OHC to offer Writing Workshop

“If all that you know about your family history are “the begets,” that is boring,” declares Jeannie Simms Dobson.  She will be presenting workshops entitled Capturing Family Stories Before Time Whisks Them Away at the Oconee Heritage Center on July 20 and 27 from noon until 2pm.  In Session I, students will learn to weave the details of a family event into a good story.  At the second session, students will master techniques for adding electrifying details and editing.  This fall, an optional third session coincides with the Oconee Heritage Center’s Fireside Story Telling Festival.  When nights turn chilly, the community is invited to huddle around the fireside for a marshmallow roast and an entertaining evening of sharing our stories. Dobson confides, “My Great-grandmother came alive to me after my mother told me this story.  The year is 1929: the place is Chicago.  My great grandmother exits a DAR meeting, and she locks eyes with a dapper gentleman. My, you look so familiar! Do tell me, kind sir, from whence have we been acquainted.  My name is Jennie Sibley Diehl.  I believe that we met in Sunday School Class at Covenant Presbyterian Church!  At that moment, a swarm of unsavory characters surrounds the mystery man, and they vanish into the crowds promenading on State Street. When Jennie opened the evening paper, she confronted that man once again.  Naturally, she felt a sense of familiarity when she saw him on State Street!  The notorious criminal, Al Capone’s visage had embellished every newspaper since the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.  My affable ancestor “fingered” Scarface Al and lived to tell the story.”   Participants should come prepared with a family event that they wish to preserve.  Bring in pictures of your ancestors and family artifacts. Recall the incident with as many family members as possible to learn all the details.  Dobson declares, “Don’t let fear of standard grammar and spelling keep you away from this workshop.  We are going to write the way people actually talk.  If your uncle says, “thays” instead of “there is,” that is the way it will be in your story.” The workshops will provide an opportunity for folks to record the delightfully intriguing little interludes that make their ancestors come alive.  After capturing these stories, the instructor will share two ways to preserve them: creating attractive scrapbooks or sharing them in the oral tradition.  The fee to attend is $12 per session for Oconee Heritage Center members, $15 per session for non-members.   If you sign up for both sessions, it is $20 for members and $25 for non-members.  To register for the workshops contact the Oconee Heritage Center at 864-638-2224.