A Portrait of Me

This is a story of two cultures coming together through me. Past generations empower me to create new traditions for future generations. Through my family and the customs they pass on, I learn more about who I am and who I want to be. This book is part of the new children’s book series Bigger Than Me: My Story, My Culture ©, an exciting partnership between Bexley Public Library and The Ohio State University. The 2025-2026 program for this community-engaged initiative was supported through The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences Office of Engagement, Office of Academic Affairs Outreach and Engagement, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Humanities Institute, Center for Ethnic Studies, OSU Libraries, Global Arts and Humanities Discovery Themes “Archival Imaginations,” Center for Languages Literatures and Cultures, Bexley Public Library and the Bexley Women’s Club. Bigger Than Me books are the final outcome of a series of intergenerational heritage workshops designed to translate interdisciplinary research methods into applied, participatory, practice-based approaches accessible to wider publics, equipping participants with skills for library research, oral histories collection, ethnographic interviews, material culture analysis, narrative and storytelling strategies, and public speaking, and bringing together children, their parents and extended family to explore their own epic story. To learn more about the series visit https://www.bexleylibrary.org/biggerthanme