Last week was a whirlwind. The 20th anniversary of the Association of Personal Historians conference in Sacramento flew by, and felt like a true success.
The conference was mentioned in a series of articles in the Sacramento Bee, you can read them here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/history/article41412336.html
On Wednesday, October 21st, I flew on Southwest Airlines to Sacramento, it was a smooth flight with an entertaining crew.
I checked in at the conference with Julie Blade, an intrepid member of the conference marketing team.
I was honored to see What Lies Within continue to sell at the conference store, cheerfully managed by Mary Ann Mayers.
The tables were full of beautiful stories.
I had the honor to hear and meet Dr. Satsuki Ina who documented the Japanese experience during WWII. She is an incredible woman.
I nearly cried when Association of Personal Historians Executive Director Linda Coffin presented me with an award for outstanding achievement in personal history. It was such a surprise, and I am truly grateful.
After many years and a wide variety of positions, I closed my final APH conference by reading my piece “My Two Families: Nature or Nurture” at Tales from the Heart. I was pleased to find my swan song for APH so well received.
It was wonderful to be reunited with colleagues who all do this important work of saving stories in many forms.
These colleagues have become friends who inspire my creativity by sharing their projects, freely exchanging their ideas, and supporting my work as a personal historian and memoir writer. APH is a group of like-minded souls and storytellers. I feel so fortunate to be among them.