The Collective is excited to host a free community screening of Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock & Roll on Wednesday, April 16 at the Kan Kan theater in Indianapolis. Aimee Zoeller will provide opening remarks and will be joined by I Made Rock & Roll and local musician Keith Beatty. Click here for more information about the film.
Check out our new essay on Substack, “A Humble Bridge: Representing Woody Guthrie in A Complete Unknown.” We explore the relationship between Woody and Dylan on the big screen and much more.
We’re thrilled to announce that the TWGC has been awarded the Eastman Residency for the Arts and Humanities. We’ll be heading to Martha’s Vineyard in the fall to workshop ideas for further collaborations about all things Woody. Many thanks to Indiana University and members of the evaluation committee for granting us this opportunity! Additional information about Max Eastman can be found here.
The Collective had a busy year, attending numerous conferences and folk festivals. Here’s a few highlights from 2024:
We have much more in store for the coming year, beginning this February with a roundtable session at Folk Alliance International in Montreal on teaching Indigenous folk artists in the classroom. We also have some exciting announcements on the way so stay tuned …
Here’s to keeping Woody’s hoping machine alive in 2025!
Aimee Zoeller and Gus Stadler facilitated a conversation with Stephen Walden and Natalie Jaser, high school teachers from Tahlequah, at this year’s Woody Fest in Okemah, Oklahoma. Walden, Jaser, Stadler, and Zoeller shared specific course curriculum across three disciplines – English, sociology, and history. Walden shared using “Pastures of Plenty” to teach about the Depression and World War Two. In Jaser’s creative writing class, students analyze “This Land is Your Land” and then create their own poem, short story, or essay. Guthrie’s journey to anti-racism is explored in Zoeller’s Protest Music in the U.S. course through the song “The Blinding of Isaac Woodard.”
They also shared the purpose, barriers, and opportunities of Guthrie’s work and were primarily concerned with advancing the role of music in creating stories and ideas that connect us in uncertain times. Critically, the panel discussed negotiating issues of equity and justice and aligning disciplinary convictions with external legal and political constrictions.
In a new episode of Folk Matters, author Tim Z. Hernandez talks with Michele Fazio about cultural memory, labor history, and reciprocity–themes in his new book, They Call You Back, based on his search for the families of victims in the 1948 plane crash that inspired Woody Guthrie to write the song, “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee).” This episode also debuts a new song co-written by Hernandez and California’s San Joaquin Valley songwriter Ted Nunes called “They Call You Back.” (Song will be officially released on 9/27/2024.)
Hernandez will be on a book tour through next year. Check out his upcoming scheduled events here.
Caleb Caudle, Eddie Heinzelman, and Tim Easton spoke with Michele Fazio at the Antlers & Acorns Songwriters Festival last September. This year’s festival runs from September 5th-8th, 2024. The lineup includes James McMurtry, Ben Danaher, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, Shawn Mullins, Courtney Patton, John Paul White, Tamara Saviano, and Rodney Crowell. Special thanks to all the artists who participated in our podcast–we’re grateful for your time and wisdom!
Antlers and Acorns: The Boone Songwriters Festival attracts artists from Nashville and beyond. This episode features Eric Erdman who will be joining this year’s festival, which runs from September 5th-8th, 2024. The lineup also includes James McMurtry, Ben Danaher, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, Shawn Mullins, Courtney Patton, John Paul White, Tamara Saviano, and Rodney Crowell.
Presented and produced by Working Title Farms, Antlers and Acorns: The Boone Songwriters Festival is held annually in September in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The four-day festival, according to founder Shari Smith, brings storytellers together to celebrate song and community: “The festival is named after the things that are left behind. The deer leave their antlers and the trees leave the acorns. Songwriters leave behind their songs. We use them to fall in love, to mourn, to celebrate, to comfort, to entertain. Something comes from all the things left behind.”
In September 2023, Michele Fazio talked with several artists about their songwriting process, inspirations, and the power of the folk community. These new episodes of Folk Matters even include a couple of impromptu musical performances! Special thanks to Daniel Ouimet for recording on site and assisting with editing.
Grant Peeples kicks off the first episode in this series. Look for additional interviews to be posted later this week!
This year’s festival runs from September 5th-8th, 2024 and the lineup includes James McMurtry, Ben Danaher, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, Shawn Mullins, Courtney Patton, John Paul White, Tamara Saviano, and Rodney Crowell.
~ Scenes from the 2023 Festival ~
It’s been a busy few months, but we’re happy to announce that the Teaching Woody Guthrie Collective has created a new podcast, Folk Matters, available now on Soundcloud. This forum will feature a wide range of artists, writers, and community organizers discussing the impact of music in their lives and in social movements. It’s about Woody, his legacy, and so much more! We have an exciting lineup scheduled this summer and fall so be sure to follow us to receive updates on upcoming episodes.
Singer songwriter and activist Billy Bragg joins Michele Fazio for the first episode. Recorded last November in Belfast before his show at Mandela Hall (Queen’s University), Billy talks about his favorite protest song, performing at WoodyFest, and his new compilation album, “The Roaring Forty.” We hope you enjoy it!
Members of the Woody Guthrie Teaching Collective headed to Nashville in September to present at the AMERICANAFEST conference. The Collective hosted a roundtable on the legacy of Woody and his influence on contemporary Americana music. “‘This Land’: Teaching and Archiving Americana through the Eyes and Music of Jimmy LaFave” delved into LaFave’s history as a musician and how Ashley Warren prepared his trust with a focus on intellectual property and preserving his musical legacy. Michele Fazio designed a digital story map, illustrating LaFave’s perspective while on tour driving through the backroads of Texas, Oklahoma, and other parts to capture his vision of a disappearing America, connecting both his photography and songs as a source for musical inspiration. Along with Mark Fernandez, contributor, and Aimee Zoeller, moderator, singer songwriter and recording artist Jaimee Harris joined in the discussion, sharing memories of LaFave and performing his songs “This Land” and “Worn Out American Dream.” Here are just a few images of an amazing week of music and friends!
