Newswander collects stories from her immediate blended family of eighteen children from two marriages (her dad's first wife died) and tries to analyze why her family was able to stay together in an era of divorce and family problems. She believes that a common store of memories recreated through storytelling and tradition helps a family to feel connected and unified despite separations of age, time, and space. Created by Lynita Newswander when she was enrolled in Jill Terry Rudy's English 392 course in Fall 2002.