Caroline Pearce of The Audio Biographers works with people to create digital audio recordings of interviews in which they recount their memories and stories for family, friends and to keep for posterity. In this way memories are preserved, ensuring none are forgotten, and voices are never lost. Caroline firmly believes that all lives are of value and interest, and everyone has stories to tell.
Caroline aims to capture the essence of a person in recording their unique voice and in this way current and future generations are able to hear their voices talking about their memories. Full preparation is given to all clients to help them distil their thoughts and create a fascinating and timeless narrative. The recorded interviews are edited onto a USB stick in a bespoke gift box. Recording sessions can be in person or remote.
Audio biographies make wonderful gifts for special birthdays, anniversaries and other landmark occasions. Caroline also interviews post-wedding couples to record their memories of their special event. Gift vouchers are available.
What is an audio biography?
Everyone has stories to tell and memories to share, and the sound of a person’s voice is a very powerful way of remembering them. An audio biography captures those memories, preserving them for current and future generations so their voices can always be heard, rather like a personal podcast for loved ones.
Why did Caroline start The Audio Biographers?
As a professional biographer with an MA in Biography, Caroline has worked with hundreds of clients from all walks of life over more than thirty years, interviewing them and writing about their lives. Her involvement in the Heritage Lottery-funded SAMS Roots oral history project in 2015 led to Caroline’s decision to move away from writing professionally to focus on the individual stories and memories as told in their own voices.
Caroline believes that every person has something of interest to say, and that every story matters. By preserving memories, and passing them on to others, audio biographies provide personal, family and social histories. In helping people to tell their stories in their unique voices with their inflections and emotions, Caroline is enabling the sense of each storyteller to be evoked. Lovely feedback from Caroline’s clients indicates that in the process of recording their stories, people feel valued and heard. Some have described the experience as ‘cathartic’, while others have noted Caroline’s engagement, interest and gentle prompting.
How is it done?
It’s very simple! There are three main steps:
First, the preparation. Caroline speaks to the storyteller, talks them through the process and gathers information from them. The client does some homework and feeds it back to Caroline before the recording session.
Second, a recording session is arranged, either in person in the storyteller’s home, or remotely wherever they are in the world. Caroline guides them through the recording with the aim of making it a relaxed, enjoyable and fun experience, with tea and rest breaks, giving the storytellers the time and space to feel comfortable.
Third, the recording is edited by sound engineer Mike to remove hesitations and unwanted sounds. The completed audio biography is delivered on a USB stick in a beautiful maple gift box which makes excellent keepsakes and gifts for family members or friends.
Listen to short clips from clients’ stories here: https://www.audiobiographers.co.uk/listen
For FAQs click this link:https://www.audiobiographers.co.uk/things-to-consider