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.
Haptic & Hue Podcast: The Mysterious Origins of Knitting
I was delighted to be interviewed by Jo Andrews of the Haptic & Hue textile podcast about my research on the cultural history of knitting in Appalachia. Listen to the episode, The Mysterious Origins of Knitting, here.
Center for Craft 2025 Craft Research Fund
Thank you to the Center for Craft for awarding me a 2025 Craft Research Fund for the project, The Multi-Stranded History of Hand Knitting in Appalachia. This research will explore the underdocumented cultural history of hand knitting in Appalachia through archival research, community surveys, and fieldwork with contemporary practitioners in Appalachia and Northern Ireland. The project will result in a publicly accessible archival collection, article, and conference presentation.
Harvard Folklore Symposium: Appalachia Betwixt & Between
Looking forward to learning from colleagues and presenting at Harvard Folklore & Mythology's Symposium this weekend! I'll be speaking on how expressive culture (aka folklore) was used by public educators during the 2018-2019 West Virginia Educators' Strike to bolster worker power, teach the public, and forge a new reality, and how those lessons still resonate today.
Thank you to Sarah Craycraft for the invitation and organizing work!
Learn more here
Grist: "As climate change fractures communities, folklorists help stitch them back together"
Grateful to Katie Myers for talking with me about visionary folklore and for amplifying the work other folklorists like Maida Owens and Kimi Eisele do in collaboration with cultural communities impacted by climate change.
Read the full article in Grist here