Capture Your Life Story
- the gift that connects generations -
WELCOME
I’m Desiree Gezentsvey, creative writer and trained oral history enthusiast, here to help you
and your loved ones share and preserve treasured memories in audio, video and written formats,
following your personal wishes.
It’s never too early to tell your story
Your life matters. Your voice and stories are unique, and sharing them is the most valuable gift you can give your loved ones— your roots are their roots, your journey and wisdom enrich their identities, your past and present live on in their future.
If not now, when?
We’ve all found ourselves thinking of our loved ones, wishing we had asked the questions, or regretting not having recorded the answers we were sure we would never forget… This applies to our own lives too, memories we intend to share one day… We think it will be easy to do but we keep leaving it for later, or when we try to do it on our own, we get stuck.
I’m here to facilitate your journey through memory lane by connecting with you or your loved ones and guiding the recorded interview in a process that doesn’t have to be overwhelming or hugely expensive. The most important thing is to do the interview and preserve it — on audio, video, writing or a combination. We then consider further options according to your wishes and resources. The interview is your treasure!
What I offer
- Online or onsite, recorded life story interviews (in English or Spanish):
Professional and warm approach that makes you feel at ease through the process of sharing and preserving your unique life stories.
- Confidentiality:
What you share in your interview with me remains confidential, the recordings belong to you and those designated by you, in accordance to the rights and responsibilities of the Privacy Act 2020.
Practical considerations
Onsite or online?
Ideally, the interview would be done in person (in the comfort of your own home environment) as this would allow us to establish the best possible connection, including eye contact, gestures and other valuable physical cues. However, in-person interviews are not always possible, either due to geographical location, or for other reasons. As we navigate through the challenging times of COVID (or other health/personal situations) we can do our best to minimise risks by choosing to do the interview remotely. Online platforms (such as Zoom) can be very effective, and people often welcome this approach, which doesn’t require anyone to come into your home. I’m always happy to talk about options.
Getting started
The first step is to have a chat so I may get an idea of your wishes. Next, we will arrange a Pre-Interview Meeting (in person or online) to become acquainted and prepare for the recorded interview, gather family history and background information, discuss basic themes and chronology of events you would like to cover, and agree on an initial plan to carry out the interviews.
Before the preliminary interview it’s a good idea to consider what you’d like to cover in the recordings. Some people are keen to have quite extensive life interviews, others choose to focus on specific life events, favourite anecdotes, or stories your family would like you to share.
There are no rules or ‘musts’, it’s entirely up to you, what matters is to feel at ease and be aware that as you speak, the story may flow in surprising directions and you may even uncover forgotten treasures!
Choices
A comprehensive life story interview may take anywhere from 5 to 10 hours (or longer), but it is possible to gather great stories in 2 to 4 hours.
Ideally the recording process should be divided into sessions of approximately 2 hours (or shorter if needed) to ensure focus and freshness for both the interviewee and the interviewer. Sessions may be scheduled over a number of days.
Your project customised to suit your wishes and budget
You may select one or more of these options – the cost is determined on an individual basis
Audio
Audio recording captures the tones of voice, accent, manner of speaking, emotions, personality, allowing you to ‘picture’ your loved one with your eyes closed…
Interviews are audio recorded digitally (and transcribed/abstracted). The final audio files are shared for you to download, or transferred to USB. When the interview is done remotely it will be recorded through the online platform we use (Zoom meeting). If in person, I will use my recording equipment.
Editing: in order to preserve the original context, tone and intention of your unique personal story, interviews will not be edited. However, we can address specific edits, if needed. Minimal editing takes place when adding titles or photos and music.
Video
The chance to see your loved one as they tell you their story in their very own way, capturing not only their unique voice but also the facial expressions, the light in their eyes, the feelings that show across their face and gestures…
Interviews are video recorded digitally (and transcribed/abstracted). The final video files are shared for you to download, or transferred to USB. When the interview is done remotely it will be recorded through the online platform we use (Zoom meeting). If in person, I would bring my recording equipment.
