Bilingual Time Machine - For Adults

For adults and seniors. No registration. 

This self-paced, informal, hands-on program offers the opportunity to remember through music, storytelling, and vintage objects. Listen to old songs on a vintage record player or flip through past issues of LIFE magazine. A typewriter station invites reflection or creative expression, while a letter-writing area features ink pens, fun stationery, stamps, and envelopes, offering the option to write and mail a handwritten note to a loved one. Additional objects- such as model cars, household items, doilies, rotary phones, radios, vintage family photographs, and print media from different decades, help anchor memories and encourage storytelling in a calm, welcoming environment.

Event facilitators will be available in English, Spanish, and German, creating opportunities for participants to engage, share stories, or ask questions in the language they feel most comfortable using.

About the Presenter
Samira Álvarez Gretzinger is an educator, author, and speaker with 15+ years of experience in bilingual education in the U.S. and abroad. This program is deeply inspired by her grandmother, Clara Luz, a beloved folkloric musician from Camuy, Puerto Rico, whose music and stories were central to her community and family life. As Samira works on writing her next book, a memoir honoring her grandmother’s life, she has found that music and everyday objects have a powerful ability to unlock memories, stories, and emotional connections across generations.

This program is made possible by Beyond the Page, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Madison Community Foundation.