Your Story is History.

How do we preserve the voices that textbooks often overlook? Oral history is more than just a recorded conversation. It is a bridge across cultures, a tool for social justice, and a rigorous practice of empathy.

The Austin History Center invites you to a workshop led by Terri Myers and Stephanie Lang.

The oral history workshop is for anyone who has ever thought about recording the history of family or church members, schoolmates, or friends but didn't know where to start. It covers the basics about setting up interviews, inexpensive equipment, and asking questions that will give more detail than simply "yes" or "no" answers. The workshop includes a hands-on exercise for participants to practice what they've learned. The workshop presenters will discuss transcription, archiving interviews, and the use of release forms.

Whether you are a student, a family genealogist, or a community activist, this workshop will equip you with the technical and emotional skills needed to record history from the ground up.

Meet Your Instructors

Terri Myers is a historian whose work focuses on highlighting and documenting historic buildings and sites associated with underrepresented communities of color. In Austin, she has listed the Willie Wells House in the National Register of Historic Places and recently listed the O.H. and Thelma Elliott House, where former council member Ora Houston grew up and still lives, as a City of Austin Historic Landmark. Over the past several years she has worked with the Travis County Historical Commission to identify and document Freedom Colonies in Travis County. Ms. Myers has recorded oral histories in nearly all of her projects as she has found they are the best way to obtain information about underrepresented communities.

Stephanie Lang is a published author and community curator who has worked in tandem with the engaged community and the University of Texas. Through programming, initiatives, and collaborative projects, Ms. Lang has worked to connect communities and address their priorities while also harnessing the power of storytelling to explore concepts of home, place, and memory.

The Art of Listening: An Oral History Workshop

Join Terri Myers and Stephanie Lang to learn the ethics, empathy, and craft of community storytelling.