Historical fiction author and college professor Valerie Van Orman explores how to find and create historical fiction stories through family artifacts and genealogical research. Using the research she conducted on her great-grandmother’s life when writing her debut novel Helen of Holliday’s Cove as an example, Van Orman will discuss how historical artifacts can tell stories about their owners, especially when used in conjunction with genealogical research. Participants are invited to bring in their own family heirlooms to show and discuss at the session.
Van Orman has studied collective memory, or how communities remember particular events and individuals in the past, in both her academic research and as part of her book research when writing historical fiction. Collective memory of individuals has often focused on those who are famous and celebrated, such as politicians, explorers, royalty, social movement leaders, and performers. While these stories are certainly worth telling, they’re not the only stories that matter. Stories of individuals who worked for a living, raised families, and contributed to their community are often forgotten over time. This is especially true for women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals, as many of their stories aren’t included in history books and are more difficult to find through official records like census data and city directories. Nevertheless, these stories – and the individuals to whom they belong – matter. Van Orman wants to find and share these long-lost stories with the world, effectively creating collective memory of these individuals, and through this proposed session, she hopes to help other aspiring writers do the same.
Valerie Van Orman holds a Ph.D. in communication studies and is currently a university professor at Penn State University's Schuylkill campus. Her academic publications include 40+ peer-reviewed research articles, book reviews, and book chapters, as well as the academic book "Public Memory and the Television Series Outlander." She is passionate about creating public memory of women’s stories that have been lost to history and sharing her own family history stories through fiction. She lives in eastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two kittens, Nessa and Pippin.
