WKU News

On Monday, October 20th, the Kentucky Folklife digital magazine premiered its Fall 2025 issue. Dedicated to the legacy of the Community Scholars Program, this installment takes readers on a trip down memory lane through the voices of four graduates of the course. 

Kentucky Folklife is a multimedia digital publication dedicated to highlighting emergent contributors exploring “folklife,” or diverse expressive cultures, across the Commonwealth. The digital magazine accepts entries in a variety of media, including written essays, photo essays, audio/video productions, and artistic interpretations like poetry and visual arts. The publication is always open to exploring new ways of presenting the documentation of Kentucky expressive culture and traditions, and has discovered that many people around the Commonwealth are doing great folklife research and cultural conservation work without even calling it by those names. “For over the past five years Kentucky Folklife Program has prided itself into helping put our mission to research and share the strong and diverse traditions alive in the Commonwealth into the hands of talents writers who embrace these same documentation passions through our publication, the Kentucky Folklife digital magazine,” shares Kentucky Folklife Program Director Brent Björkman, “This latest issue, number 9, once again led by Editor-in-Chief Delainey Bowers and KFP Folklife Specialist Camille Acosta, focuses on sharing intimate insights into Kentucky culture through the contribution of some of our past graduates of our Community Scholars Training Program.”

The Community Scholars Program is a free educational outreach program originated by a multitude of arts organizations in the country. Working with a local partner, the program introduces participants to the techniques of documenting, interpreting and presenting their unique local cultural resources and traditional art forms, utilizing exhibits, festivals, blogs, and plenty of other research mediums. Through exploring the basics of folklife and ethnography, to learning about how your projects can come to fruition and aid communities, the Community Scholars Program has become a vital piece of the Kentucky folklife puzzle.

“This issue of Kentucky Folklife digital magazine is a celebration of the time-honored Community Scholars Program,” states Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Delainey Bowers. “The pieces featured in the latest publication are a reminder that cultural conservation work is carried out through relationship-building, active listening, careful research, and a desire to see traditions thrive. It is clear that each contributor to this year's issue has a deep devotion to their respective community, and I feel so fortunate to have helped facilitate the storytelling process.”

The Spring 2025 Issue is a wonderful example of how folklorists, artists, and cultural practitioners can help communities voice their truth. Bob Gates, founder of the Kentucky Folklife Program and the Community Scholars Program begins this magazine issue with his Guest Editor’s Letter. The articles that follow are:

• “The Art of Becoming Visible: Painting My Place In the Story” By Brenda S. Bear

• “A Single Thread: Revitalizing Traditional Appalachian Tales” By Octavia Sexton

• “You Ain't From Here” By Yolantha Harrison-Pace

• “A Dulcimer Sounds a Lot Like Hope” By Doug Naselroad

Those interested in checking out the Fall 2025 Issue can head on over to https://kyfolklifemag.org/.

-KFP-

Established in 1989, the Kentucky Folklife Program (KFP) is the Commonwealth’s statewide public folklife program, with the mission to document, present, and conserve the diverse traditional cultures and heritage of Kentucky. In 2012, the KFP moved from Frankfort to the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology at WKU.

For more information, contact KFP Folklife Specialist Camille Maria Acosta: camille.acosta@wku.edu or KFP director Brent Björkman:brent.bjorkman@wku.edu 

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.

-Kentucky Arts Council-

The mission of the Kentucky Arts Council is to foster environments for the people of Kentucky to value, participate in, and benefit from the arts. The work of the Kentucky Arts Council is focused in five thematic areas: 

Vibrant Communities

Creative Industry

Creativity and Innovation

Entrepreneurship

Showcasing the Arts

-WKU Department of Society, Culture, Crime, & Justice Studies-

Here, related social science disciplines unite to foster a deeper appreciation of complex issues affecting individuals, communities, and societies. Our department is dedicated to fostering student success through engaging degree programs and experiential learning that lead to meaningful careers. The discoveries and insights of our academic disciplines provide understanding of and solutions to the social, cultural, and biological causes and consequences of human behavior in the past and present. Explore our programs, engage with our applied research opportunities, and contribute to our mission of creating platforms of social engagement where all can flourish.