Kim Johnson of South Charleston is leading an apprenticeship in banjo traditions of central West Virginia with apprentice Cody Jordan of Charleston.
Tag: folklife
A Tribute to West Virginia Labor Singer-Songwriter Elaine Purkey (1949-2020)
West Virginia Folklife deeply mourns the great loss of labor songwriter, musician, activist, radio host, teacher, and devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother Elaine Purkey.
Join the West Virginia Humanities Council’s Virtual West Virginia Day Celebration
Happy West Virginia Day 2020, from the West Virginia Humanities Council!
Field Notes: An Interview with W.I. “Bill” Hairston
W.I. “Bill” Hairston, 71, is a storyteller, old-time musician, and pastor living in Charleston, West Virginia. He was born in Phenix City, Alabama, and his family moved to Saint Albans, West Virginia, in 1960.
Remembering Bill Withers: The Nomination Letters for his 2017 WVU Honorary Doctorate
William Harrison ‘‘Bill’’ Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was born into a miner’s family of 13 children in Slab Fork, Raleigh County, West Virginia. His mother moved the family to Beckley when Withers was 3, but he continued to spend weekends in Slab Fork. By the time he was 15, Withers…
Weirton’s Serbian Heritage is a Chicken Blast
We worked with West Virginia Public Broadcasting to produce radio & video mini-documentaries about Weirton’s Serbian Heritage and the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church Men’s Club Chicken Blasts held weekly in the summertime at the Serbian Picnic Grounds. Every summer Wednesday since 1969, members of the Holy Resurrection Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church Men’s Club have gathered…
Out of the Blocks Podcast Highlights Voices from Charleston’s West Side
This winter, West Virginia Folklife partnered with WYPR producers Aaron Henkin & Wendel Patrick to field produce two Charleston West Side episodes of the Baltimore-based neighborhood podcast, Out of the Blocks. The audio collage features Charleston West Side locals in their own words, mixed with an original musical score, and is presented in two parts:…
West Virginia Folklife Seeks Applications for 2020-2021 Statewide Folklife Apprenticeship Program
The West Virginia Folklife Program is now accepting applications for its 2020-2021 statewide Folklife Apprenticeship Program. The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 award to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These…
The Food We Eat, The Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian Tables Editors & Contributors to Read at Taylor Books, December 5
On Thursday, December 5, at 6pm, editors Elizabeth Engelhardt and Lora Smith of the new anthology The Food We Eat, The Stories We Tell: Contemporary Appalachian Tables (Ohio University Press, Nov. 2019) will be joined by book contributors Courtney Balestier, Danille Christensen, and Emily Hilliard for a reading and book signing at Taylor Books…
A Tribute to Ballad Singer Phyllis Marks (June 5,1927-June 22, 2019)
A tribute to Gilmer County ballad singer Phyllis Marks, who passed away June 22, 2019, at the age of 92.
Announcing the West Virginia Folklife Legends & Lore Roadside Marker Program
West Virginia Folklife Legends & Lore Roadside Marker Program Apply Here First Round of Applications due May 1, 2019 What is the Legends & LoreR Roadside Marker Grant Program? The West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council is excited to be partnering with The William G. Pomeroy Foundation to bring the Legends &…
The State Folklorist’s Notebook: “People need to know about plants”: Herbarist Marion Harless
The State Folklorist’s Notebook is a regular column written by state folklorist Emily Hilliard for Goldenseal magazine. This article appears in the Spring 2019 issue. Some people speak in complete sentences. Marion Harless speaks in entire paragraphs, punctuated by laughter. The first time I went to interview her at her home in Kerens in Randolph County, she…
