From Tom Gilbert – Editor and Writer, www.your-life-your-story.com

In this Issue:

Opening remarks: It May Be Someday
Featured Article: A Party 300 Years in the Making
Resources You Can Use: iMemoryBook, Video Biography Workshop, My Blog Closing Info

Opening Remarks: It May Be Someday

I hope that today as you are reading this you will be prompted to explore more seriously the idea of life story writing. Everybody has a story to tell – even you! Or maybe you want to get the story of your family, loved ones or friends in print.

I assume you have an interest in this or you probably wouldn’t be subscribed to my newsletter. Thanks for that and read on to find out more about some ways to preserve your personal history. I can make it fun and even affordable!

I thank all of you who are reading this newsletter and visiting my site about life story writing. I hope that you are finding helpful information and motivation. You can always email me with questions and comments. I welcome the feedback.

You are receiving this e-zine because you signed up for it or someone who is subscribed passed it along to you. It is a special thing to share with you life story writing and personal history tips, resources and thoughts. If you like what you read here, you can pass it along to a friend. If a friend DID forward this to you consider subscribing by visiting our signup page . Also, let me know what you’d like to see more of in this newsletter – simply reply to this email e-zine.

While the main focus of this newsletter is to share thoughts, ideas, and insights on life story writing you should know that I offer various services and also mention some products and services that can be helpful. You are under no obligation to purchase anything, but if any of these products or services are helpful and you decide to utilize them then I am most grateful.

Thanks for reading. – Tom

Featured Article: A Party 300 Years in the Making

City celebrations are nothing new. But there are not that many cities in America that have reached the 300 year milestone. This month (April) Albuquerque, New Mexico did. The Tricentennial Celebration has been in full swing and this past weekend was the official party. Re-enactments of the Spanish settlers, a huge birthday candle tower, hot air balloons and a marathon were just a few of the events.

Albuquerque is my home and I love living in the Southwest. We have an interesting mix of cultures (Pueblo Native Americans, Spanish and Hispanic, "refugees" from big cities, artists, cowboys and high technology experts among them). We also have great weather (300 days plus of sunshine), mountains, great food (red and green chili) and no humidity!

Discovering more about your city culture and history teaches you a lot. You learn about the people and the events that shape the place you live and you realize that everybody does indeed have a story. Some are famous, but not all. Some of the notable people over the years in Albuquerque were just involved settlers who gave of themselves to build a community.

Albuquerque was founded April 23, 1706 when Spanish governor Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdes wrote a letter that established the Villa deAlburquerque de San Francisco Xavier del Bosque. What a mouthful! Today it's just Albuquerque, although residents sometimes refer to our city as the Duke City, or 'Burque (roll the r's).

One of the things the city has done for our 300th birthday is create a visual timeline on a wall in the Convention Center downtown. The timeline creator Tom Miles put 600 years of concentrated history into 4-by-16 feet. Quite an accomplishment. Timelines are a great way to see a variety of events and dates and give some perspective. This timeline contains a lot of information including the various settlers through the years (Spanish, Filipino, Chinese, Syrian and Lebanese and Bolsheviks among them), as well as marking significant historical events recent and past. There was the bloody Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and the starting of Microsoft by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 (yes, they started it here, not in Seattle).

Happy birthday, Albuquerque! More on the Tricentennial at the official website - www.albuquerque300.org

You can read other articles on life-story writing here.

Resources You Can Use

iMemoryBooks are a great way to share your life story. There are a couple of ways to do this. You can buy the main package for less than $200 and your story will be online forever as well as getting one hardcover book. Plus, you can affordably order additional books and because your story stays online (password protected so you can share it only with those you choose to) you can update it in the future. Or you can use the Heirloom package for just $49.95 that allows you to follow the same process. Plus, you get a $37 coupon towards the cost of your project that gives you a 25 page full-color or 150 page black and white hardbound book. For more information and to get started visit here

Video Biography Workshop

I've told you before about Steve Pender and Family Legacy Video. Steve is very good at creating family video histories, but he's not one to keep all that knowledge to himself. He's holding another workshop in May in Tucson, Arizona for people who'd like to learn do-it-yourself video biography techniques. The dates are May 19-21 and you can find complete details at Steve's website.

Your Life is Your Story Blog

I pass along information on a regular basis on various life story and personal history ideas, methods and timely news here

Closing Information

Any comments, ideas or feedback is greatly appreciated. Just reply to this ‘zine and tell me what you think!

Until next time, – keep your story alive!

Tom Gilbert