The Preserve Your Past Podcast
Leaving a legacy with your powerful personal stories
Storytelling is a universal practice we use to pass along our memories to future generations. Whether or not you consider yourself a writer, everyone has a lifetime of stories to share and getting these down on paper assures that they will live on.
Join author, storyteller, and host Melissa Ann Kitchen as she welcomes guests from around the globe weekly to share the stories they’re leaving as their legacy. We pull back the curtains, get real and raw, going behind the scenes and discussing the story-telling processes they use. You’ll get plenty of tips and tools (and lots of inspiration) to help you write your own stories.
If you love the idea of preserving the past through powerful personal stories and want to hear how others have lived, loved, lost, and overcome all odds, then join us for The Preserve Your Past Podcast.
- Update frequency
- every 9 days
- Average duration
- 32 minutes
- Episodes
- 37
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2024
#17: Baking, Nostalgia and the Magic of Family Traditions with Waltraud Unger
Do you remember baking cookies with your grandma, the smell of fresh dough wafting through the air, and the warmth of the kitchen wrapping you in a comforting hug? Our guest, Waltraud Unger brings th…
#16: Setting The Stage: Creating a Writing Environment for Writing Your Powerful Personal Stories
Are you ready to transform your writing journey and craft the perfect space for your creative endeavors? I promise that after tuning into this episode, you'll be well-equipped to create an inspiring …
#15: Send-Offs, So-Longs, and See-You-Laters: Documenting Your Goodbye Stories
Remember the smell of new corduroys, the anxiety of sleepovers away from home, or the exhilaration of the first day at a new school? These are the quintessential moments of September transitions we a…
#14: Unlocking Your Inner Writer: The Seven-Step Process to Writing Your Powerful Personal Story
Ever been in a situation where the stories inside you are eager to come out, but you just can't seem to find the right words? This week, I'll be letting you in on the secrets to setting yourself up f…
#13: The Impact of Storytelling on the Grieving Process
Losing a loved one is an inevitable part of life, a profound event that forever changes us. Yet in the midst of such pain and sorrow, have you ever explored how the simple act of storytelling can be …
#12: The Little Things Make A Big Impact in Your Personal Stories
Picture this: a young girl with her family at Windmill Beach, laughter ringing out as they navigate the repair of a wooden split rail fence. This is a memory that shaped my life, and it's those small…
#11: From Heart to Pen: Writing Stories for Our Children
From a cozy campsite in Maine, I’m bringing you a heartfelt conversation on how parents can weave beautiful narratives for their children. Allow me to share inspiring prompts to capture irreplaceabl…
#10: Preserving Personal and Family Narratives: We All Can be Storytellers
Throughout my time speaking with people about my mission to help others “preserve their past through powerful personal stories.” I have had a lot of people assume that this topic was mostly for an o…
#9: How Adding Story to Your Introduction Can Make Your Research More Compelling
After talking with dozens of genealogists at the New England Genealogy Consortium 2023 in May about their passion projects and juicy family stories, I heard the same question over and over:
How can I …
#8: How to Use Mind Maps When Writing Your Stories
What if you could take all of the stories, memories, and family research that are bouncing around in your head and get them all out on paper easily so you could pass them along?
As a writer, I know …
#7: The Times When Preserving the Past Through Personal Stories Mattered Most
In reflecting on her past and thinking about the times in her life where family stories and personal stories were important to her, Melissa realized there were specific times in her life when the pa…
#6: Ask Melissa - Organizing Your Writing
In this episode we look at a question from a listener that I believe is a universal issue for all writers and can cause overwhelm and stop us from getting started or even cause us to lose important s…
#5: Your Mother's Story is Where Yours Begins: Story prompts for writing stories about your mom
But behind all your stories, is your mother’s story, for hers is where yours begins.
-Mitch Album
Happy Mothers’ day to all of the moms out there! The new moms, the in the trenches moms, the empty nes…
#3: Write Your Stories in Your Own Words and Voice
In this episode Melissa discusses the importance of writing your stories in your own words and voice so that your family can see your authenticity and heart in your stories.
#4: Your Personal Stories Are Treasures
Your personal stories are treasures; ageless artifacts that help preserve the reflections of life. In this episode Melissa discusses how are stories connect the past, present, and future.
Preserve Your Past Trailer
Melissa introduces the Preserve Your Past Podcast and walks through her goals for this podcast and her passion for helping listeners write their personal stories in order to preserve their past, writ…
#2: Guardians of Our Legacy - The Importance of Reaching Backwards and Forwards
We are a continuum. Just as we reach back to our ancestors for our fundamental values, so we, as guardians of that legacy, must reach ahead to our children and their children. And we do so with a sen…