How it works
You talk. Joan carries the thread.
Eight steps from a phone call to a private archive. The storyteller has to do exactly one thing: answer the phone and talk.
The sequence
What actually happens.
- 01
You tell us who the storyteller is
Usually a son or daughter starts this, not the storyteller. Tell us who they are, how to reach them, and anything we should know before the first call.
- 02
The storyteller agrees to be recorded
Before anything is kept, the storyteller gives permission themselves, out loud and in their own words. They can withdraw it later. Nothing else is bundled into that agreement.
- 03
Joan calls
At a time the storyteller picked, from a number that stays the same so it becomes familiar. There is no app, no login, and nothing to set up. A phone rings.
- 04
They talk, and Joan follows
About forty-five minutes, usually. Joan asks, listens, and follows the parts that turn out to matter, rather than working down a script. The storyteller can stop whenever they like.
- 05
Joan shapes the conversation into a story
Joan writes it up in the storyteller’s own language, keeping their phrasing, their humor, and the order they thought of things. Joan does not add facts that were not said.
- 06
The storyteller approves it
They read it and can correct a detail, keep a passage private, remove it, or approve it. Nothing moves forward until they say so. This step never gets skipped.
- 07
The story joins the private archive
The approved story is filed with the recording it came from, and with the people and places it mentions, so later conversations can build on it and any line can be traced back.
- 08
The archive becomes what you choose
The archive is the thing you keep. A printed book is one way to hold it, and an audio edition in the storyteller’s own recorded voice is another. Neither is required, and the archive does not depend on either.
Where it ends
It ends at the archive, not at the book.
A printed book is the part people picture first, and it is genuinely moving to hold. But the book is one rendering of something larger. The archive is the approved stories themselves, the recordings they came from, and the people, places, and years they connect.
We end the sequence at the archive because that is what keeps growing and what the family keeps. One archive can become a hardcover, an audio edition in the storyteller’s own recorded voice, a shorter volume for grandchildren, or a memorial edition — and it can become the next one years later, without anyone being re-interviewed.
In plain words
The practical questions.
The ones families actually ask before they commit, including the two nobody wants to raise first.
How long is a conversation?
About forty-five minutes. The storyteller can end a call early without losing anything that was already said, and a short call is not a failed one.
Does the storyteller need a smartphone, an app, or a password?
No. Joan calls an ordinary phone. There is nothing to download, no account for them to remember, and no screen involved unless they want one.
What number does Joan call from?
The same number every time, so it becomes recognizable rather than looking like a stranger calling.
What if they miss the call?
Nothing is lost and nothing is charged differently. Joan tries again at another agreed time. Missing a call is expected, not a problem to apologize for.
What if the storyteller is hard of hearing?
Joan speaks slowly, repeats when asked, and works in shorter sessions when that helps. Tell us in advance and we will set the pace before the first call.
How often does Joan call?
On a rhythm the family chooses, from once a month to once a week. The rhythm can change, and pausing is allowed.
Who can see the stories?
Only the people the family invites. The archive is private by default, and stories are not shared, sold, published, or used to train public models.
What if a story gets a detail wrong?
The storyteller corrects it during approval, and the correction is what enters the archive. Because each story stays linked to its recording, a disputed detail can be checked against what was actually said.
What if they mention something they want kept out?
They can mark it private or remove it entirely. Material that is not approved does not enter the archive, and removing something does not require a reason.
What if there is a subject they will not discuss?
Joan drops it and does not circle back to it later. Refusing a topic is a normal part of a conversation, not a gap that needs filling.
What happens if the storyteller dies partway through?
We deliver everything already completed, stop billing immediately, and charge nothing further. The family keeps the archive and the original recordings. This is the case we planned for first, because it is the one most likely to happen.
The first chapter
The first conversation is free, and there is no card.
One call, one finished story, and the recording it came from. If the storyteller does not enjoy it, that is the honest answer to a question you cannot get from a website.