Tells stories about the cultural traditions and folklore of diverse communities, combining brand-new interviews and narration with songs, stories, music, and oral history from the collections of the Library of Congress's American Folklife Center.
Latest episodes
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36 min
Mumming and the American Folklife Center
Rheagan Martin of the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled interviews Folklife Specialists Stephen Winick and Jennifer Cutting about the co…
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50 min
CCG Year of Engagement: Community on the Line
In the fourth episode of the Folklife Today subseries focusing on Community Collections Grantees, AFC Events Coordinator Thea Austen and Folklife Specialist Meg Nicholas chat with…
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32 min
Exploring 1950s Gullah Geechee Sonic Life with Dr. Eric Crawford
This episode of Folklife Today explores an important collection of Gullah Geechee sound recordings in the archives of the American Folklife Center. The collection features over fou…
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28 min
CCG Year of Engagement: Returning to Our Roots
In the third episode of the Folklife Today subseries focusing on Community Collections Grantees, AFC Folklife Specialist Meg Nicholas interviews Laura Grant, the project leader for…
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32 min
Community Collections Grant Year of Engagement: Warp and Weft—Backstrap Weaving in Micronesia
In the second episode of the Folklife Today subseries focusing on Community Collections Grantees, AFC Folklife Specialists Nancy Groce and Meg Nicholas interview Neil Mellon, the E…
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46 min
Community Collections Grant Year of Engagement: Remembering Black Dallas
The first episode in a new subseries of Folklife Today, interviewing project teams about their Community Collections Grants projects. In this episode, AFC Folklife Specialists Mich…
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40 min
Reclaiming “Red Wing” with Wampanoag Singer-Songwriter Thea Hopkins
This episode features singer-songwriter Thea Hopkins, a member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe of Martha’s Vineyard, in discussion with staff members of the American Folklife Cente…
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22 min
Scary Stories for Halloween 2024
This episode looks at scary stories in the American Folklife Center archives, including ghost stories, witch tales, and other terrifying tales. Hosts Stephen Winick and John Fenn t…
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31 min
Storytelling and Folktale Traditions in the American Folklife Center Archive
This episode looks at storytelling and folktale traditions in the American Folklife Center archives, including “Jack Tales,” tall tales, animal tales, and other stories. Hosts Step…
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39 min
Cormac Ó Haodha: Kluge Lomax Fellow from Cúil Aodha in the Múscraí gaeltacht of County Cork, Ireland.
This episode looks at the work of Cormac Ó Haodha, who held the 2024 John B. Lovelace Fellowship for the study of the Alan Lomax collection, a position situated within the library’…
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34 min
2023 Summer Interns: Reflections and Research Guides
This episode looks back at the recent work of Joseph Z. Johnson and Deena Owens, interns who created research guides on African American Banjo Playing and on Sacred Harp singing fo…
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42 min
The 2023 Homegrown Concert Series
This episode looks back and ahead at the 2023 Homegrown Concert series, which is currently in progress. Hosts Stephen Winick and Michelle Stefano interview the series producer Thea…
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34 min
Asian Pacific American Heritage
In this episode for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, John Fenn and Steve Winick invite guests to talk about Asian collections in the American Folklife Center. Allina Migoni t…
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46 min
Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories
In this episode for Women’s History Month, Allina Migoni and Michelle Stefano take a look through the collections of the American Folklife Center to find insights into how women ha…
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23 min
Groundhog Day
In this episode, John Fenn, Michelle Stefano, and Stephen Winick discuss Groundhog Day traditions. Drawing on the research of Don Yoder, they discuss the history and folklore of th…
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21 min
Scary Stories for Halloween 2022
In this episode, hosts John Fenn and Stephen Winick introduce three scary stories for you to enjoy: a witch tale told by Appalachian singer and activist Aunt Molly Jackson, a ghost…
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31 min
Caught My Eye, Caught My Ear, Staff Edition, Including Tributes to Tony Barrand and Mick Moloney
In this episode, hosts John Fenn and Stephen Winick talk with Jennifer Cutting about items that caught their eyes and ears. Cutting discusses commercial recordings of tunes collect…
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28 min
Caught My Eye: Intern Edition!
In this episode, hosts John Fenn and Stephen Winick interview American Folklife Center interns Bryan Jenkins and Elisa Alfonso. Jenkins discusses AFC’s Web Cultures Web Archive, an…
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35 min
Ukrainian Traditions at the American Folklife Center
In this episode, hosts John Fenn and Michelle Stefano, with guest Thea Austen, explore Ukrainian materials in the American Folklife Center Archive. Interview segments include a dis…
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44 min
A Tribute to Irish American Women
In this episode, hosts Stephen Winick and John Fenn, with guests Betsy Peterson, Jennifer Cutting, and Melanie Zeck, explore songs and music from Irish American women in the Americ…