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.

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.

Smithsonian Postal Museum Research Conversation: Rural Free Delivery

On May 31, 2023, I look forward to presenting a research conversation at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in D.C. on my American Folklife Center Archie Green Fellowship project "Rural Free Delivery: Mail Carriers in Central Appalachia."

This occupational folklife project documents the expressive culture and experiences of 25 rural mail carriers and clerks (formerly known as postmasters) in the upper mountain South (VA, WV, KY, OH, NC), the region which birthed the country’s first rural free delivery route in 1896. Rural Free Delivery focuses in particular on the function rural postal workers serve as important resources in their community, as well as how their place of work—rural post offices—are invaluable community hubs in remote areas. Additionally, the project explores how long-time rural carriers have witnessed changes in their work (namely increased monitoring and technological advances), community, and landscape, across their career.

DC folks are welcome to attend in person by RSVPing to Susan Smith at NPMResearchChair@si.edu and others can join via Zoom here.

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.