It’s an honor to receive the American Folklife Center’s 2026 Gerald E. and Corinne L. Parsons Fund Award for my research and future book project, “As I Roved Out: Jean Ritchie as Folk Musician, Folklorist, and Appalachian Advocate.” The award funds will support my research into the life and work of Kentucky folk musician, folklorist, and record label owner, Jean Ritchie, focusing specifically on her early years in New York City during the nascent folk revival, her work as a folklorist in Ireland, England and Scotland, and roles as a representative of and advocate for Appalachia and Appalachian culture.
Celebration of Women in Old-Time Music
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, I’ll be in conversation with the one and only Alice Gerrard about her new memoir, Custom Made Woman: A Life in Traditional Music, which I had the honor of blurbing.
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.
The Female Bob Dylan Podcast Featured on Bandcamp Daily
Bandcamp recently featured our new podcast The Female Bob Dylan and gave us the floor to pick and write a few words about some favorite albums on the platform. I chose Natalia Beylis’ Variations on a Sewing Machine, Cath and Phil Tyler’s The Ox and The Ax, Fawn Wood’s Kikāwiynaw, and Norma Tanega’s I’m the Sky: Studio and Demo Recordings, 1964-1971.
You can check Sophie and Sarah’s excellent picks, our blurbs about each, and Mariana Timony’s full write-up 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.
Music Maker Foundation Hosts Conversation, What Is Folklore?
What comes to mind when you hear the word folklore? For many, probably Taylor Swift’s 2020 album. In actuality, the field encompasses traditional customs and art forms, practices that are preserved among a people, often passed down and around through word of mouth. Today, people across the world are more connected than ever, and as society changes and evolves, so does folklore. Join four working folklorists—Zoe van Buren (North Carolina Arts Council), Timothy Duffy (Music Maker Foundation), Katy Clune (Virginia Humanities), and Emily Hilliard (Mid Atlantic Arts)—for a discussion about the past, present, and future of folklore. As Zoe van Buren says “It’s very hard to define. If it were easy to define it wouldn’t be so powerful… tradition, folklife - these are not things, these are conversations.” Join the conversation on Tuesday May 3rd at 6pm Eastern and on Music Maker Foundation’s Facebook and YouTube channel following.