The International Society of Mythology (ISM) is seeking proposals for their annual conference Mythologium 2024. The annual conference will be focused on exploring the theme of “Myth and Creativity.” Mythologium 2024 will be held virtually on Friday, November 8 through Sunday, November 10, 2024. Proposals are due by July 15, 2024. ISM invites mythologists, scholars, artists, and enthusiasts from all backgrounds to submit proposals that delve into the dynamic relationship between myth and creativity. This year’s Mythologium delves into the multifaceted and cross-cultural aspects of creativity, e ..read more

Dr. Anwarul Karim recently published Bangladesh Folklife and Folklore for Ages, highlighting the rich cultural heritage of the country. Dr. Karim explained, “Bangladesh was once known as the Golden Bengal for her economic wellbeing and prosperity. Jute was then the golden fibre that helped quality product in the world and so was the ‘Muslin’, a product of a special kind of cotton fibre produced by the Bengal weavers. It caught the world market since the period of the Mughals. The British forced the weavers from producing Muslin in order to sell their own product and tortured them brutally to s ..read more

AFS Members are invited to enjoy a 30% discount to all titles (existing and forthcoming) from Approaches to Legend, Folklore and Popular Belief, a new series from University of Exeter Press, edited by scholars Simon Young, University of Virginia (CET, Siena) and Davide Ermacora, (University of Turin). Exeter New Approaches to Legend, Folklore and Popular Belief provides a venue for growing interest in folklore narratives, supernatural belief systems and the communities that sustain them. Global in scope, the series encompasses milieus ranging from ancient to contemporary times and encoura ..read more

As we watch protests unfold across university campuses calling for the end of violence in Gaza, we are especially distraught to see colleagues at Indiana University, where our offices are located, unjustly arrested during peaceful demonstrations late last week. Among those arrested is Dr. David McDonald, Chair of the Folklore and Ethnomusicology Department, who faces being banned from campus if these charges are not diminished or dropped. The AFS office also bears witness to how these demonstrations are being mischaracterized as protests that are “threatening violence” with “episodes of antise ..read more

Thank you for your robust response to the Call for Proposals and positive feedback on our new proposal management system. With over 500 individuals submitting their ideas for the Albuquerque meeting, we saw an increase in most proposal categories by 10-25% from 2022 and 2023.  Last week our staff and review committee began work to organize the 136th Annual Meeting program, and this work will continue with the local organizing committee through this spring and summer.   For those who have submitted proposals for presentations, virtual posters, sessions, special events, and other ..read more

Program staff from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will introduce a range of grant opportunities, focusing on Grants for Art Projects, and the National Heritage Fellowships program, and will include an overview of funding opportunities, examples of successful projects, and things to consider when submitting an application or nomination. The webinar will take place Wednesday, May 8 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (EDT). There will be time for questions at the end of the webinar. This webinar will be recorded, and those who register will receive a link to the event recor ..read more

Centering the Margins is an free online gathering series designed for participants to process, learn, find one another, and find joy in camaraderie. Centering the Margins serves BIPOC arts professionals and emerging creatives in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. It’s a space thoughtfully designed so people can candidly talk, process their experiences, and learn new things about navigating as a creative professional together—inviting those who feel they are on the outside to share their experiences, moving the margins to the center. The COALESCE session takes place June ..read more

TourWest is a competitive grant program funded by the National Endowment for the Arts that provides subsidies to arts and community organizations in the 13 states and 3 jurisdictions in the WESTAF region for the presentation of touring performers and literary artists. Through TourWest, WESTAF and the National Endowment for the Arts aim to encourage the presentation of performing arts programming to culturally diverse audiences and those that do not typically enjoy ready access to the performing arts. WESTAF serves organizations and individuals in the following states and U ..read more

Thanks to generous funding from the Tarbell Family Foundation, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Endowment Fund of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation of Sacramento, the University Library at California State University, Sacramento is pleased to offer the continuation of the Hellenic Research Fellowship Program (HRFP) for a 12th year. The HRFP, the only residential fellowship program west of the Mississippi in Hellenic studies broadly conceived, enables visiting scholars to conduct research using the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection in Sacramento, CA. This year they are ha ..read more

Folklorists Brandon Barker and Jasper Waugh-Quasebarth were featured in webcasts, podcasts, and news interviews about the solar eclipse on April 8. Brandon Barker (Assistant Professor of Folklore and Affiliate Faculty in the Cognitive Science Program at Indiana University) was featured on an Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences’ Food for Thought livestreaming series analyzes the similarities and variations in folktales across diverse geographical areas, highlighting the universal aspects of human perception and storytelling in response to a total solar eclipse. Barker’s presenta ..read more