Radner to present ‘Family Stories’ in Wolfeboro

WOLFEBORO — The Humanities to Go program “Family Stories: How and Why To Remember and Tell Them,” led by Jo Radner, will come to the Family History Center at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday, June 27, at 6:30 p.m. 

The program, sponsored by the Lakes Region Genealogy Interest Group and the Wolfeboro Public Library, is free.

Storytelling connects strangers, strengthens links between generations, and gives children the self-knowledge to carry them through hard times. Knowledge of family history has been linked to better teen behavior and mental health.

Offering an interactive program, Radner will share ways to mine memories and interview relatives for meaningful stories. Participants will have an opportunity to practice finding, developing, and telling their own tales.

Radner received her doctor of philosophy degree from Harvard University. Before returning to her family home in western Maine as a freelance storyteller and oral historian, she spent 31 years as professor at American University in Washington, D.C., teaching literature, folklore, American studies, Celtic studies, and storytelling. She has published books and articles, and is now writing a book titled ‘Performing the Paper: Rural Self-Improvement in Northern New England,’ about a 19th-century village tradition of creating and performing handwritten literary newspapers. She is past president of the American Folklore Society and the National Storytelling Network.

The Lakes Region Genealogy Interest Group is free to anyone with an interest in genealogy. The Family History Center at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located at 388 N. Main St.

For more information, call Cindy Scott at the Wolfeboro Public Library at 603-569-2428.