Bart Long Shares His Clydesdale Team With Bristol
Bart Long of Bristol, VA, has a hitch of Clydesdales that he regularly brings to community parades, including to the recent Memorial Day parade in Marion, VA.
Linda Skeens’s ‘Blue Ribbon Kitchen’
This year, Linda Skeens of Russell County returned to the VA-KY Fair with a new book in tow: “Blue Ribbon Kitchen: Recipes and Tips from America’s Favorite County Fair Champion.”
geonovah: Big Stone Rap
Hip-hop artist Geonoah Davis was born and raised in Big Stone Gap, and he is making it his mission to build a supportive community for artists like him—artists that do not fall into stereotypical Appalachian categories.
Trapping Black Bears in the Great Dismal Swamp
PhD Candidate Perri Meldon shares her research into the cultural and ecological histories of Virginia’s Great Dismal Swamp.
Home Is the Sound of Rivers and Crooked Roads
Elsa Howell, who is learning the art of Appalachian ballad singing through our Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, reflects on the important role music plays in her culture and community.
Raceway Ministries Continues Serving Race Fans
Founded in 1992, Bristol Raceway Ministries is a church-led effort to organize services for spectators at the Bristol Motor Speedway. “We get to experience every aspect of life here at the track,” says volunteer Bobby Branch.
Forging Connections with Bristol’s Tyler Hughes
Old-time musician Tyler Hughes is now co-managing a new funding opportunity for traditional arts in and around Bristol. “People in the Appalachian region deserve to have the fullest life that they can achieve,” he says.
A Legacy of Violin Making — Folklife Fieldnotes Episode 12
Richard Maxham is apprenticing under Lynchburg violin maker Daniel Smith, though the Maxham name has been intimately involved with violin making and performance for five generations.
DIY Punk Houses and Virginia’s Punk and Metal Communities – Folklife Fieldnotes 11
Pat Jarrett and Chris Boros discuss Virginia’s robust DIY Punk communities on this installment of Folklife Fieldnotes.
Ask A Punk for the Address
by Pat Jarrett When the pandemic shut down the opportunity to experience live music, I was hit hard. I started going to shows when I was fifteen. (Once, my mom …
Virginia Folklife Futures
For thirty-three years, the Virginia Folklife Program at Virginia Humanities has worked to document, sustain, present, and support cultural traditions across the Commonwealth. I began work as the third Virginia …
Sushmita Mazumdar of Studio PAUSE
Making space for community-focused art practice When Sushmita opened the door, inviting me into Studio PAUSE for the first time, the overwhelming first impression was: Color! Sunshine streamed in through …


