Honey Lane Productions
Dedicated to the phenomena of knowing and getting to know each other
How I learned to read the world
Everything is readable.
Hi there! My name is Theo and I love a good story. In college, I learned a style of interpreting literature that focused on how we respond to what we read rather than in trying to figure out what the author may have meant. I learned to seek to understand how I read what I did, what it meant to me and the ways in which I interpreted them in relation to others who read the same thing. I learned that there was no "right" or "wrong" way of reading it and that my reading was not only valid, but important. I learned that I wasn't just an observer of someone else's thoughts but that as I was interpreting the writing myself, I was an active participant in the creation of knowledge. In this way, I learned that knowledge isn't created by passively accepting that which we read, but it is rather created within the tension between what we read and the worldview we bring into the reading as we read.
As I continued to practice this style of reading, I found myself learning to read the world around me, with its myriad of characters, events, and trials, as though I were reading a book and interpreting it as such. The world, which was throughout my life a difficult and confusing place in which I did not belong was beginning to seem interesting and inviting. I learned that the manner through which I approached the world was not "wrong" or "flawed" as I had so ardently believed but it was mine and in being so, was valid and important. I am continuing to learn that as the primary interpreter of my world, I was important and I was valid. I was not an outsider in my world, but rather an active participant in making meaning.
In reading the world in such a way, I learn to not put as much weight on every word, every sentence, every paragraph, or even every chapter. Instead, I'm learning to try to read how those elements work together to create a whole story, my story, my long, interesting, beautiful story. And as I flip back through the pages, be it now or later, I can see that all of my story, all of all stories, has led to this very line. And this line, no matter the syntax and no matter the grammar or spelling, is perfect and poetic in every way.
- Theo
Introducing our stories
Every story is tellable
I chose the name "Honey Lane" because it was the road on which my family is from in New Berlin, Wisconsin. Whenever my family refers to this old house that my grandpa built, it is often referred to as "the house on Honey Lane" or simply "Honey Lane." Or, maybe that's just how I think they say it. Either way, that house is the genesis for many of my family stories, as it is really the only space of commonality between us all. And if you ask any of us about that house, we would often have different versions and different stories from the same house and about the same people. I love my family and I love all of our stories, no matter how we tell them or how we read them.
And it is in this spirit that we at Honey Lane begin the journey of helping others tell the stories of the people they knew and their version of the events from which they are told. Together, we will tell and read the stories that we tell and share how we view the world. In many of these examples, we will have anyone we can meet tell us about their lives and their families. In others, we will tell the histories of great events such as our World Wars and learn what those events were like from people who knew the people who were there. Much like the "telephone game" we all played in school, we will see how the events change depending upon the person telling. But we are not historians and are therefore not concerned with accuracy. What we are interested in is that the stories are told, and the stories are those of the person telling. As soon as their story is told to us, those stories are now ours to read and ours to tell.
Witness Eyewitness: World War One
The history of the US in World War I through those who knew those who were there.
Honey Lane is proud to be bringing you our first project, Witness Eyewitness: World War One in which we meet people who knew veterans of World War I and help them share the legacy of the people they knew as well as share what it was like to know them. We will be telling the history of America's involvement in the Great War both in narrative form and through the stories of those who knew those who were there. Please let us know if you would like to contribute to this great endeavor.
Upcoming!
We look forward to bringing you the following Honey Lane original programming!
Witness Eyewitness: World War 2
We are in the planning stages of our second edition of Witness Eyewitness in which we meet people who knew or know veterans of our second World War. Please let us know if you can take part.
Hey stranger! Tell me about you!
Believe it or not, everyone is fascinating. Let us prove it to you! We will be going about our great country in search of everyone who might be willing to tell us about themselves. Trust me, you're in for a treat!
Tell Me About Grandma
In this series, we are going to meet individuals and families because we want to know about their grandma. Why? Because grandmas are great, that's why.
Tell Me About Grandpa
We want to know about your grandpa. He must have been such an interesting fellow and it's time you told the world all about him!
Join Our Team
We are always looking for enthusiastic people to help with finding participants, interviewing/recording, leading programs, and of course, for the tech side of things.
Donate
Donations are greatly appreciated to keep our programming fresh and ongoing. Please consider visiting our Patreon page to make a donation.