“Remembering a man’s stories makes him immortal, did you know that?” – Daniel Wallace, Big Fish

Sonnet 65 – William Shakespeare Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea But sad mortality o’er-sways their power, How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, Whose action is no stronger than a flower? O, how shall summer’s honey breath hold out Against the wrackful siege of batt’ring days, When rocks impregnable are not so stout, Nor gates of steel so strong, but time decays? O fearful meditation! where, alack, Shall time’s best jewel from time’s chest lie hid? Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? O, none, unless this miracle have might, That in black ink my love may still shine bright.

“Author’s Note: This is not so much an author’s note as an author’s reminder of what was printed in small type a few pages ago: This book is a work of fiction. I made it up. Neither novels nor their readers benefit from attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea that made-up stories matter, which is sort of the foundational assumption of our species.” – John Green, Author’s Note to The Fault in Our Stars

“Tell me – like you done before.” – Lennie, Of Mice and Men

Step 2: Planning interview questions Your goal is to get stories, not just facts and information. Ask questions that lead to storytelling, and avoid questions with yes/no answers: Tell me about when you… Tell me a story about… Tell me about the day when you… Where were you and what were you doing when… Ask follow-up questions if you don’t get there right away: You said your high school English teacher made you want to teach. Was there something he said or a specific class that made you want to teach? Can you tell me what you remember about it? You said you knew you wanted to go to school there as soon as you arrived. Tell me what you remember about that day. Once you have a story, ask questions to make meaning: What did you learn about _____________ that day? What do you understand about ___________ that you didn’t at the time? If you could give advice about __________________ from this experience, what would it be? How did this affect you, you think?

Step 3: Planning Interviews For each due date, plan to interview a family member. You may define family member in any way you choose. You may interview any adult who you deem to be “family.” Plan ahead to make sure you’re accomplishing your due date. When possible, let your subject know about your project, topic, and what you’d like to discuss. When possible, meet the individual in person. I recommend starting with one of the oldest family members because, of course, they will have the most years and thus the most stories to tell.

Step 3: Planning Interviews/Calendar Due Date: __________________Person I plan to interview:_____________ His/her relationship to me: _______________________ His/her age:__________ Due Date: __________________Person I plan to interview :_____________ His/her relationship to me: _______________________ His/her age:__________

Step 4: Recording the Interview During your interview, you must record the conversation by hand (note taking), but you may record audio of the interview with the permission of your family member in addition to taking hand- written notes. Keep in mind this might make some people nervous, so tread lightly. Making conversations more comfortable: consider food, drinks, environment. Bring over donuts or coffee. Meet for lunch. Later, we’ll type and organize our notes.

Thematic tie-in: While we’re conducting our research outside class, we’ll try to draw deeper thematic connections about the role of story in our families, lives, and culture while watching a film called Big Fish, about a man trying to get to know his dying father better and the stories his father tells. Complete the assignment.