Call for Submissions: There’s a Blog Carnival Coming to Town!

~ Greetings Genfriends! ~

It's been a while since we had a Gen community blog carnival. In honor of StoryCorps'
upcoming National Day of Listening, the Preservinators (Angela Walton-Raji, George
Geder and Lowcountry Africana) have reunited to bring you “The Ancestors Told; the
Elders Listened; We Pass It On,” a blog carnival that's all about oral history.

We invite YOU to submit blog posts for the carnival, which will roll out on the National
Day of Listening, the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, 2012!

What Is the National Day of Listening?

Friday, November 23, is the fifth annual National Day of Listening. On the day after
Thanksgiving, StoryCorps asks all Americans to take an hour to record an interview with
a loved one, using recording equipment that is readily available in most homes, such
as computers, iPhones, and tape recorders, along with StoryCorps’ free Do-It-Yourself
Instruction Guide at http://nationaldayoflistening.org/.

What Is a Blog Carnival?

A blog carnival is a special event where bloggers come together to write about a
particular topic (in this case oral history and its importance to family historians).
Bloggers submit links to their blog posts on that topic to the carnival host, and the host
gathers them all into one great magazine-like edition with comments on each post.

It’s a great way bloggers from all walks of life can share their ideas about a particular
subject.

How Can I Participate in the Blog Carnival?

Participating is easy!

~ First, have a look at some of the suggested topics below and simply write a post on
your blog about the topic you choose.

~ Second, send us the link to your article via the submit form here HERE  no later than Wednesday, November 21.

~ Third, grab your beautiful blog badge HERE for your blog to wear proudly!

That’s it! We’ll gather up all the links and publish them in a special edition on Nov. 23,
the National Day of Listening!

I Don’t Have a Blog. Can I Still Participate?

You betcha! You can write a post, send it to Lowcountry Africana HERE, and we’ll post it
on Lowcountry Africana’s blog! Just note in your message that you would like to borrow
our blog to post your article.

What Can I Write About?

Here are a few ideas for what you may wish to write about for the carnival but they are
suggestions only – you can write about any aspect of oral history you like. Choose one
idea, choose several, or dream up your own - it’s totally up to you!

~ Planning to participate in StoryCorps’ National Day of Listening? Blog about who you
will be interviewing and why recording their memories is important to you.

~ Don’t know anyone to interview but want to spread the word about National Day of
Listening? Blog about why you think this national holiday devoted to oral history is
important.

~ StoryCorps’ chosen theme this year is Thank a Veteran. Is there a veteran in your
family (living or deceased) you would like to thank? (Hint: If you already wrote such a
blog post for Veterans’ Day, send us the link and we’ll include it in the “The Ancestors
Told; the Elders Listened; We Pass It On” blog carnival!)

~ Who are the family members who have shared recollections of ancestors with you and
furthered your research? How did what they shared help you learn more about ancestors?

~ Who are the elders who have passed along life wisdom to you? What lessons did you
learn from them that you now keep in your heart?

~ Which ancestor do you wish you could interview now? What questions would you ask
them and why?

~ Transcribe and share an oral history you conducted in the past, or write about your
experience of revisiting and transcribing the interview. Are you glad you transcribed the
interview? Has it opened new research avenues for you?

~ Take an hour to record your OWN story – what do you want future generations to
know about you? Share your own story in a blog post.

~ Blog about any aspect of why learning and preserving oral history is important.

I’ve Written and Published My Blog Post. Now What?

Just use the submit form HERE to send us the link! We’ll gather up your links and post
them in a special edition article on Nov. 23, the National Day of Listening.

Don’t forget to grab your National Day of Listening badge HERE for your blog to wear
proudly!

THANK YOU for making the “The Ancestors Told; the Elders Listened; We Pass It On” blog carnival a special event in honor of a special day!

~ Your hosts Angela Y. Walton Raji, George Geder and Lowcountry Africana