I was first introduced to recording life stories through my Sociology degree 20 years ago and decided to do one with my only surviving grandparent, my 85 year old granddad.
I spent 3 days with him recording a chronological interview. What struck me about the process was how calming and clarifying he found it. He would sit down in his armchair waiting for me to get ready for 4 hour stints. After each section there was this peace in the room.
Over the years I have recorded many more life stories and the one constant is they are always interesting in unpredictable ways, and why they’re interesting changes over time and is different for every listener.
If you would like to go through the same process, either with us or by doing it yourself, we’d love to hear from you.