Intergenerational Heritage Workshops and Children’s Book Series
In 2024-2025, a collaboration between The Ohio State University and Bexley Public Library launched the Bigger Than Me: My Story, My Culture intergenerational workshop and children’s book publication series. This pilot program, co-sponsored by SPPO, HI, GAHDT, OAA, Office of Engagement, Center for Ethnic Studies, OSU Libraries and Bexley Public Library, supported children 8-11 and their families to produce published books on their family heritage.
You can now view the first five books in the Bigger Than Me: My Story, My Culture children’s book series in the Folklore Library (HH498), SPPO (HH298), Global Arts and Humanities (HH150), and the main lobby of OAA. And if you’d like to purchase a copy, Wexner Center Bookstore has the books for sale.
Pilot program funding also enabled us to place hardcover library sets at the Bexley Public Library, the participants’ elementary school libraries, State Library of Ohio, Ohio Connection Library, Bexley Historical Society, Thompson Library and the Wawakunapaq Children’s Books Library in SPPO. Two communities in the Andes and Amazonia with interest in participating in the series in the future with their own heritage stories also received sets for their community centers.
Since the book launch last spring, kid authors have been invited by OSU Area Centers for interviews and gone on to present their books in their classrooms, participate in book exchange events with award-winning children’s books authors, and present at the Columbus Book Fair and multiple public library events. You can read more about the impact of the pilot program on the Bigger Than Me website.
The Bigger Than Me program gave us a chance to reconnect and collaborate once more with OSU graduates as networks that began at Ohio State extend beyond our institution into the community. Hallie Fried, class of 2022 majoring in Spanish and International Development, former Kawsay Ukhunchay Andean and Amazonian Indigenous Art Collection researcher and now a K-12 educator in Central Ohio, joined Michelle Wibbelsman (SPPO) and Leticia Wiggens (Ethnic Studies Librarian) as co-facilitator for the workshops in 2024-2025. Fried not only brought her sensibilities with K-12 audiences to the workshops but also her experience with applied pedagogies of play, emergence and curiosity explored during her time with Kawsay Ukhunchay.
We also worked with local artist Hakim Callwood (@hakimsartnstuff) who sketched author portraits while listening to their stories and gave children pointers for their artwork for the books.
The success of the Bigger Than Me pilot program has prompted the community to ask for a new iteration of the program. For 2025-2026, the number of registered participants has more than doubled! This year’s cohort also includes two OSU families and two returning families!
The second iteration of the program launches this autumn of 2025 with a new group of families and kid authors, so keep an eye out for our spring 2026 book launch and exciting new additions to the Bigger Than Me publication series!
We have volunteer opportunities for OSU students to help with workshops and events, mini language lessons, blog posts, photo/video documentation, and editing. So please reach out to wibbelsman.1@osu.edu with any questions, interest in getting involved, or support.
