Speaker Session - Emily Hilliard: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia

Join us on Tuesday, September 9 for a Speaker Session with Emily Hilliard. In this Speaker Session, folklorist Emily Hillard talks about the future-focused and collaborative approach to cultural work she explores in her book, Making our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia. From diverse examples such as the West Virginia Teachers’ Strike, non-professional women songwriters, hot dogs, and the tradition of independent pro-wrestling, Hilliard paints a picture of folklore as a unifying concept that puts diverse cultural forms in conversation and creates a framework that helps us understand our past and shape our future.

Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Location: In-person at the Birthplace of Country Music, Performance Theatre and streamed on Radio Bristol’s YouTube Channel

Cost: Free and open to the public

REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON: https://www.tixr.com/groups/bcm/events/speaker-session-emily-hillard-138037?_gl=1*1kgcv87*_gcl_au*MjA3MDI5MDQwMy4xNzQ1MjQyMTcy

Emily Hilliard is a Folklorist at Berea College and the former West Virginia State Folklorist and Founding Director of the West Virginia Folklife Program. Her book, Making Our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia (UNC Press, 2022) was named a finalist for the 2022 Weatherford Award in nonfiction for books “best illuminating the challenges, personalities, and unique qualities of the Appalachian South.” She is also the co-founder and co-owner of the feminist record label SPINSTER. Find more of her work at emilyehilliard.com.

You may also like the following events from Birthplace of Country Music Museum:

• This Friday, 1st August, 10:30 am, Museum Storytime – Country Music History in Bristol
• This Saturday, 2nd August, 10:30 am, Weekly Music Lessons with JAM Kids at the Museum! in Bristol
• Next Saturday, 9th August, 02:00 pm, NEW IN 2025! Monthly Songwriters Circle in Bristol

Also check out other Sports events in Bristol, Arts events in Bristol, Theatre events in Bristol.