Tennessee Folklore Society

09/03/2026

Join us as we partner with Arkansas Folk & Traditional Arts for their virtual Community Scholars training this fall!

Are you interested in learning about community documentation and historical research? Are you your family's historian? Do you want to come hang out with others who enjoy sharing their local stories? Join us for our fall 2026 Community Scholars cohort starting September 10th! Sessions will be every other Thursday on Zoom throughout the fall and open to residents of both Arkansas and Tennessee.

Community Scholars is free and open to the public. You can learn more about the program and sign up at the following link: https://uark.libcal.com/calendar/AFTA/cstenn26

09/03/2026

“Memphis music…means something different to everyone and often encapsulates the completely unexpected. What we found is no less of a Memphis style than soul or rock and roll, but it certainly isn't what people think of when they hear the term ‘Memphis music.’”

So says University of Memphis PhD candidate, Grace McCommon. While digitizing the audiovisual collections at Chucalissa Archaeological Museum in Memphis, Grace stumbled across a forgotten vinyl record. The disc documented two songs by a band called the Choctaw Warriors and the content turned out to be a revelation.

Read Grace’s full essay, “The Choctaw Warriors of Chucalissa: Finding Music History in Museum Archives,” new on the TFS website this week.

Photo: April 30, 1960 Commercial Appeal (Memphis)

08/31/2026

Is you or someone you know interested to learn about documentation techniques, fieldwork and archiving ethics & methods, research presentation formats, and project development? Do you have an interest in cultural programming or conserving the cultural heritage of your community? Join the TFS as we partner with Arkansas Folk & Traditional Arts for their five-week virtual Community Scholars training this fall! It's free to register and participate!

To register, visit: https://uark.libcal.com/event/17252014

Learn more about AFTA's Community Scholars program here:
https://folklife.uark.edu/scholar/

08/28/2026

It's that time again! The Tennessee Folklore Society invites you to submit a proposal for its 2026 Annual Gathering to be held at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. This year's gathering is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2026, with special programming to also take place on Friday, November 13. The society welcomes proposals for presentations on subjects related to folklore and the traditional expressive culture of Tennessee and neighboring states.

Applicants may submit proposals for individual papers, forums, workshops, or media presentations. Applicants should submit an abstract of 300 words or less along with the name of the presenter(s), contact information, presentation title, and a list of equipment needed for the presentation. A committee will select a limited number of papers for inclusion on the program.

All proposals should be submitted via email to ([email protected]) by September 30, 2026. Submissions should include TFS Presentation Proposal in the subject line. Additional details about the TFS annual meeting will be forthcoming.

08/13/2026

New on the TFS website this week, Dr. Robert Cogswell's reflection on his early exposure to folklife concepts at Peabody College, and how his Peabody contacts informed the two TFS Bulletin articles: “Cannon County Basketry: The Sweezy Project,” Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, vol. 66, nos. 1-2 (in the photo), and ”Cannon County Basketry: Broader Documentation,” Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, vol. 68, nos. 1-2.

We appreciate Roby's ongoing work and tireless advocacy for Tennessee's traditional arts. Link to his latest essay in comments.

08/05/2026

We are fortunate that our state arts agency supports a robust folklife program that invests in the preservation of these amazing traditions. Congratulations to the 2027 TAAP teams!

From Dr. Bradley Hanson, Director of Folklife, and Evangeline Mee, Traditional Arts Specialist – The Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program has awarded funding to eight projects as part of the […]

06/08/2026

The Tennessee Folklore Society wants your work! Folk stories, scholarly folklore or ethnographic writing, photo essays, short and longform creative nonfiction, etc. will be accepted for review with publication on TFS’s recently updated website (link in bio).

Subject matter should be related to Tennessee (directly or tangentially), but interpretations can be wide and varied.

Send proposals to TFS Board President Sydney Varajon ([email protected]) with the subject line: TFS SUBMISSION.

Visit our website for examples: https://tennesseefolklore.org

05/27/2026

Big day for Tennessee folklife Saturday, May 5 at the Tennessee State Museum. Don’t miss it!

03/26/2026

A complete hardcopy run of the Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, as well as TFS audio recordings, will be housed in the new folklife learning center in Selmer. The McNairy County Visitors and Cultural Center (better known as the Latta) is home to our institutional host organization, Arts in McNairy.

We are excited to report that Arts in McNairy is a proud recipient of a $25,000 Tennessee 250 grant from the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

The award will be used to develop The Tennessee Folklife Learning Center at the Latta in partnership with the Tennessee Folklore Society. The center will create opportunities for student and adult learners to engage with the state’s traditional arts and folk culture. Additions at the Latta will include interactive digital media, display cases housing one of a kind artifacts, a reference desk to browse AiM and TFS folklife holdings, and other resources to familiarize visitors with Tennessee folkways.

Our sincerest thanks to the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial and Tennessee State Museum. Stay tuned for more details as the new learning center develops.

03/22/2026

Some TFS members may find this discussion of Country Music in the Upper Cumberland to be of interest.

James E. Akenson Tennessee Tech University (Retired) Cookeville, Tennessee, U.S.A Country Music seems to be the Energizer Bunny. It keeps on running. There is an amazing number of books, articles, blogs, and social media postings about Country Music. When I first started learning about Country Music...