HISTORIES AND BIOGRAPHIES
PERSONAL MEMOIRS
Creating Legacies That Connect
Life Stories
“Life is… that which one remembers and how one remembers to tell it.”
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Telling life stories is a deeply satisfying experience. Providing a framework for remembering what matters most, it allows us to share personal experiences and insights, pay tribute to loved ones, and to span a bridge to the next generation.
Listening to life stories, in turn, brings home the life and personality of the narrator in a way that is at once unique and familiar. At Storyzon we do not strive to paint a complete landscape of a person’s life but rather one that captures — as with a few strokes of a paintbrush — the spontaneity and spirit of memorable moments. A landscape painted this way radiates with the personality of the subject and keeps the connection alive from generation to generation.
AUTOBIOGRAPHIES AT A GLANCE:
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High-quality personalized books
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Design by an award-winning art director
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Experienced interviewers, writers, and editors
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Multilingual capabilities
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Photo and document processing
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Quality guarantee
Family Histories
A long-term study conducted by Emory University psychologists Marshall Duke and Robyn Fivush found that the single best indicator for the mental health and well-being of teenagers is: knowledge of their family history and the resulting understanding of an 'intergenerational self.' This is what Family Histories provide.
A Family History weaves together the stories and recollections of several family members, often across different generations. This wider lens creates a much bigger picture than a traditional memoir. From it reoccurring patterns can emerge, and the evolution of dreams and values through time becomes apparent.
Family Histories not only allow children and grandchildren to access their heritage and understand their legacy, they also lay the foundation upon which future generations can build their own legacies, continuing the saga started by their predecessors. A Family History is an heirloom that only becomes more valuable over time.
Family Histories can be created from the recollections of one key individual or woven together from numerous sources including relatives, friends and community members.
Vignettes
Every Storyzon book is unique, 100% custom-tailored, and individually crafted. This allows for optimal freedom in creating works of any size and focus. Want to put together a collection of your loved one’s personal art work? Tell the story of a romance? Capture and preserve heirloom family recipes? Follow your heart and create exactly the book you are envisioning.
Here are just a few suggestions:
LEGACY LETTERS
In the same way that a will bequeaths valuables, a legacy letter bequeaths values. Legacy Letters are personal addresses to loved ones in which the writer shares experiences and insights and expresses hopes and wishes for the recipient.
Whether passed on as an addendum to a legal will or given independently during your lifetime, a Legacy Letter offers a uniquely precious and extremely meaningful opportunity to tell those close to you what has really mattered to you, what you have learned in life, and what you hope for your loved ones. A Legacy Letter is probably the single most meaningful tangible thing you can pass on, and Storyzon can help you write this letter. We will assist you in determining what to include, help you organize your ideas, and either write or edit a document in which you express your thoughts and wishes with feeling and eloquence.
CULINARY BIOGRAPHIES
Food and cooking are common themes in personal and family histories. These themes can be the foundation of an heirloom-quality book for you to share with friends, family and future generations. Our minds have the power to recall flavors that connect us to specific moments in time. Memories of encounters with food can tell a personal history, a family history, a cultural history.
Creating a book filled with stories and recipes is a meaningful way for you to preserve an important part of your heritage. At Storyzon, we call this kind of book a Culinary Biography: a volume of essays highlighting your memories and insights around food, cooking and shared meals, interlaced with recipes from your personal or family collection. You may plan a culinary biography as a single author or in collaboration with other family members.
NOVELLAS
A Novella is a story–or a body of stories–that captures a particular event or experience. It may be a love story, a childhood memory, or travel recollections. It may honor a spiritual event or talk about a war experience. Novellas succinctly preserve and present important life stories.
Whether given as a gift to family and friends, or created to commemorate an anniversary, Novellas offer snapshots of a life that should not be forgotten.