Posterity Podcasts Help Preserve Family Stories
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Brian Howie treasures a voicemail from a beloved friend. It is the only way he can still hear his late friend’s voice. For Christina Forward, a recording of her parents reading a Charlie Brown book serves as a way for her and her children to hear the late couple’s voices.
These experiences of loss and its aftermath left Howie and Forward wishing they had more audio recordings of their loved ones, so they decided to facilitate that for others.
They created the Posterity Podcasts program in response, which is run through PodPopuli, a podcast recording studio with a location in Hudson, which Howie founded. Forward owns Posterity Podcasts, in which she records, edits and produces oral histories for families. The program initially intended to focus on older adults and their stories, but Forward encourages anyone looking to preserve their experiences to participate.
“We help people from all walks of life — whoever has a voice and wants to get it out there,” she says.
The podcast, which Forward calls an audio album, can be made private for the family, and it serves as a way to preserve memories that can then get passed down to the family.
“We all have pictures of our loved ones, but there are so many stories behind those pictures,” Forward says. “To hear their voice telling those stories, and hear their laugh, their tone and everything — it just brings a whole other element.”
Get Started
Once a family, couple or individual decides to create a Posterity Podcasts audio album, Forward sends the participants a list of sample questions to think about before the recording process begins. Questions are typically about childhood memories, meeting a spouse, raising a family, places lived, things they’re proud of and life advice.
To create the audio album, Forward travels to the participant so they can talk face-to-face in their homes or another quiet place. She talks with participants for two recording sessions, which are each about two or three hours long.
“We get comfortable, and we just have a conversation,” she says.
Although Forward prompts people with the sample questions, she allows the conversation to flow to whatever is most interesting to the family. Sometimes younger family members ask the questions during the recording sessions instead, which Forward says can allow for more personalized questions, such as asking about specific family members and life experiences.
Whichever method is chosen, the audio album’s eight chapters end up sounding like conversational stories, around 20 to 45 minutes each. They generally reveal participants’ stories in chronological order, from childhood to adulthood to life lessons.
“At the end, I take my voice out, so all you’re hearing is them,” Forward says, adding that the family can receive the audio album in whatever digital format they prefer.
Story Time
The options are almost endless when it comes to what to talk about in the audio album. Forward recalls an older couple she spoke to who had some emotional moments while recording.
“He was confessing his love for his wife, and she just started tearing up,” she says. “Then she was talking about her grandchildren and how it was such a blessing being a part of their life.”
Sometimes older adults look back at historical moments or how society has changed throughout their lives. “A lot of people will talk about how technology has evolved … or the different presidents and what was going on during that time,” Forward says. “It almost takes them back to that time.”
Hearing these stories has been eye-opening for Forward, too.
“I just thought it was fascinating how they remember so much detail, like what they were doing when JFK was shot,” she says. “They’re well into their 80s and 90s, and they can still remember very specific moments of their life.”
No matter the topic, the conversations during the recording sessions are often honest and touching.
“I’ve sat there and cried with some people just because they’re opening up so much,” Forward says. “It’s an honor to be a part of each recording and be able to provide a memoir.”
Capture It
Participants’ families have been grateful for the audio albums, which serve as a kind of heirloom filled with family history.
“They have this time capsule of their parents’ life, and some of these stories they’ve never heard before,” Forward says. “It sounds so much more meaningful when it is recorded like that, and they are being really honest.”
And it isn’t just the participants’ family members who are grateful. Forward says the process often makes people feel valued.
“I think it makes them feel loved and appreciated, like, Somebody actually cares about my stories,” she says, “I know that they will be passed on, and I won’t be forgotten.”
But the opportunity isn’t limited to older adults, Forward says, adding it could also be meaningful for terminally ill people.
“I think it would be a therapeutic way for them to feel like they are going to be remembered,” she says. “I have several friends who have gone through cancer. Some of them have very young kids. And if they were to pass on, this is a way to remember their voice and their laughter.”
Make it Memorable
Whoever wants to record their story can, and Forward has some tips for making the most of the experience.
Participants should start by taking a look at the sample questions she sends them. They should sit with the questions for a while, take some notes and consider what main points they’d like to discuss. Forward recommends looking through old photo albums and thinking back to the impactful moments to jog their memories further. These could be great stories to bring up during the recording sessions.
No matter what stories they decide to tell, honesty and authenticity can make the experience truly meaningful for generations to come.
“It can be a platform for them to get out things that they wouldn’t say at the dinner table together or during a holiday,” Forward says. “We have so much going on every day that we don’t really sit down and express how we feel or how much we mean to each other.”
Link: PodPopuli