A warm welcome to our new subscribers! This is the GAB Gazette, a highlight reel from the world of Guided Autobiography.
In this Newsletter
Announcements: New GAB Group photo feature
Board Update: Cheryl’s year-end update
Featured GABBER: Mary Whale
Booklist: Yours Truly by James R. Hagerty
the Business: Self-Publishing business ratings
Article Roundup: RootsTech video and Guardian list of best memoirs
Collaboration Opportunities: join the Anthology “street team”
Community Poll: Birren Center website upgrade
Announcements
The third GAB anthology The Gift of a Long Life will release on March 23, at GAB Fest in Pasadena.
The GAB Gazette wants to feature you! Please send a group photo or zoom screenshot of your GAB group to birrencenter@gmail.com along with the name of your group and the city where you meet so that we can celebrate GAB’s global reach.
Board Update
On December 5th, Cheryl send out a year-end report on behalf of the Birren Center board of directors. In it, she stated “Our focus currently is on the GAB Website… We have signed with a web designer to upgrade and redesign the website.” She said the new website will host a resource library, provide onboarding/reboarding support, help students locate GAB instructors, support regional chapters, and more.
Featured GABBER: Mary Whale
Mary Whale is a retired nurse in Alberta who interviews older adults during portrait sittings in which she draws and paints her interviewees. In an interview, she said that one of the purposes of the project was to challenge the viewer's perspective on aging and to honor those who sat for her portraits. (Listen to the full interview here: Radio Active with Jessica Ng, Min Dhariwal: Inspired by Age )
Her project, titled “Between the Lines” was funded by a grant from the Edmonton Arts Council.
The exhibit ended on October first, but you can read about it further in the Alberta Retired Teachers Association newsletter (page 20-21)
The portraits and stories are also on Mary’s blog: https://beautyinageing.weebly.com/
Booklist
Yours Truly: an Obituary Writer’s Guide to Telling Your Story
In a surprisingly upbeat, heartfelt book about a serious subject, The Wall Street Journal’s veteran obituary writer, award-winning journalist James R. Hagerty, shares his unique skills with those who want to have the last word with flourish, honesty, and even humor. (Find it on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0806542071/)
the Business
Before you pay for self-publishing services, check the company rating on SelfPublishingAdvice.org, a watchdog resource brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors. Self publishing can be expensive and there are a lot of scams out there, so do some due diligence to protect yourself before committing to a self-publishing service.
Article Roundup
RootsTech by FamilySearch.org released a powerful video titled “Your Story is Worth Remembering”
The Guardian released it’s list of the best memoirs and biographies of 2023
Calls for Collaboration
Join the GAB Anthology launch team! We’re looking for fans of the Birren Center anthology series who are willing to complete small weekly tasks during the months of February and March that support the book launch. For example: request it at your library, share the Amazon link on social media, or leave a review. One member of the launch team will receive a special signed copy of the book.
Sign up using the Google Form found here: Launch Team Signup Form
Community Poll
Which feature of the new Birren Website are you most excited about? The Poll is live for one week, so vote now!