Storytelling, Memory and Intergenerational Legacy

This creative practice research project explores how stories function as vessels of memory, carrying family histories, values and experiences across generations. Inspired by personal experiences of loss and remembrance, the project investigates how storytelling can help preserve connections between generations and ensure that important family narratives are not lost over time.

Through the development of the Bettina-Fay picture book, the research examines how creative storytelling can make complex themes of memory, identity, belonging and legacy accessible to children, while contributing to broader discussions about cultural memory and narrative continuity.

While much of my research examines storytelling at the scale of cities, communities and cultural policy, the Bettina-Fay project explores storytelling through the intergenerational relationships that connect children to family histories, memories and shared experiences. Both strands of work are concerned with how narratives shape identity, belonging, participation and future possibilities.

Key Research Questions

• How can storytelling preserve family memories, histories and values across generations?

• What role do stories play in helping children understand identity, belonging and their place within a broader family narrative?

• How can creative practice transform experiences of memory, loss and legacy into meaningful narratives that sustain intergenerational connection?

Research Approach

The Bettina-Fay project adopts a creative practice research methodology, where the development of narrative, character, and visual storytelling serves as both a creative output and a means of exploring questions of memory, legacy and intergenerational storytelling. The research draws upon personal and family histories to examine how stories can preserve connections between generations and make complex themes of identity, belonging and remembrance accessible to young readers.

The project is being developed through a collaborative creative process between writer Annetta Latham and illustrator Mark Minty. Through the interaction of text and illustration, the project explores how visual and narrative forms work together to communicate family histories, values and experiences across generations.

As the manuscript and illustrations evolve, the creative process itself provides opportunities to reflect on how stories are remembered, interpreted and shared. In this way, Bettina-Fay functions as both a children's picture book and a creative practice research project investigating the role of storytelling in sustaining memory, connection and legacy.