WWU / Fairhaven College of Interdiscipinary Studies
The Memories Project
Because your story is important.
The history of Fairhaven College lies in the multiple stories of those who have spent any time there, in any capacity. They may offer conflicting perspectives. They may not all be love stories. No problem. What is important is that your experience is represented!
Share Fairhaven experiences.
Typically, oral history interviews involve an interviewer and narrator, often an "expert" and an "informant." Another model invites those who share an experience to interview each other, exemplified most notably by StoryCorps. Inspired by the WPA project in the 30s, StoryCorps seeks to document the American experience through American voices.
The Fairhaven Memories Project has adopted the StoryCorps model because, unlike the WPA project that usually involved "outsider" interviews, it offers a structure in which "insiders" can share stories about topics they both know well.
Trade Stories.
Think of the Fairhaven Memories Project as trading stories rather than recording conversations. This means that participants will take turns as narrators and interviewers.
In conversation mode, we often focus on what we're going to say next; in interviewer mode, we tend to listen more carefully so that our probing questions will encourage the narrator to elaborate on the story.
Where:
- At Fairhaven College—by appointment (see contact below). A facilitator will be available to help set up equipment, get you started, and make copies of the recordings when you finish.
- At gatherings of Fairhaven Alumni. When appropriate, a Fairhaven Memories recording kit will be available for those who want to participate. Want to host an event in your location for that purpose? Let us know.
- At a quiet place of your own choosing. Maybe it would be more convenient for you to record your story in your own space with your own equipment. If so, we would love to have a copy for the archive. Digital recordings are preferable because they can be added most readily to the collection. Analog cassettes can be digitized when we have staff to do so.
