Helpful techniques for memoir writers

Last night I attended the exciting first session of a Murphy Writing class on memoir where we learned two very simple techniques. One strategy was based on A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil Macgregor, former director of the British Museum. His view is that objects have stories of their own.

Our task in class was to list objects that were part of our story. My first object was an AT&T switchboard found at the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention in Bellingham, Washington, my niece's wedding reception venue. My husband and daughter were there as well as my brother, Marty and Katie's While we waited for food (soups and sandwiches; we do not do fancy in my family), we all wandered through the museum. I discovered an original switchboard. I quickly took a seat and demonstrated my skills for my family, honed during two summers at the local Bell office in Bellows Falls, Vermont, my hometown. This object triggered a memory of one of the few events in my adult life that included both my family of origin and the family my husband and I created. My brother and I each left home early, me to Jersey, he to Alaska. The switchboard also brought back wonderful memories of the other telephone operators of all ages with whom I worked, after-work picnics we used to have, and songs we sang at a recreational area on the Connecticut River. Working at the phone company was my first experience of being truly part of an adult community. Certainly, for me, the story of this object pulled forth many missing pieces of my own story.