Workshop: Writing that Breaths Life in Local History
The workshop will focus on the intersection of fiction and history, as represented by Louise Erdrich’s The Round House. After brief remarks on the purposes and functions of local history, the workshop will focus on how fictional techniques, as seen in Edrich’s work, can be exploited to enliven non-fiction accounts of the past. The workshop will conclude with a consideration of local and regional topics and resources.
About the presenter, Gage McKinney:
Gage has written seven books about the social, economic and cultural histories of mining settlements, including Gold Mining Genius: A Life of George W. Starr; MacBoyle’s Gold; When Miners Sang and The 1930s: No Depression Here. He won the John Townley Award from the Mining History Association for his article "Order L-298: The Closing of America's Gold Mines in World War II," presented in June 2019 in Marquette, MI. His work has been recognized by the Holyer an Gof Awards in Cornwall, UK, where he was made a Cornish bard.
Gage teaches a four-week course on Cornish History and Culture in the Osher Life Long Learning Institute at Sierra College in Grass Valley. Gage lives in Grass Valley with his wife, Ilka Weber.
