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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 …
Posted in: AFC History, Alan Lomax, Exhibits, Folk Music, Folksong
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 …
Posted in: Acquisitions, AFC Events, Open Mic
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 …
Posted in: Folksong, Halloween, Halloween Stories, Hispanic American History, Holidays, Narratives, Native American History, Storytelling
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 …
Posted in: AFC Events, Chicano/a, Folk Music, Folksong, Hispanic American History, Poetry
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 …
Posted in: Alan Lomax, Folk Music, Folklorists, Folksong, John Lomax, Kentucky, Ruby Terrill Lomax
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 …
Posted in: AFC Events, AFC Reading Room Visitors, Alan Lomax, Exhibits, Folk Music, Folksong, Photographs, Rosanne Cash
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 …
Posted in: Alan Lomax, Archival Practice, Folk Music
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 …
Posted in: Disablity, Iraq War, Narratives, Oral History, Storytelling, Veterans History Project
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 …
Posted in: Hispanic American History, Oral History, Veterans History Project, World War II