The Tennessee Folklore Society will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Etowah Railroad Depot and Museum in Etowah, Tn. The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude at approximately 3 p.m.. It is free of charge and open to Society members as well as the general public.
Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program Director, Bradley Hanson, will inform attendees about commission programs and recent activities.
Tony Kail will present on root-working and hoodoo practices in West Tennessee. Mitsutoshi Inaba will offer a summary of his research on the life and career of Tennessee blues great, John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson, and Jessica Turner will discuss the Birthplace of County Music’s “Bristol Sessions” project. Participants will also tour the exhibits at Etowah’s historic Railroad Depot and Museum.
The Tennessee Folklore Society is a statewide organization of professional folklorists, arts presenters, community scholars, and others who share an interest in studying, preserving, and celebrating the rich folk arts and cultural traditions of Tennessee. Founded in 1934, the Society publishes the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, the nation’s oldest regional folklore journal. Additionally, the Society periodically issues audio recordings significant to Tennessee’s rich musical heritage. The Society acts as a conduit for state and federal grants devoted to special projects celebrating Tennessee’s folk traditions and advocates for the state’s distinct folkways.
The annual meeting is a time for members, prospective members, and others interested in Tennessee’s folk traditions to gather, present papers on folklore subjects, and exchange ideas.
Tennessee’s culture is changing rapidly. The Chinese Erhu player and Mexican crochet artist are now as much a part of the cultural traditions of our state as the blues musician and white oak basket maker. The Tennessee Folklore Society is working to keep abreast of the ever-evolving landscape of “Tennessee folklore.” Operations of the society are managed by Jubilee Community Arts in Knoxville, Tennessee.