Seniors tell their life stories
Public library pilot program helps seniors hone memoir writing skills
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Since immigrating to Canada from Ireland when she was young, Muriel Tolley has been collecting stories about living in Canada.
Some of her fondest memories, she says, was seeing her first Saskatchewan snowfall and later moving to the Northwest Territories with her husband. She has always wanted to write these memories down.
"As a family, we've had lots of adventures," she said. "I want to record them for the family."
Tolley had the opportunity to put some of her life story to paper in a beginner memoir writing workshop for seniors organized by the Yellowknife Public Library.
For the duration of the program, participants learn what distinguishes memoir from autobiography, developing a theme and narrative arc, descriptive writing, research and how to use memory. Throughout the class, participants worked on a draft with help from the instructor.
Public services librarian John Mutford said Memoir Writing 101 is part of the library's mandate to engage seniors in literary endeavors.
"We like the idea of our population as bearers of information," he said.
"Memoirs seemed like a perfect fit. We wanted a way to help them perfect their skills and gain confidence in their memoir telling so that everyone could benefit."
In the final class Dec. 4, Tolley read out loud from the piece she was drafting.
"The story is about me coming to Canada as a child with my family, leaving Ireland across the ocean in a big ship and then taking a train across Canada and settling in," she said.
"I've learned so much about how to put a memoir together that I'm thinking of all the little stories I can add to it. What I liked about what I learned most of all is that quite often a memoir will have a theme and so I chose for my theme adventure, which I think got its beginnings crossing the ocean when I was a child."
The instructor, nonfiction writer and editor Annelies Pool, said teaching the class was a delightful experience because her students were enthusiastic to learn.
"It went really well," she said. "They were engaged and really wanted to do it so I had a lot of fun."
For photographer Dyanne Wilson, the class helped her step out of her comfort zone, which has always been behind a camera.
"Annelies has really helped us put our stories on paper, and be more open, and honest about what we have to say," she said. "So I envisioned myself writing more and more."
She said she titled her piece When to Jump. It is about her experience learning to skydive when she was younger.
"This is a great program for seniors. Seniors have a lot of wisdom and I think it is great that there is funding for this and I hope to see it run again and more courses for seniors because I think seniors have a lot to offer," said Wilson.
Mutford added the program was very well received.
"We hope to offer it again in the future," he said.
Funded by a Service Canada New Horizons for Seniors grant, Memoir Writing 101 is a free program that began in October and finished Dec. 4.
