Writing Workshop – The Conversation That I Wish I Could Have – ROEN

There are moments in our lives when we wish that we could have a conversation with an ancestor who is no longer alive. In this workshop, we will write questions that we would like to have with an ancestor (so please bring paper and pen or a laptop). Some of us may even take the next step and invent a dialog with that person. For example, it could be a conversation with an ancestor who immigrated to the United States in the 1800s.

Duane Roen has been tracing his roots since his teenage years, building a database with more than 32,000 ancestors. He and his wife, Maureen Roen, have also been recording their family history since 1978 by writing more than 19,000 daily journal entries on their children and other family members. Combining his professional and personal interests, Duane worked with colleagues to establish courses on writing and recording family history at Arizona State University. He also is founding coordinator of the Project for Writing and Recording Family History in the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at ASU.

Download the Class Handout Here:

Conversation with Ancestor–3-3-23