted from the list of questions in Barbara Haight's Life Review Form.
Young people will collaborate with older adults to mutually capture memories of major life events and write a memoir of each of their lives using life event storyboard cards. This is a mutually beneficial relationship that leverages the unique talents of each team member (even people in their teens can benefit from writing a memoir). Two young people (combining drawing and writing skills) could work together with one older adult. Interviews would be conducted in person and the writing could be done over the course of a semester.
A memoir storyboard would be made using the life event storyboard cards to capture and guide writing and structuring the content of the memoir, which can also be accompanied by relevant multimedia. The final edited memoir document could be published as an ebook and a print book with the older adult's permission and all revenues would accrue to the older adult.
References:
The Handbook of Structured Life Review by Barbara K. Haight and Barrett S. Haight. Health Professions Press, 2007.
Telling the Stories of Life Through Guided Autobiography Groups
by James E. Birren and Kathryn N. Cochran. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.
32 comments
Join the conversation:
CommentKaixuan Liu