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Archive: October 2015 (10 Posts)

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Treasures of the AFC Archive Banner #3

Posted by: Stephen Winick

This is the third in a series of six posts presenting AFC’s new traveling exhibit Treasures of the American Folklife Center Archive. The exhibit takes the form of lightweight, colorful vinyl banners containing information about AFC, the Library of Congress, and (as the title suggests) some of the treasures found in our archive.  Originally conceived …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

American Folk Musician David Bromberg Donates His Papers to the Library of Congress

Posted by: Stephen Winick

The following is a press release from the Library of Congress’s Office of Communications. Press contact: Jennifer Gavin (202) 707-1940 Public contact: Nancy Groce (202) 707-1744 American folk-music legend David Bromberg, a guitar and fiddle virtuoso who has become a renowned expert in rare violins, has donated papers pertaining to his musical career to the …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Spooky Stories for Halloween

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

As some of our readers may remember, tomorrow is the second anniversary of Folklife Today, and our very first post was about Halloween.  Last year, we did a series of posts about collecting Halloween and Day of the Dead photos through a special hashtag.  You can see some of the results here and here and …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

The Poet Laureate Joins an AFC Workshop on Corridos

Posted by: Stephen Winick

At AFC, we’re excited about the Library’s new Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, Juan Felipe Herrera. He’s a fascinating person and a great poet, and he has a deep interest in folk culture. All this led him to join an AFC workshop, and to perform the result during his inaugural reading this September.  We’d like …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Lomax Kentucky Recordings Go Online

Posted by: Stephen Winick

Note: this blog post makes liberal use of a press release devised jointly by the organizations involved in this project, and especially of the announcement made by Berea College. As part of AFC’s year-long celebration of Alan Lomax (1915-2002) during his centennial year, the American Folklife Center is thrilled to announce that The Lomax Kentucky …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Rosanne Cash Curates a Carnegie Hall Exhibit with AFC

Posted by: Stephen Winick

When Rosanne Cash, recognized by the Library as one of the most compelling figures in popular music, was asked to curate a series of concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York, she graciously brought the American Folklife Center along for the ride. Cash asked AFC to help her curate a photo exhibit, which is being …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Lomax Family Manuscripts Go Online

Posted by: Stephen Winick

The following is a guest post from Todd Harvey, the curator of the Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center archive, Library of Congress. The American Folklife Center today announces the online publication of the Lomax Family manuscripts. This phased project begins today, with access to 25,000 pages created primarily by Alan Lomax during …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Disabled, Yet Undeterred

Posted by: Lisa Taylor

I confess that, until joining the staff of the Veterans History Project (VHP) six years ago, I had not really given much thought to the plight of disabled veterans. Like most people, I had seen veterans with scars, burns and missing limbs, and probably unknowingly encountered many more with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but I …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Collection Spotlight: Anthony D. Lopez

Posted by: Megan Harris

Due in part to the well-known HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, which profiled the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the accomplishments and bravery of World War II paratroopers are well known. And deservedly so—I can’t imagine hurling myself out of a plane under the best of conditions, let alone while dodging enemy bullets …