At 5:15 p.m. (AST), Friday, Dec. 9, the Caribbean Genealogy Library will host “Unlocking the Book Within – Capturing Your Family’s Story Through Books and Film,” with author Melissa Fredericks.
Melissa Fredericks is a former educator and author of “Mer – A Caribbean Underwater Adventure,” which is a fantasy that explores the bonds of blood, sand and sea through the lens of our birth and chosen families.
Fredericks is a native Virgin Islander, and she weaves her family’s oral history into the book in addition to Virgin Islands’ history and culture, while also showcasing the community’s need to thoughtfully steward the island’s natural resources.
Fredericks will describe how to begin writing, conduct interviews, and record information. She will walk participants through the fundamentals of storytelling and describe options for publishing. She will also discuss transitioning books into movies, exploring the idea that a person might want to turn a family’s story into a film.
Attending: This event is a hybrid. There are two options to join:
- Join us in person at the Caribbean Genealogy Library, or
- Join via Zoom: registration required
Also scheduled is a presentation at 2 p.m. (AST), Saturday, Dec. 17: “Researching and Writing Your Family Story: The Process” with author Anne Walbom.
Walbom is the author of “St. Thomas & St. John Historic Photos 1855-1917” and “St. Croix Historic Photos.” She is a member of the Danish West Indian Society in Denmark. Walbom has spent years researching her family story from Denmark to St. Thomas.
She started by documenting stories told within her family, then used archives to research those leads. In recent years she has written her family story, describing it from various viewpoints, including those of F.F. Hansen, an attorney; Dorothea Weyle, an enslaved person working for Hansen as the housekeeper; and Anna Pauline, the child of Hansen and Dorothea. The story takes place in Elsinore, St. John, Frederiksted, St. Thomas, Copenhagen, Rome and the battlefields between Denmark and Germany.
Walbom will describe the process she used to conduct and document her family history, selecting a storyline, the sources she used to tell her ancestors’ stories, and tips for writing.
Attending: This event is in person to be held at the Caribbean Genealogy Library.
