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OHMAR at OHA!
The Oral History Association annual conference starts TODAY, Monday, October 19th! We at OHMAR are delighted to be the GOLDEN MICROPHONE SPONSOR of this event, which would have been held in the Mid-Atlantic Region, in Baltimore, MD. But, instead of…
The March on Washington, Fifty Years Ago
OHMAR, an all-volunteer organization, is fortunate to have a new intern for the Fall 2020 semester! Michael Barnes joins us from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. One of his assignments, in keeping with OHMAR’s commitment to telling relevant…
The 1968 Baltimore Race Riots in a New Light
OHMAR, an all-volunteer organization, is fortunate to have a new intern for the Fall 2020 semester! Michael Barnes joins us from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. One of his assignments, in keeping with OHMAR’s commitment to telling relevant…
2020 Conference Update and “Business Meeting”
We’d like to take a moment to update you on our 2020 conference planning. As we announced on 3/9, the global COVID-19 pandemic forced us to cancel the annual meeting that was supposed to be held in Shepherdstown, WV, from March 13-14. We…
OHMAR Annual Meeting Cancelled
To the OHMAR community: This communication updates that which we sent on 3/7. At this time, we need to cancel the OHMAR annual meeting in Shepherdstown, WV on March 13-14, 2020. This is not a decision that we came to lightly. There have been many…
Akers, Stillwell to be Awarded Prestigious Pogue Award
OHMAR is pleased to announce that Dr. Regina Akers of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), and Cdr. Paul Stillwell who has been long associated with the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), will be jointly presented with the Forrest C Pogue Award to…
Leaders Wanted!
Hello OHMAR! Do you love oral history? Does volunteering make you feel good? Of course it does! Allow me to suggest you consider assuming a leadership role within our organization. OHMAR currently needs a new Vice-President, Secretary, Communications…
Oral Historians in the Classroom
On November 19, three OHMAR board members Skyped into my Introduction to Oral History class at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. Harnessing internet technology in this way is not only easy and free, it’s consistent with…
Veteran Voices Waiting to be Heard
In its 19th year, the Veteran Oral History Project at the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey in Sea Girt marches on. All branches of service and many different conflicts are represented, from World War II to the present, in the project’s collection of…
Voices of the Game
When you hear former Yankee infielder Andy Carey tell a story about printing up a fake newspaper on the night of Oct. 7, 1956 with the headline “Larsen Pitches No Hitter” and how he wanted to hang it in Don Larsen’s locker the next morning as a…
Stories at the Heart of Government-2020 Annual Meeting
The 2020 Call For Papers, “Stories at the Heart of Government: Politics and Oral History,” is currently out for submissions. OHMAR is excited to be holding this year’s conference jointly with the Society for History of the Federal Government at…
Supporting Intergenerational Oral Histories
I am honored and grateful that my oral history project, “Youth Activism in Different Generations in Appalachia,” was selected for this year’s Martha Ross Memorial Prize. As an anthropologist, oral historian, media artist, and educator, I share…
OHMAR 2019 Conference: A Student Perspective
Greetings, all! It’s with great pleasure that I write this note to introduce myself as the new President of Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region! (Even though, as I wryly note to anyone who congratulates me, I was running unopposed- still a pleasure!) But before I do…
A Letter from the President
Greetings, all! It’s with great pleasure that I write this note to introduce myself as the new President of Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region! (Even though, as I wryly note to anyone who congratulates me, I was running unopposed- still a pleasure!) But before I do…
After 9/11: Reflections on Post Trauma Oral Histories
Last March, I presented at the 2018 OHMAR conference with retired New York City firefighter Keith Murphy. We wanted to share our experiences and discuss the risks and rewards in documenting post-traumatic oral histories as it related to the conference…
The South Side Voices Project and Communal Listening
When I moved to Pittsburgh at the tail end of a particularly bitter winter in 2012, I’d describe my new home to my West Coast friends as having a “Portland vibe” because of its proximity to water and multitudes of neighborhoods. Now that I…
Access and Inclusion in Oral History – 2019 Annual Conference
We at OHMAR are proud to share the call for papers for our 2019 conference, “Access and Inclusion in Oral History.” The conference, co-sponsored by the Monmouth University Department of History and Anthropology, will be held Thursday, April 1…
The Archive of Immigrant Voices
Recently I sat down with Kate Keane, the Director of University of Maryland’s Center for Global Migration Studies to talk with her about the Center’s Archive of Immigrant Voices. Established in 2012 to house interviews with immigrants to the…
Oral History, Data, and Communities
Oral histories and everyday experiences don’t often come to mind when we think of data. Data usually refers to the quantitative scientific measurements that point towards an objective truth. By contrast, human experiences are often seen as subjective…
Tracking Sandy Exhibit
I am not the common history major, at least not at Monmouth University. As a South American immigrant, English is not my first language and I have only been exposed to American history beginning my sophomore year of high school. This means I’ve spent…
