What Was Here
What Was Here is a collaborative zine project documenting public memory tied to Philadelphia landmarks. By landmarks, I simply mean different places in the city--a corner store, a vacant lot, the former location of an apartment or school, a site of a first kiss. My initial plan for widespread public engagement was to partner with public libraries in different sections of Philly (West, Southwest, North, Mt. Airy/Germantown, Northeast, Center City, South). My librarian colleagues are eager to participate, including Ben Remsen at Kingsessing (Southwest), Abbe Klebanofft at Fumo Family Library (South Philly), and Karen Kirsheman at The Free Library of Philadelphia (Main Branch/Center City). I initially thought of libraries as partner sites, because libraries are free spaces open to all, sites of community gathering, and generally have long neighborhood tenure and deep connections to many constituents of their geographic locations. I have also run successful zine workshops at many Philly libraries in past years.
With COVID-19, in-person workshops are more fraught. With partners at various regional and neighborhood libraries, however, my strategy to include as many people of Philly in my project remains the same: work with existing networks to share information and invite participation. Whether on-site workshops become possible, working with libraries and librarians helps me connect with the communities I aim to engage: newcomers, long-time residents, youth, elders, those used to having their voices heard, and those with much to say regardless of who has historically been listening.
Thanks to the widespread use of smartphones and increasing use of digital technologies, I will engage potential participants through multiple ways: libraries and librarians, as I have mentioned; other geographical community hubs, identified with librarian and other neighborhood leaders; and through social media and targeted advertising, including fliers at laundromats, drugstores, groceries, and on messageboards. In addition to more in-depth workshops offered in-person (when safe) and via Zoom, potential participants will also have the option to share their stories virtually, uploading video, audio, text, and/or photos to a dedicated website or through using QR codes. I will compile stories into public documents and create storymaps of Philly people and places.
The goal of What Was Here remains the same: for Philly people to share their stories of what was here, who was here, what happened, and who matters. Spoiler: everyone matters. Through this project and a strategic network of community partners and public/digital outreach, I aim to engage Philly people across race, gender, class, sexuality, neighborhood, and more. My chosen medium of digital and print zines is one I have used for years for public engagement across levels of literacy and education, language and age, immigration status and other community markers. Z
Zin
e r a es
r e v e for
Philly is
. e n o y
for ever y
one.
We need to know what was here.
Carolyn Chernoff 2021