Anyone who’s going up on Sunday for the hike, we’ve also been invited to help out on the Shepard’s barn. They live on Mountain View Farm off of Route 17. I have directions if you need them. If you’re interested, let me know!

Just a plug — if anyone speaks spanish and is interested in doing a similar smaller scale project at Julia Alvarez’s organic coffee farm, Alta Gracia, in the Dominican Republic over Feb break, please apply for the MAlt break trip. We’ll be giving children disposable cameras to document their lives and creating an exhibit (likely to include audio) to display there and later back here.

If you don’t speak Spanish…there’s a joint sustainable farming component that’s also interesting!

I just contacted a few people with regards to their availability this week — Tuesday lab time until 6 and the same thursday. all friday free. If you’re interested let me know your schedule.

Anyone interested in interviewing either the Elders, the Shepard’s or Pete Bryan with me? I just contacted people we talked about in class — if someone already has something in the works, let me know.

Any movement on the Jerusalem school front? I wasn’t able to attend the dinner last week — would love to hear new developments.

Email is better.

What a character!

We had a few disruptions audio wise, bells…(every 15 minutes?) and a few phone calls. But on the whole great ambient sound I’d say.

Really interesting life…with lots of detail. 1 room school house, Little Ireland, sounds like the Orvis’ will be great to interview!

His discussion of 2 worlds — that of his teaching life and Starksboro was really telling and insightful. Favorite statement: ‘I was a parent at a very young age.” — we could follow up there. All in all, I think he must of loved chatting with some liberal college students for a bit!

Thoughts on a subsequent interview: Little Ireland; his family dynamic; anecdotes anecdotes!

I feel as though I’m not alone in saying that I’m interested in every topic we’ve discussed. I agree completely with Hilary, however, better to come out with quality than quantity! Audio editing can be very time consuming!

One thing I think we need to keep in mind is that as we’re conducting interviews we need to be thinking creatively. Last Tuesday our group was commenting after about how difficult it was to come up with questions at times because we were so intent on what the person was saying — which I think is so great because it means we’re really invested. But rather than come in with loads of questions or worrying about asking the right questions, I think we should act more as guides to the interview. We need to feed off of our interest and curiosity. When someone tells a story about boiling maple syrup for the first time and having wall paper peel off the walls, that’s a fabulous image. I feel that in interviewing you can never be too redundant. Asking the same question 4 different ways just to get a good feel for details and/or flush out an anecdote will pay dividends later when we’re putting together a piece and/or compilation. 

Looking ahead, I’d love to collaborate on the final mapping/story book projects. But personally I think I’d like to do some in depth interviewing with two or three people and really make a quality piece(s).

I’d be really interested in doing some work with Stonewall Mason and one or two other “institutions” in Starksboro, possibly spanning generations. I’m thinking some kind of photo/audio essay, and possibly some narrative writing. 

Mobile homes is still of interest to me as well. Maybe a follow up with the Coons on the contacts?

Also, 

For people doing forest/conservation and more place-based stories, it might be interesting to narrate that story as well. That is to say sounds — dripping water, wind, leaves…. http://www.quiteamerican.org is a site made by this guy who’s traveled the world recording sounds. Sound might not be a replacement for travel, he writes, but it might have the ability to transport you somewhere. I have a friend who’s actually produced music with sounds, sawing wood, spitting kettles, etc….check it out!

Photography:

I took a documentary photo course while in Buenos Aires. Our big question was: how do you represent someone solely through image? Here’s some great links our professor sent us!

www.zonezero.com — Go to the Galleries. particularly check out 8 lives (this is similar to what we’re doing…only more of a photo essay with accompanying articles). Some of the work is super alternative, personally I find that Gabby Messina’s work is also stunning, I love Grand Women. 

http://www.elangelcaido.org/fotografos/fotografos.html – including dorothea lange but also some great contemporary photographers.