Rural Free Delivery Collection Now Available via the Library of Congress

I'm pleased to share that my 2021 Archie Green Fellowship Occupational Folklife project Rural Free Delivery: Mail Carriers in Central Appalachia is now accessible via the Library of Congress.

The project documents the value of rural carriers to their communities and includes interviews with 25 rural mail carriers and clerks in Appalachian regions of Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio, as well as photos of rural post offices.

There are also some choice videos of retired rural mail carrier, guitar maker, and National Heritage Fellow Wayne Henderson jamming with current rural carrier Brian Grim, and Merle Haggard's guitarist Redd Volkaert (I found that many rural mail carriers are also musicians).

Read more about the project in this interview on the American Folklife Center blog.

West Virginia Mine Wars Museum's Blair 100 Kickoff Event

I’m really looking forward to the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum's Battle of Blair Mountain Centennial Kickoff Event, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain, and focusing specifically on the importance of music and poetry as expressions of solidarity during the Mine Wars.

Featured musicians include blues harmonica player and National Heritage Fellow Phil Wiggins & West Virginia folklorist and musician Gerry Milnes, both of whom are featured in the film and soundtrack of John Sayles' 1987 film Matewan. Honored to be saying a few words alongside Crystal Good, Doris A. Fields, and more.

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

55 Strong: Inside the West Virginia Teachers' Strike at Malaprops Bookstore, March 15

“Jessica Salfia and Emily Hilliard present 55 Strong: Inside the West Virginia Teachers' Strike at Malaprops Bookstore in Asheville, March 15, 2019 at 7pm.

What compelled West Virginia's teachers to strike? How did they organize? What were teachers and allies doing during the strike? And how is the West Virginia labor movement celebrating its victory? 55 Strong: Inside the West Virginia Teachers' Strike answers these questions and offers unique, on-the-ground insight into this historic strike. The book includes essays by teachers from around the state, organizing documents, images from the picket lines, and material on the history of the labor movement in West Virginia.

Jessica Salfia is an activist, writer, and teacher in the West Virginia public school system. 

Emily Hilliard is a West-Virginia based folklorist and writer.” 

Find more information about the reading here.

Brown University's Public Work Podcast- Episode 06: Emily Hilliard on Folklore, West Virginia, and Documenting Contemporary Labor Movements

"What role does folklore play in modern life? What is folklore, anyway? In this episode, Amelia Golcheski interviews West Virginia state folklorist Emily Hilliard to learn why folklore is more than just myths and legends. It can also be about labor movements, local histories, and even the “right” way to eat a hot dog. Amelia and Emily also discuss the recent teachers’ strike in West Virginia, misconceptions about life in so-called “Trump Country,” and approaches to public humanities that are invested in showing the importance of regional history."

Listen via Public Work