“What Her Diary Reveals: Daily Narratives and Untold History” is the new exhibit in the MWWC’s display case in Marcil Hall on the Biddeford Campus, created by Elia O’Hara (English and Political Science double major ’25) in collaboration with Education and Outreach Archivist Cathleen Miller.

The exhibit includes diaries from the MWWC’s holdings from the mid-1800s to the early 1930s. It demonstrates how everyday Maine women have documented their personal histories and, in doing so, preserved their part in the historical record. 

Complementing the exhibit, Elia and fellow student Sarah Dill (Political Science ’25) co-wrote an op-ed about the exhibit, “Struggling with the News Cycle? Start Keeping a Diary,” that appeared in the Portland Press Herald on April 24, along with an April 15 article titled “Diaries for Democracy: How Keeping a Diary Holds More Power Than You Might Think” in UNE’s student newspaper, the Bolt.

Join in by submitting your own diary entry!