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.

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