Birthplace of Country Music Speaker Session - Emily Hilliard: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia
Sep
9
7:00 PM19:00
Making Our Future Event

Birthplace of Country Music Speaker Session - Emily Hilliard: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia

  • Birthplace of Country Music Museum (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join us on Tuesday, September 9 for a Speaker Session with Emily Hilliard. In this Speaker Session, folklorist Emily Hillard talks about the future-focused and collaborative approach to cultural work she explores in her book, Making our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia. From diverse examples such as the West Virginia Teachers’ Strike, non-professional women songwriters, hot dogs, and the tradition of independent pro-wrestling, Hilliard paints a picture of folklore as a unifying concept that puts diverse cultural forms in conversation and creates a framework that helps us understand our past and shape our future.

Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Location: In-person at the Birthplace of Country Music, Performance Theatre and streamed on Radio Bristol’s YouTube Channel

Cost: Free and open to the public

REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON

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Making Our Future: A Conversation with Author Emily Hilliard
Feb
14
12:30 PM12:30
Making Our Future Event

Making Our Future: A Conversation with Author Emily Hilliard

  • University of Tennessee College of Law (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join the University of Tennessee Appalachian Justice Research Center for a reading from Making Our Future and a conversation with Emily Hilliard about Appalachia, cultural work, and storytelling. This event is free and open to the public and will be hosted at the UT College of Law in Room 237.

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Virginia Festival of the Book: Folklife and Futures with Emily Hilliard
Mar
24
2:30 PM14:30
Making Our Future Event

Virginia Festival of the Book: Folklife and Futures with Emily Hilliard

  • Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

A future-focused, materialist and collaborative approach to cultural work is what Emily Hillard, state folklorist of West Virginia, offers in Making our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia. From diverse examples such as a teacher’s strike, a multiracial coal camp community, and the tradition of independent pro-wrestling, Hilliard paints a picture of folklore as a unifying concept that puts diverse cultural forms in conversation, one that creates a framework that helps us understand our past and shape our future. In conversation with Katy Clune, Director of the Virginia Humanities’ Folklife Program.

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Making Our Future Release Party and Pop-Up Dinner with Leah Gore
Dec
3
7:00 PM19:00
Making Our Future Event

Making Our Future Release Party and Pop-Up Dinner with Leah Gore

  • Kin Ship Goods' The Snack Institute (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Celebrate the release of Making Our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia by Emily Hilliard and enjoy an Appalachian feast prepared by local chef and baker Leah Gore of Jack the microbakery, with tunes by Drone School DJs in Kin Ship Goods' new event space The Snack Institute!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-our-future-release-party-and-appalachian-feast-by-chef-leah-gore-tickets-463763929397

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Making Our Future Reading at Wordplay
Dec
1
6:30 PM18:30
Making Our Future Event

Making Our Future Reading at Wordplay

Meet folklorist, media producer, and writer Emily Hilliard at WordPlay on Thursday, December 1, at 6:30 pm, for an author reading and signing of her new book, Making Our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia. Event is free and open to the public; no reservations required. Copies of Hilliard’s book will be available for purchase and signing at the event. The book can also be purchased online at bookshop.org/shop/wordplay.

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