Preparing for Plumblossomtree.me
When I told Jack Tchen, the Director of New York University's A/P/A Institute that I wanted to interview APA women with breast cancer, he responded, "Liz, there is an art to conducting oral interviews, you just can't go out there and start interviewing people." And he was right. In June 2015, I took a scenic train ride along the Hudson River to attend Oral History Summer School in Hudson, New York, an intensive week-long training to learn how to conduct oral interviews. Within minutes of the first day of training, Suzanne Snider, the director asked us to introduce ourselves and say why we were taking this course. She instructed , "Even in altruist projects, there is something the interviewer wants out of the project as well, so be honest and state what you want." In front of 24 strangers, I didn't hold back. I said "I'm a breast cancer survivor, now entering my 6th year. I want to start an artistic blog for APA women with breast cancer because there is a paucity of venues for these women to express themselves. By telling their stories, I can gather needed strength as well."
To start "fresh", I was forced to shed decades of interviewing techniques as a lawyer. Most notably, I abandoned the lawyer's technique of not asking a question you don't already know the answer too!!! With just a recorder and a one line statement about who I was interviewing scrawled on an index card, I interviewed diverse area residents on their experience growing up in Hudson. Open-ended questions were the name of the game and strategic silences from me, the interviewer, was key to producing a successful interview. This style ensures the INTERVIEWEE is the one in control and represents her story from her perspective. Trained with these new skills, I am conducting live interviews with APA women with breast cancer. Featured on Plum Blossoms will be ongoing summaries and excerpts of their interviews.
To start "fresh", I was forced to shed decades of interviewing techniques as a lawyer. Most notably, I abandoned the lawyer's technique of not asking a question you don't already know the answer too!!! With just a recorder and a one line statement about who I was interviewing scrawled on an index card, I interviewed diverse area residents on their experience growing up in Hudson. Open-ended questions were the name of the game and strategic silences from me, the interviewer, was key to producing a successful interview. This style ensures the INTERVIEWEE is the one in control and represents her story from her perspective. Trained with these new skills, I am conducting live interviews with APA women with breast cancer. Featured on Plum Blossoms will be ongoing summaries and excerpts of their interviews.