Preface

Part I: Theoretical Meanderings
1. Why Things that Matter? The Context, the Project, and the Book
2. Supporting Things that Matter: Key Concepts and Distinctions
3. Living in a World of Things: Objects, Tools, and Stories

Part II: Research Adventures
4. Things and Stories: Our Participants’ Worlds at a Glance
5. Sea Glass Jewelry: New Chapters for Old Things
6. Apple Quilt: Repositories and Legacies
7. Labyrinth Ring: Identifying Our Stories and Digging Deep
8. Torn Page from a Textbook: The Story of the Violinist that Wasn’t
9. Packet of Love Letters: Legacy Narratives and Serendipity Stories
10. Beer Stein: From Trauma to Fairy Tale
11. Frozen Red Currants: Memory, Textiles, and Symbol-Making
12. Mahogany Table: Bringing Things Together

Part III: Pathways of Practice
13. Things to Know about Life-Writing Groups: Some Variables Involved
14. Writing Things about Our Lives: Exploring, Examining, and Embracing Our Stories
15. Stories and Things: A Chat with Two Professionals

Afterword: Changing Things Changing Us: Further Reflections on the Role of Cherished Objects in the Stories of Our Lives
Appendices One and Two
References
Index