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.
Eastman Residency for the Arts and Humanities
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.
Year in Review
The Collective had a busy year, attending numerous conferences and folk festivals. Here’s a few highlights from 2024:
- Launched Folk Matters: A Podcast about Music & Activism
- Presented at Woody Fest
- Joined the American Song Archives Education Advisory Committee &
- Consulted with the Woody Guthrie Center on the Ballads of Sacco and Vanzetti
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 at Woody Fest 
Michele Fazio, Daniel Ouimet, and David Amram at Folk Alliance 
Newport Folk Festival Lineup 
Michele Fazio with Linqua Franqua at Newport Folk Festival 
Billy Bragg at Newport Folk Festival 
Poetry reading by Joan Baez at Newport Folk Festival 
Aimee Zoeller with Joan Baez
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.
Tim Z. Hernandez talks with Folk Matters on the release of his new book, They Call You Back
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.
Episode 3 of Folk Matters
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.
New Episodes of Folk Matters: The Antlers and Acorns Sessions
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
Grant Peeples kicks off the first episode in this series. Look for additional interviews to be posted later this week!
2024 Antlers and Acorns Songwriters Festival
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 ~
AMERICANAFEST
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!
World of Bob Dylan
On June 1st, members of the Woody Guthrie Teaching Collective gathered once again in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to present at the World of Bob Dylan conference. The Collective hosted a roundtable on bringing Woody into the classroom and taking the classroom into the community. Titled “Woody Guthrie’s Expansive Reach: The Purpose & Possibilities of Historical and Contemporary Protest Music in Education,” this panel fostered a conversation about the efficacy of and need for bringing protest music to students at the university level. Mark Fernandez discussed the history of Pete Seeger’s “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” a song about World War II but resonant with the 1960s antiwar movement. Court Carney looked at Woody Guthrie’s “Grand Coulee Dam” and how educators can use this song to interrogate the past from various angles. Aimee Zoeller presented her work bringing South African singer Berita to Indiana as part of the Art for AIDS initiative. Michele Fazio discussed her ongoing research project on Sacco and Vanzetti, which she uses to promote civic engagement and community outreach. Finally, musician Chris Buhalis joined the group to sing the appropriate songs connected to the discussion, including “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” “Grand Coulee Dam,” “Two Good Men,” and ending with a rousing “Song to Woody” to connect directly with Bob Dylan. The roundtable attracted a large and engaged audience interested in expanding the university classroom through protest music.
Teach On and Sing Out!
Hanging out in Tulsa …
The Collective met all together in person for the first time at the 10th anniversary of the Woody Guthrie Center to give a talk, “We All Work Together: Creating Curriculum for ‘People Are the Song’ and Beyond.” Here’s a few photos of the group in action. Next up: talking about Woody at The World of Bob Dylan 2023 conference!
The Collective is heading to Tulsa!
The Collective is heading to Tulsa to celebrate ten years of the Woody Guthrie Center! There’s a full weekend of events scheduled May 5-7th featuring musical performances by Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Jonatha Brooke, The Secret Sisters, and Pussy Riot, the honoree of this year’s Woody Guthrie Prize, as well as a poetry reading by U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo and talks by Anna Canoni and Douglas Brinkley. We’ll be leading a discussion, “We All Work Together: Creating Curriculum for ‘People Are the Song’ and Beyond.”
