Forget-me-not » Ailsa Piper in conversation with Jane Hutcheon
In this last episode of her 6-part series about how we memorialize, Jane speaks with actor, director, and author, Ailsa Piper about mastering the art of moving forward.
’s guest today was Ailsa Piper. Ailsa is well-known in Australia as an actor, director, audiobook narrator, and writer. After her husband died suddenly, Ailsa began the task of mastering the art of moving forward. Her latest book is “For Life.” As Jane describes it, her book is “an intersection between memoir and family history.”
Among the many insights I captured from Ailsa’s conversation with Jane:
“We are different selves with everyone.” In the act of memorializing, each of us can only memorialize the person we knew.
We memorialize in both story and voice. As we tell stories, that perspective comes through whether written or recorded.1
Grief is growth. She described it as a “stone in your pocket, it’s always there, even if you sometimes can’t feel it.”
The power of ritual to help us through these difficult moments and as guidance we can expand upon. As a writer, Ailsa explains how she expanded on Orders of Service2 for her partner’s services.
“Farewelling” is a process. “It’s taken me a long time to figure out who I am without him and as a result of him.”
Finally, Ailsa offered several thoughtful tips for family storytelling, whether as part of a memoir or other form of reflection. Perhaps this is the place to start our conversation. What struck you? Does this remind you of references in your own family or community?
“Forget-Me-Not: How We Memorialise” is a six-part series for storytellers and family historians that explores how we memorialize and preserve the stories of people who have died. The series is a collaboration between Jane Hutcheon of The Juvenile Geriatric Newsletter and Projectkin.org, a community of family historians hooked on stories.
Jane Hutcheon is a Sydney-based journalist and the creator and former host of the ABCTV interview show One Plus One from 2010 until 2019. She is also a writer and performer in theater productions sharing her perspectives in The Juvenile Geriatric on Substack. In 2022, she wrote a show about my mother’s upbringing called Lost in Shanghai, and her latest show is Difficult Conversations with Jane Hutcheon. We’re thrilled to have this Forget-Me-Not series as part of Projectkin.
Are there topics you’d like us to cover in this series or as Projectkin? Please don’t hesitate to let us know. We’d love to hear from you and welcome your voice at our programs.
Join our growing community of genealogists, family historians, and storytellers. Membership is as easy as a subscription. Learn more at Projectkin.org/about.
A six-part series for storytellers and family historians that explores how we memorialise and preserve the stories of people who have died. The series is a collaboration between Jane Hutcheon of The Juvenile Geriatric Newsletter and Projectkin.org, a community of family historians hooked on stories.
A six-part series for storytellers and family historians that explores how we memorialise and preserve the stories of people who have died. The series is a collaboration between Jane Hutcheon of The Juvenile Geriatric Newsletter and Projectkin.org, a community of family historians hooked on stories.
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