Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction | Non-fiction: Adventure with a Purpose

  • Home
  • Mike Scott Thrillers
    • Held Hostage: Search for the Juncal
    • Water Crisis: Day Zero
    • Turks and Chaos: Hostile Waters
    • The 3rd Key: Sharks in the Water
    • Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao
    • Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage
    • Heart of the Maya: Murder for the Gods
    • Wreck of the Huron: Cuban Secrets
    • Guardians’ Keep: Mystery below the Adriatic
    • Flooding Hollywood: Fanatics at the Dam
    • Cayman Cowboys: Reefs Under Pressure
  • Withrow Key
    • Lyin’ Fish
    • Tales from Withrow Key
  • Thriller Audiobooks
    • Cayman Cowboys: Reefs Under Pressure
    • Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao
    • Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage
    • Turks and Chaos: Hostile Waters
    • Lyin’ Fish
  • Agent AJ West
  • About the Author
    • Scuba diving thrillers!
    • Six Questions with Eric Douglas
    • Publicity and Interviews
  • Nonfiction
    • For Cheap Lobster
    • Heart Survivor: Recovery After Heart Surgery
    • Oral History
      • Batter Up!
      • Memories of the Valley
      • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
      • Capturing Memories: How to Record Oral Histories
    • Dive-abled: The Leo Morales Story
    • Keep on, Keepin’ On: A Breast Cancer Story
    • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
    • Russia: The New Age
    • Scuba Diving Safety
  • Free Short Fiction
  • Collections
    • Mike Scott Box Set 3 (Books 7-10)
    • Mike Scott Box-Set 4-6
    • Mike Scott Box-Set 1-3
    • Tales from Withrow Key
    • Sea Turtle Rescue and Other Stories
    • River Town
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Documentary / Listening to people: oral history

Listening to people: oral history

May 6, 2015 By Eric Douglas

A few days ago, I was in a local office supply store when an older gentleman made eye contact and decided to show me what he was working on. He had some old pictures of a train that ran Blue Creek in the Elkview area. He was having them laminated and explained that when he was a kid, he didn’t ride a bus to school… he rode a train. It was a cool story and a fascinating little piece of history. Why he chose me to share it with, I have no idea. I guess I just look curious.

I have a degree in Journalism from Marshall. After school, I worked in local newspapers for a few years, first in Matewan and then writing for the Metro/Neighbors sections of Charleston newspapers. I quickly discovered my favorite part of the job was human interest stories and features. I really enjoyed talking to people and listening to what they had to say.

Flash forward 25 years and one of my favorite projects is to collect oral histories. Oral histories are recorded memories. They can be about early childhood, work experiences, war experiences or family life. It is extremely important for families to record the memories and voices of older generations so those memories are not lost.

During FestivALL 2015, I’ve been asked to coordinate collecting oral histories around Charleston June 22-26. (We’re planning to do some person-on-the-street interviews on the weekends, too). The FestivALL Oral History Project seeks to collect oral histories from everyday Charleston residents and those who live in the surrounding area. Where appropriate, we’ll direct oral history interviews with questions relating to life in the Charleston area, (earliest memory, connections to the river, etc.) but will leave the oral history up to you.

We’ll use excerpts from these recordings to develop a multimedia documentary and memory wall. Participation in that portion of the project is voluntary and not required if you want to have your oral history recorded.

I’m still looking for a couple locations who are interested in hosting a day of recordings. So far, we are recording at The Clay Center (June 22) and Emmanuel Baptist Church on the West Side (June 23). We can set up to record in churches, libraries, community centers or wherever. If you’re interested in hosting the FestivALL Oral History Project, send me an email. I’m asking that the location sponsors maintain the schedule for their location to keep people flowing in and out.

If you want to have your story recorded as part of the project, watch the FestivALL website for details on locations and contact information on how to sign up. Each interview will take about an hour..

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Filed Under: Documentary

Get a free, exclusive short story!

When you sign up, you can download a free Mike Scott short story collection. Theses three stories are only available to members of the mailing list. Don’t worry, we won’t spam you or sell your email address. We hate that, too.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

How I got into diving!

https://youtu.be/gKhw-4tORAM

Real Thugs: A Cult of Murder — Small groups of travelers have disappeared all over the mid-Atlantic without a trace. When bodies turn up with what appear to be ritual markings, FBI Agent AJ West is on the hunt for what might be a serial killer. Or something even more sinister. It’s a race against […]

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

View Book

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Going to the circus! February 20, 2023
  • Cayman Cowboys is now an Audiobook! November 24, 2020
  • Halloween 2020 – as if reality wasn’t scary enough October 30, 2020
  • Real Trick and What Noise? October 30, 2020
  • Local Diving — Summersville Lake September 21, 2020

Blog posts, by category

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 ·