2009 Wisconsin Oral History Day • April 26-27, 2009 • Eau Claire, WI

Introduction: Susan McLeod, Director, Chippewa Valley Museum

Presentation: Jim Leary, "Oral History and Public Folklore: Working with Joua Bee Xiong," presentation at 7:00

Summary: Jim Leary's (folklore professor at UW-Madison) talk will focus on an interview and other collaborative work with the late Joua Bee Xiong, a Hmong musician and activist from Eau Claire, that contributed to such public programs as a museum exhibit, documentaries for public radio and television, and the publication of Xiong's musical autobiography.
[Leary's presentation is funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expression in this presentation do not necessarily represent those of the NEH. The Wisconsin Humanities Council supports public programs that engage the people of Wisconsin in the exploration of human cultures, ideas, and values.]
Food & Beverage provided for attendees

8:00 - 8:30  Registration ($25)/Fellowship/Food (click here for registration form)
[Note: Events from 8:00 to 1:30 held in President's Room at Davies Center]

8:30 - 9:30  "What does done look like?": Mini-workshop on oral history project planning

Presenter: Troy Reeves, Head, UW-Madison's Oral History Program

Summary: Reeves' mini-workshop will touch on the primary aspects of oral history project planning (goal setting, project organization, funding). Throughout the workshop Reeves will provide answers to the question, "What does done look like?"

9:30-10:15   Under the surface: Recording a life's brilliance

Presenters: Megan Cherrier, Marci Korb, Laura Jones, Abby Vercauteren, Emily Wievel
Chair: Dr. Katherine A. Rhoades, Professor and Dean Emerita
Interim Coordinator, Women's Studies Program, UW-Eau Claire

Summary: Five women's studies majors offer perspectives on the process involved in participating in an oral history project celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Women's Studies Program at UW-Eau Claire. Each student also will present a brief digital story she created featuring highlights from an oral history interview with one of a diverse group of individuals who contributed to the program's history and feminist movements in the Chippewa Valley.

Presenter: Stephen Sloan, Director, Baylor University's Oral History Program

Summary: As oral historians we seek to record, preserve, and present a chorus of voices and perspectives on the past in our efforts. By definition, oral history at its best is collaborative-holding the opportunities and challenges of shared authorship. This session will examine the dynamics of working with diverse communities to plan and execute oral history projects that produce positive outcomes for both researchers and our narrators.

Commenter: Chuck Lee, Director, UW-LaCrosse's Oral History Program
Sponsor: Sloan's presentation is funded in part by the UW Madison Libraries.

11:15-12:15   First Panel Session
Presentation: Oral History in the Academy, Professorial Edition
Presenters: Chuck Lee, UW-LaCrosse's OHP, "From Middle School to University to Community Outreach: Adventures in the Oral History Trade"
Julie Davis, Assistant Professor, Department of History, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, "Why Oral History Is Good History ... And What Happens When It Crosses Cultures"
Ruth Olson, UW-Madison Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, "Miss Annie Mae's Hats"
Chair: Colleen McFarland, Head of Special Collections & University Archivist, W. D. McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire

12:15-1:30   Lunch/Second Panel Session [session starts at 12:45]
Welcome: Katherine Lang, Chair, Department of History, UW-Eau Claire
News and Notes: Troy Reeves
Presentation: Oral History in the Academy, Secondary Schools' Edition
Presenters: Jenny Morgan, 8th Grade American History Teacher and Middle School Instructional Coach, West Salem Middle School (near LaCrosse), "Using Oral History to Further Understanding of Historical Research"
Randy Kunsch, 8th Grade Middle School Teacher, Phillips Middle School (Phillips, WI), "Learning About The Ellis Island Experience Through The Eyes of Your Family"
Chair: Oscar Chamberlain, Professor, Department of History, UW-Eau Claire
Food/Beverage provided for registered attendees

[Note: Events from 1:45 to 4:30 will be held in the Menominee Room, Davies Center]
1:45-2:30   Keynote Presentation: The Story Behind the Manual: The Creation of The American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard
Introduction: John Mann, Professor, Department of History, UW-Eau Claire
Presenter: Barb Sommer, Author & Oral Historian

Summary: Too often the issues and concerns of American Indian people are not addressed in standard oral history methods texts and manuals. Issues about the relation between oral history and oral traditions, an understanding of unique legal and ethical issues, and the collection and use of oral information often are specific to American Indian needs. The American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard (Walnut Creek: CA, Left Coast Press, Inc., 2009) is a guide and sourcebook that addresses these needs. Written with the American Indian audience in mind, it contains information that Native and non-Native users will find helpful.

Many publications have histories of their own. This manual is no exception. In the 2009 Wisconsin Oral History Day Keynote Presentation, I will describe development of the manual and provide background on the information it contains. I will discuss and recognize writings about oral traditions and recording oral information with Native people that helped lay the groundwork for its development. As a manual designed to facilitate continued work among Native people, it has a specific place in oral history literature. I also will discuss its place in the literature and why this is important for all oral history practitioners

[Sommer's presentation is funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expression in this presentation do not necessarily represent those of the NEH. The Wisconsin Humanities Council supports public programs that engage the people of Wisconsin in the exploration of human cultures, ideas, and values.]

2:30-3:30   Third Panel Session
Presentation: Oral History in the Academy, College Student Edition
Presenters: Julie Keller, Ph.D. candidate, Rural Sociology department, UW-Madison, "Wisconsin Women Farmers: Rural Femininities and Sexualities"
Tiffany Gerber, WAGE, Co-coordinator, Public History graduate student, UW-Eau Claire, "Hip Hop Feminism in Minneapolis"
Crystal Moten, Ph.D. candidate, History department, UW-Madison, "A Thorn in the Side of Management:" Nellie Wilson and the Quest for Economic Justice in Milwaukee, 1940s-1968"
Lauren Benditt & Ellen Jacks, Graduate students, UW-Madison, "Women & Minorities & the Forest Products Lab Centennial Oral History Project"
Chair: Julie Davis, Professor, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University

3:45-4:15   Concluding Remarks
Conveners: Troy Reeves, Stephen Sloan
Commenter: Audience