Have you ever wanted to turn your ancestors’ stories into a printed book for future generations—and perhaps a wider audience? At the Martin County Genealogical Society’s (MCGS) April 2026 meeting, educator and author Sonja Mongar, MFA,will present “Take It as It Comes: Transforming Family History into a Compelling Book.” Drawing on her experience as a publisher, writer, researcher and family folklorist, Mongar will discuss the process, strategies and challenges of gathering family stories and creating a book. She also will discuss oral history, memoir, narrative photography and the self-publishing process.
Mongar is an indie publisher with Paradise Alley Publishing, an award-winning novelist and a published essayist. A retired tenured English professor, she has long specialized in memoir and life narrative, helping writers turn lived experience into powerful personal stories. Over the years, she has guided students in creating and publishing numerous family folkloric writing projects in both digital and print formats. Mongar currently teaches in the Western Connecticut State University Low Residency MFA Program in Creative and Professional Writing and leads workshops through Indian River State College’s Fielden Institute for Lifelong Learning and the Martin County Chautauqua South Arts and Education series. A fifth-generation Montanan, she is currently working on a book based on her great-grandmother’s 1907 diary, written when she was a 14-year-old rancher’s daughter in Central Montana.
Free and open to the public, the meeting will be at the Blake Library, 2351 S.E. Monterey Road in Stuart, from 1 to 3 p.m., Friday, April 17. The meeting begins with social time followed by a short business meeting, and the presentation is at 2 p.m. To attend via Zoom, register at mcgsfl.org/events.
The Martin County Genealogical Society offers a variety of services at the Genealogy Room in the Blake Library including an extensive research library, access to several genealogy websites and assistance from MCGS volunteers. For more information about membership, activities and services go to mcgsfl.org.
