This course, led by oral historian Benji de la Piedra, will introduce Washingtonians interested in becoming oral historians to the best practices of doing oral history, to empower them with the basic tools for developing their style and approach to preserving DC’s rich past through oral history interviews.

This course is structured to follow the full cycle of an oral history interview, from conception to processing. We will discuss practical, ethical, and theoretical considerations of doing oral history in order to demonstrate the distinctive, interdisciplinary mindset that oral historians take to their work. Because oral history is best learned “on the job,” the instructor will ask you to do activities and to discuss your experiences along the way.

There is a lot of material to cover, so participants will also be asked to do some reading and exercises prior to each session.

This workshop consists of three sessions – registrants must commit to participating in all three sessions.

The Collaborative is a unique partnership between HumanitiesDC and the DC Public Library, started in 2017, that incorporates grant funding, trainings, coaching and other resources to help residents document, preserve, and celebrate the history of all DC communities, specifically through oral history. Many of the narratives collected are preserved in the People’s Archive at the DC Public Library, and available to the public. To date, nearly 400 narratives have been collected through the Collaborative.

Event Details

Host: HumanitiesDC
Date: September 5, 7, 12, 2023 • 6:30PM – 8:30PM
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 4th Floor Conference Space, 901 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
Event fee: Free
Registration Event link: https://OHWorkshopFall2023.eventbrite.com 

For More Information

Contact: Jasper Collier
Website: humanitiesdc.org
Email: jcollier@humanitiesdc.org
Phone: 202 – 770 – 3077 ext. 804