A while back, Laura Mortensen sat down with a tape recorder and asked her mother, Melba, a few questions about her life. The result was this sweet little book, "I Wish You Bluebirds." I wanted to show it to you because it's a great example of what can be done with a recorded oral interview and a few pictures.
Laura transcribed the recording of her mother's reminiscences and did some light editing of the transcript. She rearranged a few bits, and polished up the narrative (because very few of us actually speak in, uuhm, like, complete sentences.) Then she brought it to us, along with a few pictures, to create this lovely little book.
The title for Melba's book came from a favorite poem:
“These messengers of happiness
Greet you on joyful wings;
May their pure joy lodge in your heart,
And always, always sing.”
The book is small, 6" x 8", and about 80 pages. We used a soft blue accent color and the bluebird motif throughout. The story begins with Melba's first memory of being taught by her mother to feed the birds that perched on their fenceposts.
The book was completed rather quickly, in time to give to Melba's family for Mother's Day.
Do you have an oral interview of a loved one, languishing somewhere in a drawer on a cassette tape? In just a short while and with little effort, you can transform it into something beautiful, a lasting heirloom that will never become obsolete.
