Project Keepsake

by Amber Lanier Nagle

Amber Lanier Nagle has always been interested in keepsakes-a glass bluebird, a pocket knife, a dime-store locket, a faded fishing lure, a dented cake pan, a model train car, and so many others.
“Why do you keep this?” she asks. “Where did it come from?”
And then she listens as the stores and memories pour out. Project Keepsake is Nagle’s crusade to collect and publish the stories that transform simple, everyday objects into priceless keepsakes. Told in first-person by both seasoned and aspiring writers, each story in the anthology is unique, yet each reveals common threads that connect us all and celebrate the glorious human experience.
“I hope the book inspires you to write your own keepsake story.” –Amber Lanier Nagle

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2014

Reviews

[Jeanie Loiacono · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us who cherish the smallest of things, found, given or inherited, Project Keepsake validates our desires and feelings. As I read the stories, I thought of all the little “keepsakes” I have stored away; items that only have meaning to me, even though I hope they will someday for my children and grandchildren. Regardless, they are in a safe place. Some on display and others in storage, each one has a story behind them. Thank you, Amber, for letting me know that they matter.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are fifty-five short keepsake stories in the collection. Each essay describes a keepsake—a quilt, a pocket knife, a ring, a hat, a cake pan, etc.—then reveals the history and memories associated with the keepsake. Project Keepsake provides a storytelling outlet for people to celebrate the keepsakes, heirlooms, and souvenirs that bind them to powerful memories of people, places, and life events.

I love Project Keepsake, but then again, I'm somewhat biased. I wrote two of the stories in the collection ("Herman's Brown Buckeyes" and "The Old Singer Sewing Machine"), the introduction, and a chapter at the end about crafting keepsake stories. Many other gifted writers contributed stories including Wayne Minshew, Francine Fuqua, Coleen Brooks, Renea Winchester, Janie Dempsey Watts, Barbara Tucker, Estelle Rodis-Brown, Karen Phillips, Sharon Huey, Jane Starner, Dana Cooley-Keith, Bob Wright, Jean Lowrey, Dot McCrory, and Marcia Swearingen.

[Ray Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely done. Each keepsake launches a unique story.