Oral History Projects

Oral history projects enhance our understanding of the past by gathering, recording, and preserving firsthand accounts of participants in historical events. Although the interview takes center stage, these projects begin long before and end long after the meeting of historian and narrator. They involve thorough historical research, conducting and recording evocative and ethical interviews, production and editing of interview transcripts, and preparation of interview materials for permanent archiving in a repository. The end result is an insightful, enduring, and accessible contribution to the historical record.

I have worked on a wide variety of oral history projects. I have interviewed veterans of the U.S. war in Vietnam and veterans of the movement against the war; gathered stories from immigrants who turned Minneapolis’ Nicollet Avenue into Eat Street and judges who sat on Minnesota’s first appellate court; listened to activists share their insights and to mothers share their heartbreak. I have worked for historical societies, neighborhood organizations, and nonprofits. I have developed projects from conception to conclusion, but have also been hired to execute work defined by others.

I am particularly interested in projects that seek to unearth stories that have been obscured from the dominant historical narrative and those with a focus on social justice. I specialize in women’s history, post-World War II U.S. and Minnesota culture, and community oral history. My work adheres to the Oral History Association’s Principles and Best Practices and I am committed to an equitable, just, and inclusive oral history practice as evidenced by my work on the OHA’s Independent Practitioners Task Force.

Learn more about some of my projects: