Wisconsin Oral History Day, 2009 Eau Claire, WI

The 2009 Wisconsin Oral History Day was held on April 26 & 27 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Sunday night opening session (6-8 pm) was held at the Chippewa Valley Museum with a presentation by Dr. Jim Leary, entitled "Oral History and Public Folklore: Working with Joua Bee Xiong.”

Most of Monday’s morning activities focused on oral history project planning, beginning with a mini-workshop, led by UW—Madison Oral History Program Head, Troy Reeves, and finishing with a presentation on community planning in diverse setting, given by Baylor University Oral History Program Director, Stephen Sloan. In between those events, students from UW—Eau Claire students offered a case study of project planning as they discussed a current oral history project with the UW—Eau Claire Women’s Studies Program.

Monday’s keynote was given by independent oral historian/author Barb Sommer. Sommer, who resides in St. Paul, will present, “The Story Behind the Manual: The Creation of The American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard. As with Leary’s talk, the Wisconsin Humanities Council sponsored Sommer’s presentation.

Also, WOHD featured panels/roundtables with students, teachers, and professors. The Day ended with a brief wrap-up, led by Reeves and Sloan, as they and the attendees reviewed what did transpire and how best to move WOHD forward.