Telling stories has always been part of family life, with tales and traditions passed down from generation to generation. But family storytelling just got a boost from a community-engaged collaborative program offered by The Ohio State University and Bexley Public Library. The Bigger Than Me: My Story, My Culture series empowers children and their families to explore their unique cultural histories and heritage together, and ultimately share their stories as a published book.
The pilot program, co-sponsored by Ohio State’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, College of Arts and Sciences Office of Engagement, OAA Office of Outreach and Engagement, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Humanities Institute, Center for Ethnic Studies, Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Themes “Archival Imaginations,” The Ohio State University Libraries and Bexley Public Library Youth Services, supported a series of workshops in autumn 2024 that allowed participants to explore listening and storytelling techniques, oral histories, material culture, library research methods, recording technologies and narrative strategies.
Led by Michelle Wibbelsman (Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Ohio State); Leticia Wiggins (Ethnic Studies librarian, Ohio State University Libraries), Hallie Fried (Ohio State alumna and local educator) and youth librarians at Bexley Public Library under Julie Perdue’s direction, the pilot program included a small number of families with children 8-12 years old and a wide diversity of cultural backgrounds.
The workshops were modeled on Wibbelsman’s children’s book, On the Wings of the Condor (2022), which celebrates her son’s Andean heritage and was featured on a 2024 WOSU segment of the Columbus Neighborhoods series. Bigger Than Me: My Story, My Culture thus far has been especially impactful for children who either don’t know much about their heritage or have grown up away from their families’ countries of origin.
One parent participant commented, “I like the idea of being in the weeds with something with my son, who keeps asking me ‘why do we have this Arabic stuff around the house?’ This program was the perfect way to open his eyes to the meanings and stories behind our traditions.”
Similarly, Davida Osei, another mom who attended the workshops with her 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, says, “I loved the opportunity for them to learn more about their heritage. I am American, my husband is Ghanaian, and the kids have always been very interested in learning more about their heritage.”
Most importantly, the sessions were offered in a casual, not-overly-academic setting. “The workshops were loosely organized around how you create a story, while also making the sessions inviting, informal and fun,” explains Leticia Wiggins. Workshop facilitators introduced the children to analogue technology new to them, such as tape recorders and microphones and miniature printers. Children were equipped with research notebooks and special pens for notetaking. They also received small “expedition trunks” to store their research materials. As a special component, the program also brought in local artist Hakim Callwood to sketch “author portraits” of the kids while he listened to their stories and coach them on their book illustrations.
By the third workshop session, the books began to take shape in the minds of their authors, evolving as creative ways to tell their families’ stories. “They used their imaginations to come up with their books’ plots,” Perdue says. “One child is using a fictionalized version of himself as the main character who rubs a lamp that lets him travel back in time to his grandfather’s childhood. Another student’s book is a mystery, where the main character finds a wooden box from Ghana, and it’s a gateway to finding out about her family from there.” Other books feature sports themes, migration journeys and holiday celebrations. And one child entirely redefined the notion of heritage with a futurist orientation in the absence of family to interview.
Wibbelsman says the workshops also differed from after-school activities where parents drop their child off for a music lesson or sports practice and pick them up afterward. “It’s really about the parents and kids coming together as partners, dedicating time with each other, and celebrating their shared heritage,” she explains. “We focused on the process of the books, of course, but also on forming habits of conversation, of collective imagination, of collaboration and joint problem-solving.”
As Osei comments, “More than anything, it turned out to be an opportunity for us to spend time together. We are a busy family, so it’s so nice to pause together. It turned out to be an opportunity for the three of us to foster our relationship … to talk about things like the history of our names and to have deep conversations. That has been the gift in all of this.”
Lena Feldman, whose eight-year-old son was the youngest participant, commented that for her, an experience that stood out was “watching mothers’ faces when their kids were retelling their family stories… seeing that look on other moms’ faces was one of the most memorable moments.”
The final result of the workshops is a self-published book creatively authored by each child and reflecting their family’s unique story. The books will be spotlighted at a celebration for the young authors at the Bexley Public Library this spring. Find more information about the program.
Program facilitators are already planning the next iteration of the Bigger Than Me workshops and thinking about how to sustain, develop and amplify this community-engaged collaboration. Adds Wiggins, “As a land grant university with all of these incredible resources that we can share with the community, it would be amazing to make this a model that other libraries could use throughout the country.”
But the best outcome of the workshop series may be a little closer to home. “Every family has a story. Whether or not it garners attention from others, it’s meaningful to your kids,” says Davida Osei. “I can’t say enough good things about the program. It’s been beautiful for us to bond as a family, and that connection is what truly matters.”