Editing: in order to preserve the original context, tone and intention of your unique personal story, interviews will not be edited. However, we can address specific edits, if needed. Minimal editing takes place when adding titles or photos and music.
It is possible to combine the format of the interview – part audio and part video.
May include a number of family photos, and music.
Written
Interview is transcribed word by word and abstracted (with indication of times to help find specific points in the audio or video file). AND/OR —
Interview written out as a first-person narrative, with indications of times (to help find specific points in the audio or video file) and transferred to USB. Or —
Printed book: interview (or selected stories) written out as a first-person narrative, printed as a lovely book, which may include a number of family photos.
You will be able to read the story and make sure you’re happy before it goes to final print.
Desiree Gezentsvey
A little bit about myself
I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and emigrated to Wellington, New Zealand in 1985 with my husband (NZSO violinist Yury Gezentsvey) and our three daughters. We are ever grateful for our life in this beautiful corner of the world.
I have an MA in Creative Writing (International Institute of Modern Letters), an MA in Literary Translation Studies - English/Spanish (VUW) and training in Oral History (Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington).
I care deeply about people’s personal stories and enjoy the process of interviewing and facilitating the recollection and safeguarding of memories which are to be treasured by present and future generations.
I love to write in a variety of genre, such as poetry, fiction, theatre and film. My creative writing works include a bilingual book of poetry, ‘Next Time Around / la próxima vez’ (pub. Steele Roberts), which deals with the subject of immigration and separation from loved ones. The poetry piece ‘Under the Southern Stars’ was recorded and broadcast by Radio NZ, and a number of my poems have been set to music by award winning NZ composers Gareth Farr and Dorothy Buchanan. My play 'Nuclear Family' won the Best Stageplay Award (Script) at the 2011 Moondance International Film Festival Competition (USA) and received 5-star reviews in Adelaide (AU), London (UK), Edinburgh (IE), Auckland and Wellington (NZ). My latest play, ‘Caging Skies’, based on the novel by Christine Leunens, had its world premiere at Wellington’s Circa Theatre and has now been translated into Spanish, French, Euskera and Japanese.
Among the life treasures I’m most grateful for (connection, nature, music, art), top has to be delighting in family life and rediscovering the world through the gorgeous eyes of our six Kiwi grandchildren!
For more information visit www.desireecreative.co.nz
Contact me to chat about how I may help you preserve your story or the story of your loved ones.
Tel: 64 21 771 560
Wellington, NZ
More about me: desireecreative
To respect the privacy of others, I am only sharing here my own video in which I honour the memory of my father, Volf Sterental, who was a Holocaust survivor. FOREVER PRESENT. This 12min video is a sample of a clip that has been edited to include music, photos and titles.
If only I had been able to record my mother telling me about her life, what a gift that would have been! I think about this every day, as all I have are my memories, which inspired this poem:
YOUR SONG
for my mother, my best friend
I like to go to sleep with the music of your voice,
the brushing of your fingers through my hair…
Those sacred hands that call upon Beethoven,
& make me fall in love with Chopin…
The Musicians of Bremen come to life in the night
as they find their new home in the woods…
The gentle shepherd carves a bone into a flute
& plays a song of death & of slain dragons…
& then you sing me a lullaby, a Schluff mein kind,
sung in the purest voice, light and caressing…
& I ask for one more, & one more after that,
I throw my hand over your lap, I won’t let go…
I want to learn about your life, your loves, your fears,
But I’m still young, my world is all about my dreams…
You are always there, you’re my best friend—
One day when I grow up, I’ll get to be like you…
I’ll tell your stories to my girls, sing them to sleep,
& in due course, I’ll ask you about your life…
Woman to woman, mother to mother, friend to friend,
But you’ll be gone, & I shall live forever in the echo of your song…
©Desiree Sterental Gezentsvey