Preserve the Stories, Memories, and History of the People You Love.
Have you been meaning to document your family history for future generations—or help a loved one preserve theirs—but don’t know where to start?
Let me help you break through the barriers.
I turn conversations into keepsakes by guiding people to share their family history or life stories. I craft them into beautiful books, with photos, that capture what otherwise might be lost to time.
What I Do
How I Do It
Who I Work With
Photos: Hillary Goidell
My Offering
I’m Nora!
I am a professional personal historian working closely with people to capture their life stories and family histories in through books and recorded interviews. I serve clients in Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, El Cerrito, Kensington, and nationwide through Zoom.
I created Backstory because so many people think about documenting their family history or stories — but rarely do. That’s a profound loss for them and their loved ones. Since founding Backstory, I’ve discovered something unexpected: while these story collections become timeless gifts for family, the act of telling stories is often an even greater gift to the storyteller. I’m grateful to witness these moments of self-reflection and discovery.
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A book that preserves your family history, starting at a point in time and moving chronologically forward until the present.
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A collection based on your most meaningful experiences and memories, all documented in one place to keep and to share.
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A single letter, or a collection of letters, to expresses your values, shares your family history, and pass along your blessings and hopes to your loved ones.
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Hourly sessions that provide seniors with focused time to tell stories, organize memorabilia, and document the history behind important objects.
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A two-hour session to tell an in-depth story behind a meaningful photograph.
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