Oral History At The Stephentown Historical Society

“Tell Me About It,” an oral history project at the Stephentown Memorial Library, is the topic for the Stephentown Historical Society on Monday, March 7, at 7:30 pm. Library Director Laurenne Teachout will present the program along with several of the participants. The meeting will be at the Stephentown Heritage Center on Garfield Road, Stephentown.  It is free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible. For directions or information, phone 518-733-5935.
The “Tell Me About It” oral history project focuses on eight local seniors selected to tell their stories. They worked with local youth and the professional storytelling duo Frank-Lee Speaking to bring their tales alive in the form of podcasts and printed books that will be shared with the community.  The seniors who participated are Audrey Foody, Arthur Koepp, Isabel Krebs, Margaret Lehmuth, Sylvia Leibensperger, Franklin Mooney, Jr., Frank Valentine Negron and Paul Sykes. After the seniors were interviewed by the professionals and helped to craft their stories, the teen participants recorded the stories and asked questions. The teens later learned to edit the recordings for production of  podcasts and to create a book layout. This project was made possible through a generous Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) service improvement grant, provided through the Upper Hudson Library System.
Frank-Lee Speaking are Dee Ellen Lee and Frank Wind.  They have worked with senior citizens and for mental health organizations and have been applauded for their ability to educate and captivate their audience. They perform storytelling concerts and storytelling work-shops for children, family audiences and adults and are members of National Storytelling Network and the Story Circle of the Capital District.  They can be heard at Proctor’s Word Plays later in March.