Excited to be a part of this special weekend in Knoxville, hosted by the East Tennessee History Center and celebrating the contributions of women to American old-time music!
On Saturday March 7 at 2:30 we’ll be doing a live taping (our first!) of an episode with special guest Dr. Jessie Wilkerson on the late great songwriter and bluegrass musician Hazel Dickens.
Earlier that day at noon, Emily Hilliard will be in conversation with the one and only Alice Gerrard about her new memoir, Custom Made Woman: A Life in Traditional Music.
All events are free and you can catch other great talks, concerts, and film screenings, and tour the Birthplace of Country Music Museum traveling exhibit “I’ve Endured: Women in Old-Time Music” throughout the weekend. More info here.
NTS Radio & Smithsonian Folkways Present Verna Gillis in Conversation with Emily Hilliard
I'm honored to be a part of this NTS Radio special broadcast celebrating 75 years of Folkways, a label I used to work for and one that is still near and dear to my heart.
I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with record producer, writer, artist manager, and performer Verna Gillis, who produced and/or recorded 16 albums for Folkways from 1976-1985. They range from field recordings of Haitan rara, women's music in Ghana, Kora music from Gambia, Comanche flute, and the musical ministry of a women-run Black Philadelphia church, among others.
We talked about her experience recording Don Cherry in Mammoth Cave (!), R. Murray Schafer and how his conception of the "soundscape" inspired her radio show and New York venue of the same name, her trusty Stellavox recorder, and a lot more.
Listen to our conversation here.
Special thanks to Smithsonian Folkways’ Jonathan Williger and Sophie Abramowitz for inviting me to participate.
What Is Folklore?: In Conversation with Folklorists Sarah Bryan & Emily Hilliard
Bitter Southerner guest editors April and Lance Ledbetter spoke with Sarah Bryan, executive director of the North Carolina Folklife Institute and editor of the Old-Time Herald, and Emily Hilliard, program officer, Folk and Traditional Arts at Mid Atlantic Arts and former West Virginia state folklorist at the West Virginia Humanities Council, about tradition, authenticity, validation, and building creative cultural communities in our digital age.
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Mountaineers are Always Free Book Launch
A new book by folklorist Rosemary Hathaway explores the history and potent symbolism of the iconic West Virginia University Mountaineer. The book launch for “Mountaineers Are Always Free: Heritage, Dissent, and a West Virginia Icon” ( WVU Press, 2020) will be held in the Event Hall at the WVU College of Law on February 24 at 4 p.m. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.
Hathaway, an associate professor of English, will lead a discussion about the Mountaineer with Travis Stimeling, associate professor of music, and Emily Hilliard of the West Virginia Folklife Program.
Learn more via West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
The Lexington Gathering: To Live Here, You Have To Fight, Jessica Wilkerson in Conversation
Honored to be in conversation with Jessica Wilkerson about her essential new book, To Live Here, You Have To Fight: How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justice, at the 2020 Lexington Gathering in Lexington, KY, February 8, 2020.
Learn more at The Lexington Gathering