A warm welcome to all of our subscribers! If you’re a new subscriber, we’re delighted to welcome you to the GAB Gazette, a highlight reel from the world of Guided Autobiography for December 2024.
Who, Why, What, and Where
On November 13, GAB instructors Christine Francis, Sheri Kohlmann, Diane Lukich, and Cheryl Svensson gave a presentation to the Publishing Club in Laguna Woods, CA. We held an engaging two-hour presentation (Writing for Your Life: Who, Why, What, and Where) that explored who should write their life stories, why writing your life story matters, what family stories add, and where creativity comes in. The GAB presenters had as much fun getting together and learning from one another as the audience did.
In This Issue of the GAB Gazette
Message from Cheryl Svensson, Director, the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies
Board Update: Helen Davidson Joins Board as Treasurer
GAB Summit Update
Find Your Students, Fill Your Classes Online Workshop
Featured GABBER: Steve Hoover
2025 Birren Center Anthology: Second Chances
Well Wishes from Singapore
Books, Blogs, and Podcasts: Holiday Gift-Giving Made Easy
Message from the Director
Why Join the GAB Community Hub and Forum?
As GAB instructors, we understand the importance of connection and shared purpose. The old proverb “Birds of a feather flock together” holds profound truth. Belonging to a community of like-minded individuals fosters growth, purpose, and a sense of belonging.
The Birren Center invites you to join the GAB Community Hub and Forum, a network of instructors and enthusiasts united by a passion for preserving and celebrating life stories. Together, we hone our craft, inspire one another, and contribute to a larger mission of connecting people through the power of life story writing and sharing.
Purpose: Our goal is to support GAB instructors in their vital work. Explore our resources, attend events, and connect with colleagues who share your dedication to storytelling.
Growth: We offer access to leaders in the field, innovative tools, and practical insights to refine your professional skills. Learn from peers and experts whose work you admire and rely on.
Contribution: Everyone is encouraged to actively participate. Whether joining a committee, leading a workshop, or contributing your unique expertise, there are countless ways to get involved.
Reach out and explore where your skills and interests fit within the Birren Center. We are ready to welcome you, learn about your goals, and help you find meaningful ways to connect and contribute.
Join us today! Together, we can inspire and transform lives—one story at a time.
New Course Proposals The Birren Board has created a structured application process for GAB instructors interested in offering courses through the Birren Center. The courses will be organized in a semester-like framework and posted on our website and Community Hub. If you have an idea for a course you would like to teach that would be helpful for other GAB instructors, please let us know.
Thank you for being part of this amazing GAB community. Together, we’re building a vibrant network and expanding the reach of life story writing!
Wishing you and yours Happy Holidays!
Cheryl and Board Members of The Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies
Board Update: Helen Davidson Joins Board as Treasurer
Helen Davidson is the newest member of the Birren Center Board of Directors, joining the Board in September. Helen brings her many years of experience as a non-profit executive to her role as Treasurer. Helen is committed to working with her Board colleagues to solidify the financial stability of The Birren Center. She is also eager to support the many projects aimed at growing and strengthening the organization in the coming years.
Helen lives with her husband on a small island off the west coast of British Columbia where, in retirement, she now facilitates online workshops and writes weekly posts for her blog, Ageless Possibilities. Passionate about the value and universality of women's stories, she facilitates GAB workshops at Women Rowing North: Writing Our Life Stories.
Helen is a certified GAB instructor and has been facilitating groups for older women since 2020. She is currently completing a Journal Therapy Diploma.
GAB Summit Update
Actualizer Circle We just posted the contest leaderboard in the Actualizer Circle. We've got a number of icebreaker posts you can participate in. To join in the fun, click here to get started by joining the Circle first.
GAB Summit Workbook We have a workbook to help you get the most out of the summit. Click here to download it.
Reminder
You can enjoy the summit in two ways:
Playing full out by joining us in the Actualizers
Join us on Zoom for the three days (December 11, 12, and 13).
Find Your Students, Fill Your Classes
Looking for ideas about how to find students to fill your classes? Then this upcoming workshop series is just what you’ve been looking for: Find Your Students, Fill Your Classes.
In 2020, Sarah White, Board Secretary, and Cheryl Svensson developed this six-part online workshop. Using templates, you will develop a six-month marketing action plan to create an “elevator pitch,” social media messages, and other marketing materials. Sarah says that after the workshop, “You’ll never feel you don’t know where to start or what to say!”
Here’s an example of participant response to the workshop series: “Take this workshop! It is valuable. It will help you see the GAB possibilities…if you’re having a challenge seeing clearly what your next steps ought to be regarding how to build your GAB business.”
The six workshops meet weekly for two hours. The cost is $300 per person, with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Birren Center. Registration is limited to 10 participants. The tentative schedule for the workshops is Friday, January 17 through February 21, 2025. Time will be determined after Sarah has surveyed interested participants.