Immigrants & Oral History
Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region (OHMAR) and the Immigrant and Ethnic History Society (IEHS) presented a workshop at Monmouth University on September 15th, 2017 that left the attendees ready to dig into their own projects. Professor Melissa Ziobro of…
Oral History – Not Just for History Majors
Being a first-year student can be intimidating and frightening. You might have no friends on campus, and if you commute, like me, it can be hard to make them. My point is that it can be scary, and it’s hard to get out there and make a name for yourself or…
Perspectives at the OHMAR Annual Conference
At the end of April, I had the opportunity to attend the Friday session of the OHMAR 2017 annual conference “Oral History & the City” at Columbia University. Besides the fact that this was a unique conference itself from the astounding presentations to the…
Oral History at Opera Philadelphia
On September 16, 2017, Opera Philadelphia will premiere We Shall Not Be Moved, a new opera by composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and director/choreographer Bill T. Jones. The production is an outgrowth of Hip H’opera…
School of Rock
Housed on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ, The Bruce Springsteen Special Collection and Archive comprises nearly 35,000 items from 48 countries. These range from books and concert memorabilia to articles and promotional…
Giving Back and Moving Forward
We’re living through an historic moment. Whatever your political persuasion, your constitutional sensibility, your race, economic status, gender, sexual orientation, or country of origin, this recent election cycle has created a cultural and political watershed…
Balancing Act
Two years ago I began teaching an oral history course in which students interview recent immigrants to the Washington DC area. Students and interviewees have the option to donate their interviews and transcripts to the Immigrant Voices archive at the University…
Organizational Heritage: Monmouth Memories Oral History Program
The fledgling Monmouth Memories Oral History Program is a long-term, open-ended effort to capture and preserve the organizational heritage of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. I started the program in December 2012, hoping to interview…
Oral History: Where does it fit in museums?
The theme for this year’s OHMAR conference was “Oral History & Technology,” and participants presented their ideas on how evolving technologies can be applied to creating and sharing oral histories with the public. For my first OHMAR…
OHMAR History, Constitution, and By-Laws
Read the most updated version of OHMAR’s history, constitution, and by-laws here.
Proposed Changes in OHMAR’s Constitution and By-Laws
Below are several changes the Board has proposed we make in our Constitution and By-Laws. As required by the Constitution, the membership will be asked to vote on these changes in the near future. Please review them below so that you will be prepared to…
Revised Constitution and Bylaws
OHMAR’s constitution and bylaws have recently been updated. The update is part of OHMAR’s Strategic Plan. Read the OHMAR Constitution and By Laws. Winter 2015 OHMAR members are encouraged to review the Constitution and bylaws…
Call for Proposals: OHMAR Annual Meeting 2015
April 9-10, 2015 Rutgers University-Camden Campus Deadline for Submissions: January 5, 2015 Extended to January 30, 2015 OHMAR is delighted to accept proposals for its 2015 annual meeting around this year’s theme, Oral History and…
Regional Oral Histories and Strategic Planning: An #OHA2014 Recap
How do regional oral history organizations plan for success, and what roles can they play for oral historians and the national organization? This was the subject of our lively and engaging panel at #OHA2014. Chaired by OHMAR Board Member LuAnn Jones, Jason…
Re-thinking the Role of the Regional Oral History Organization
This post by OHMAR Board member Jason Steinhauer originally appeared on the Oxford University Press blog on July 25, 2014. Read it here. What is the role of a regional oral history organization? The Board of Officers of Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic…
Innovations in Oral History – NYPL Labs
In a recent interview by The Library As Incubator Project, Ben Vershbow and David Riordan of NYPL Labs discussed an oral history pilot program launched by the lab in conjunction with the…
“Funeral for a Home” featured on NPR
“Funeral for a Home” is one of the more unique oral history projects in the mid-Atlantic region. The project teams artists with oral historians to document the lives of all the families that lived in…
OHMAR Presents 2014 Forrest Pogue Award to Judith Knudsen of Arlington, VA
OHMAR (Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region) presented its annual Forrest Pogue award to Judith Knudsen at our spring annual meeting, held on April 24 and 25 at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia. The Pogue award recognizes lifetime…
Call for Papers | OHMAR Conference
Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region (OHMAR) announces CALL FOR PAPERS and PRESENTATIONS. How do we choose? The stories we collect, the ones we donate. OHMAR announces a…
“What I Do”: An Oral Historian Talks about Her Work
OHMAR Board Member Dr. LuAnn Jones talks about her work in a new Perspectives on History video series. http://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/what-i-do-historians-talk-about-their-work/what-i-do-luann-jones
Oral History Projects Document Hurricane Sandy
Soon after Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey in 2012, Abigail Perkissan OHMAR Board Member and Assistant Professor of History at Kean University, launched an oral history project to chronicle the…