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Portrait at Work

Every Story Matters to Rhondia Turano: How to Capture Moments with Memories In Writing's Memoir Interview Service

Feb. 14, 2024

Memories In Writing is a minority/woman-owned business founded in 2012. For over a decade, they've been helping people encapsulate personal stories. Rhondia, the co-founder of the company, started in the online advertising business before taking her career on a completely different path. The moment that ignited Rhondia's spark for storytelling came when a client showed up with a box of letters and memorabilia from his daughter who had passed away, asking to transform it into a format that can be preserved for generations.


Rhondia's journey with capturing and preserving memories started when she owned a publishing company. Back then, she'd have people go to clients' houses, meet them face-to-face, and write down their personal stories. That's when she realized everyone has a legacy to leave, and began working on ways to improve the interview service.

Living in an era of digitization, Rhondia noticed how technology distracts individuals from being present, sitting down, and sharing moments from the past. When the idea for a fully digital, remote interview service came to Rhondia, she embraced how technology could help reduce the cost and make encapsulating memories more affordable and accessible to many.


Memories In Writing (MIW) makes the most of modern developments while keeping its services genuine and impactful. For Rhondia and her team, it's all about human connections. Even though there is technology that simplifies the process, the conversations that individuals have are real, with real humans, evoking real emotions.



The Memoir Interview Service covers an interview package with information on how to schedule calls, send photos, and personalize the book. Depending on the purchased package, each client gets up to 4 hours of interview time, scheduled in shorter intervals and tailored to personal preferences. At the end of the service, every customer receives 2 copies of hardbound books, containing up to 150 pages.


With a qualified staff of story-capturing interviewers, the service is reminiscent of having a casual conversation with a friend. The meetings are spread across a few weeks to avoid overwhelming the clients and allow for the development of a comfortable and friendly space. These interviews cover a wide array of topics, including an introduction, early years, adulthood, marriage, parenting, beliefs, opinions, and more. Additional interview time is available for purchase if needed. Memories In Writing's Do-It-Yourself memoir services provide thought-provoking questions, engaging videos, and naturally flowing interviews that will guide customers from childhood memories to adulthood, exploring different milestones along the way.


"You know your life story, you remember all your big experiences, but you might not think of the little things like the first time you went to the beach until somebody helps jog your memory of it. I think that's one of the most powerful things about the Memoir Interview Service," expresses Elizabeth LaFleur, Story Capturing Leader at Memories In Writing.


The templated approach sets guidelines for both the interviewer and interviewee, helping them stay on track, and best utilize the interview time. Additionally, once someone purchases the Memoir Interview Service, they receive an Interview Booklet that allows them to put all the important dates, birthdays, and catalog photos, simplifying the process. All the pre-work allows the interviewer to focus purely on meaningful stories without getting sidetracked by trying to remember dates.


The meaning behind Memories In Writing's endeavors is very simple but powerful, "Everybody has a story to tell." From the beginning of time, storytelling is how humanity learned about the past, and it's important to preserve all stories. Thinking someone's narrative doesn't make an impact because they're not famous is a very common reaction, but Rhondia emphasizes, "You don't have to be famous to matter, we're all part of the same history."


Memories In Writing believes that it's conversations that unlock forgotten memories, make clients comfortable, and inspire them to share. MIW's staff is there to build a friendship with each person, listen to them carefully, and make it easy to open up.


A common misconception about the Memoir Interview Service is that its targeted demographic is the older generation. Although the service makes for a beautiful and thoughtful gift that helps encapsulate elders' stories, people of all ages can enjoy it. "I understand where that comes from. When you think of a memoir service, often grandparents come to mind first. But the truth is, all kinds of people have already lived. Plenty of people have lived all kinds of things by the time they're 20 or 30. And I think that there's a lot of beauty and value in telling your story and knowing you can add to it later," stresses Elizabeth LaFleur.


With a mission to make memories last forever, Rhondia and her team at Memories In Writing have been turning stories into tangible pieces for over a decade. Their services are suited to all kinds of needs, and the Memoir Interview Service is one that's shaped for everyone. It enables individuals from all walks of life to share and preserve stories for future generations to pass, making a permanent mark in history.


If you're looking to find out more about Memories In Writing and their services, you can find them at memoriesinwriting.com


Media Contact:

Name: Elizabeth LaFleur

Email: elafleur@memoriesinwriting.org


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