Want to find out more? Drop Sarah an email: whitesarah.cnf@gmail.com
Featured GABBER: Steve Hoover
by Roselyn O’Connell
The first thing to know about Steve is that he makes the most of every day. After retiring from 29 years of teaching at St. Cloud State University, Steve began working part-time as the Healthy Aging Coordinator for the Central Minnesota Council on Aging. Soon after, he learned about Guided Autobiography and quickly signed up for the training in 2020. As a teacher for most of his life, he valued the GAB narrative process and was eager to help seniors write their stories.
Covid or no Covid, Steve taught his first classes online before the ink was dry on his GAB Instructor Certificate. Fast forward to 2024, Steve has taught almost 30 classes through senior centers in the St. Cloud area. He also started the Greater St. Cloud Area Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness. Writing together using the GAB curriculum is a successful program for bringing people into community. Two books of 200 stories and poems written by his students have been published.
Steve is currently working with the Dementia Action Network in St. Cloud. He started a program of GAB classes for people experiencing various stages of dementia. Class members focus on what they “can still do” rather than what they “no longer can do.” Their long-term memory is accessible in most cases and the stories get written before they are forever lost to time and illness.
Even for Steve there are not enough hours in the day to meet the need for GAB classes. That is his biggest challenge. His biggest reward is watching the students bond through their shared writing experiences; watching as the trust builds and students begin to risk sharing their stories. All part of the GAB magic.
When he isn’t teaching GAB, Steve also teaches classes for seniors including Tai Ji Quan, Moving for Better Balance; Aging Mastery; Mindful Presence: Compassionate Care for Self and Others; the National Diabetes Prevention Program; and, Health Coaching for Hypertension.
And, lucky for the GAB community, Steve often volunteers to mentor new GAB instructors.
Steve lives in St. Cloud with his wife and two dogs.
2025 Birren Center Anthology: Second Chances
It’s time to start planning your essay for the next anthology and invite your GAB students to do the same!
The fourth Birren Center Anthology will be a collection of about 50 essays from the GAB community on the subject of Second Chances: Lives Change One Story at a Time.
Submissions open on February 1, 2025. Submissions must be received by April 30, 2025, but may close early due to maximum capacity, so encourage your students to submit early!
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Original work must be on the theme of "Second Chances"
Written in English or Spanish
Length: 800-1,000 words
One submission per person
Include a 50-word bio
Must not be previously published or accepted for publication elsewhere. If your essay has been previously published, you must own the rights to it. You are responsible for ensuring you still own the rights to your work.
Submissions will be selected on the following criteria:
How well the work reflects the theme
The essay’s intent and ability to enlighten, inspire, and entertain
No excess profanity, graphic sexual content, or disrespect toward any category of persons
An informational session on how to write for the collection, followed by a Q&A with the publishing team, will be held on Friday, January 3, at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time (Zoom link and details below).
This session will be recorded and is only open to GAB instructors. However, we encourage you to forward the recording and submission information to your students.
Sarah White is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: "How to Write for the GAB Anthology" Info Session
Time: Jan. 3, 2025, 9:00 a.m. Central Time (US and Canada)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83128064066
Well Wishes from Singapore
GAB instructor Carolynne Ng dedicates her poem to all GAB instructors.
Books, Blogs, and Podcasts: Holiday Gift-Giving Made Easy
From Roselyn O’Connell
No guessing the right color, size or age appropriateness. The Birren Collection anthology series will be just right. This link will take you to the Kindle or paperback editions.
These stories make great family reading. One of our instructors tells how she reads stories from The Birren Collection to her 90-year-old mom. The stories spark memories and enliven conversations between the two of them. I’m thinking of following her example as our clan, young and old, gathers over the holidays. Maybe one story from each of the three books in the collection. Or, better yet, having the children select a story to read aloud.
Stephen King calls author Abigail Thomas, “the Emily Dickinson of memoir.” She writes honestly with warmth, courage, and humor as she begins her 80th year. In her latest book, Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing, she is fully in the moment, at peace with the pace of her life while always on the lookout for “the next thing.”
From her chair by her window, Thomas’s observations of even the smallest things— ants, spiders, wisteria—are considered and wondered at. She gives good advice too. One chapter is titled “How to Do Nothing.” Her advice? “Choose a nice day. Or not, rain will do as well.” Her invitation to get cozy with the natural world is a balm to old and young alike. Thomas invites readers to take a breath and lean into getting older all the while never losing that twinkle in her eye or her wry wit. A book for a winter day of reading and reflection even for those a few decades younger.
That’s everything happening in the world of GAB. Have a wonderful month and remember - your story is a treasure. For you, and for generations to come.
Editor’s Note: If you have an idea for a feature for the GAB Gazette please email Stephen Dolainski at steve91604@gmail.com. Please use the subject line GAB Gazette Idea.