Earlier this week I wrote a short essay (along with a writing prompt) about working with USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive—a collection of more than 60,000 testimonies from genocide survivors and witnesses from around the world. It was a profound time in my career when I had the chance to practice the craft of storytelling while diving deep into the world of inherited memory. That experience was made possible by memory expert Stephen D. Smith who was the Executive Director of USC Shoah Foundation at that time.
One of the roles I held while working with the Institute was that of inaugural Storyteller in Residence and that was where the Along The Seam podcast was first conceptualized. Stephen helped me co-create the show (which originally was under a different name) and became a mentor for me in understanding the depth and richness of post-war memory. He would also join me for one of my first episodes recorded for the podcast and I’m re-sharing that conversation today.
Throughout his career, Stephen has been at the forefront of memory work. He has been instrumental in developing many memorials and organizations including the National Holocaust Museum in the UK and Aegis Trust in Rwanda. He also cofounded and currently runs Memory Workers. Stephen has dedicated both his professional and personal life to preserving the memories of genocide and fighting identity-based hatred. In his words, he has made it his mission to study death so he can help protect life. We recorded this conversation in 2022 in Los Angeles.
You can listen to the episode (#3) wherever you get your podcasts by searching ALONG THE SEAM, or right here. The transcript for our conversation is below. Please note: these transcripts are edited for brevity and clarity, and for paid subscribers. But podcast episodes are always free for all. You can find a full archive of episodes at www.alongtheseam.com.
(Please note that the first season of ALONG THE SEAM was called “The Memory Generation.” You will hear us refer to that throughout the episode)
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