Write It Down
LifeWriters Share Recollections, Leave Legacy Of Stories
Last updated Saturday, June 2, 2007 9:50 PM CDT in Living
By Debbie Miller
THE MORNING NEWS
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SPRINGDALE - Rich, vibrant images from adventures past permeated the room as a series of readers shared their stories.
Phyllis Gruetzmacher spoke of pails glistening in the Wisconsin sunlight, containers strategically positioned to catch the sweet liquid that would become maple syrup. She described the sweet taste and the childhood query: "How many people know you can drink from a tree?" She incorporated sensory elements of the liquid making a pinging noise as it dropped in the pail and of the stickiness permeating everything associated with the syrup's cooking and preparation.
Houstine Cooper read a letter to her family back in the States telling what she and the children saw when they arrived in Guam in 1959 to be with her military husband, Raymond. The off-base accommodations required some adjustments, including making do with sparse furniture in the absence of their household items. She mentioned a notation that the furniture arrived many months later after having gone to Puerto Rico and Alaska.
Cooper's sister, June Neal, talked of a perfect day's journey through the Ozarks with her husband. Her words chronicled her reverence at visiting an old cemetery and reading the moss-covered tombstones, her observation of the subtle distinctions in hues among the gigantic trees, and the taste of wild strawberries that had been almost hidden by buttercups.
Betty Turner shared some of her experiences as one of the students who integrated the junior high schools in Little Rock after the events at Little Rock Central in 1957.
The afternoon of public readings from LifeWriters of Northwest Arkansas was part of Arkansas Heritage Month. Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale hosted the May 26 program "Saving and Sharing Our Life Stories: It's Everybody's Business."
June Jefferson acts as a coach for several LifeWriting groups throughout Northwest Arkansas.
She laced tips about how to chronicle one's own experiences with the readings and championed the value of leaving a written legacy.
"We are each responsible for preserving the history that we know," she said.
She shared with the group the impact of finding a notebook her father kept and how those words gave her new insight. "It told me something about that person and who he was before he met my mother."
She urged the group to commit memories to paper and not allow the nagging internal voice to deter them.
"Every story is valuable and worth preserving," she said.
An essay by Paula Thompson in a Shiloh Museum newsletter spoke to Jefferson. Words she found especially poignant: "Don't leave a hole in the quilt of history where your patch ought to be."
For those intimidated by the notion of writing whole essays, Jefferson shared some pointers similar to those she uses with the LifeWriting groups:
* Pick a moment.
* Think in terms of jotting down just "a moment of time in your life that you can leave for someone else."
* Talk about how it feels, how it tastes, what you hear.
Not all writings have to take the same form, Jefferson noted. She mentioned Cooper's letter as one of the easiest ways to begin writing about one's life.
Another reader, Sybil Shephard, used poetry to express her ideas.
Jefferson credited John Steinbeck with some of the other pointers she shared:
* Don't start by trying to write chronologically.
* Put in all the details. Describe what the person wore, what they ate, what colors were visible.
* Write for short periods of time at first.
Martha Estes offered a reading about traveling with her brother past various Fayetteville locations from their childhood and hearing his recollections associated with familiar places. She also shared some of his laments when the familiar had given way to new buildings and new enterprises. "This is not progress," she quoted at one particular location's demise.
After the readings, Estes echoed some of Jefferson's comments about the value of leaving a writing legacy.
Without chronicling snippets of personal history, she said, the stories would just get lost.
"I realize nobody's going to tell them but me," she said. Preserving the past goes in lockstep with another of her interests: genealogy.
Marilyn McClure Yoder closed the day's sessions with a couple of tales, including one about her love of theater and her experience as a mature performer once again donning a costume and belting out a show tune.
She, too, celebrates capturing memories on paper.
The most important lesson she's learned to date is the notion of writing short pieces. "You can be a writer and not write a whole book," she said.
The exercise of writing some vignettes can open a floodgate of recollections.
A key realization for Yoder has centered on that writing truth: "When you write one thing, you remember 10 more."
At A Glance
Event: "Saving and Sharing Our Life Stories: It's Everybody's Business
Date and location: May 26 at Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
Context: The afternoon of public readings and memoir writing tips was part of the Department of Arkansas Heritage's month-long statewide celebration with the theme "Our Business is Heritage: Preserving, Protecting, Promoting."
Information: www.arkansasheritage.com/heritage_month
Source: Staff Report
At A Glance
LifeWriting Neighborhood Groups
Purpose: Remembering, writing and sharing life's stories
Times, venues:
* First and third Mondays, 10 a.m. to noon, Shiloh Museum, Springdale
* First and third Tuesdays, 1 to 3 p.m., Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Rogers
* First and third Wednesdays, 1 to 3 p.m., West Fork Public Library, West Fork
Description: This is a time for brief quick writing, reading, listening and developing personal story skills. The groups are for anyone interested in preserving a record of one's own life, families or communities. "We experiment
Additional information: A Saturday monthly writing group has been in practice since 1996, meeting from 10 a.m. to noon on a Saturday of each month and writing in a variety of inspirational venues in Northwest Arkansas. Call for information.
June Jefferson, the writing coach, also offers structured writing classes.
Information about meetings or classes: June Jefferson, LifeWriting, P.O. Box 4026, Fayetteville, 72702, 790-2588 or e-mail jjefferson@arkansasusa.com (include LifeWriting in the subject line).
Source: Staff Report
At A Glance
LifeWriting Concepts
* Writing is a valuable tool in terms of health and socialization.
* There is a large collection of supportive scientific studies and documentation concerning the health and community benefits of writing.
* Of equal importance is the remembrance, writing, and (thus) preservation of the stories of individuals whose everyday lives are significant to our knowledge and understanding of the history of society.
Source: A printed statement of philosophy and practice from June Jefferson
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