Your family tree has a story to tell.

You probably know that April is National Poetry Month. Schools and the Yak celebrate this month by sharing the poems you write. But did you know that April has also been named International Legacy Month? What's a legacy? It's a gift you pass down to other generations. It doesn't have to be a money gift, or jewelry or fancy antiques. It can be as simple as the family stories that your grandma or grandpa has shared with you. In fact, the Yak thinks sharing family stories and history is one of the best gifts you can get from an older family member.

Educator Camille Cosby and journalist Renee Poussaint agree that collecting the wisdom of older family members is a fantastic gift, too. A few years ago, they created the National Visionary Leadership Project as a way to collect the stories of older African Americans. They recently published the book "A Wealth of Wisdom: Legendary African American Elders Speak" based on work from their project. The book shares the wisdom of more than fifty African-American elders. Some of them are very famous and others are leaders in their communities. All are 70 or older. The Yak thought the book was such a good idea he decided to ask the writers for ideas on how you can tap into the wisdom in your family and write down your own family stories.

Camille, who is also the wife of comedian and actor Bill Cosby, and Renee created their leadership project because they were both very interested in preserving the stories of older African Americans for all of us--especially for young people.

Renee says her interest in collecting family stories has always been a big part of her life. Even as a little girl growing up in Spanish Harlem, a neighborhood in Queens, New York, and visiting her grandparents during summer vacations in tiny Tennessee towns, she collected stories. Renee didn't write down the stories when she was a little girl, but she did remember them. "Mainly, I was asking lots of questions," she says, adding, "I was fortunate to have wonderful storytellers in my family." Renee says hearing all the family stories made her want to hear and learn more, so it's no surprise that Renee grew up to have a job in television where she asks lots of questions and tells other people's stories.

So how can you find out about your family stories?

Probably the hardest part of writing down family stories is getting started.

Camille says the first thing you should do is "ask the elder if you may record her or his oral history. If the answer is 'yes,' then establish a date, time and place that is convenient for the elder to be interviewed."