AFS President Jason Baird Jackson sent a letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on behalf of the many AFS members who had expressed their admiration for Bunch’s leadership and dismay at his resignation from the Smithsonian. The full letter can be accessed on the members-only AFS Community Hub.
AFS News
News about the American Folklore Society
For a short time, you can freely access "The Cantoya Fest: Festivalization and the Touristification of Security in a Conflict Zone," by Mintzi Auanda Martínez-Rivera, published in JAF (Summer 2026).
The just-assembled Spring 2027 JAF is a themed issue on Folklore and Artificial Intelligence. Because the issue is so timely, and the terrain is changing so rapidly, the JAF Collective is pleased to announce that pre-print versions of these essays can be accessed immediately on the AFS website.
The members of the Journal of American Folklore’s Editorial Collective are delighted to announce that Ziying You has joined the team in editing the journal.
The American Folklore Society and AFS President Jason Baird Jackson are pleased to announce that the Presidential Invited Plenary at the 2026 Annual Meeting will be given by Dr. Maribel Alvarez on Thursday, October 29, 8:30–9:30 p.m. EDT.
Book your room at the AFS Annual Meeting hotel in Asheville now!
The AFS Nominating Committee (chaired by Naomi Sturm-Wijesinghe with members Betty Belanus, Ian Brodie, and Kelley Totten) has announced its slate of candidates for each available office in the AFS 2026 election.
The Archival Futures workshop, which takes place Wednesday, October 28 from 4-6pm ET, will feature speakers and content from Local Learning, Vermont Folklife, the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program, and the Library of Congress.
Start planning your can’t-miss meeting experience with the help of the updated Fourwaves Conference Platform, a Fourwaves app for your mobile device, or printable pages.
The forthcoming Fall 2026 JAF: A Global Quarterly includes Amy Skillman’s presidential address from the 2025 AFS Annual Meeting, essays about the symbolic and ecological roles of insects in African oral traditions and folklore, how supernatural folklore shapes perceptions of forested landscapes, and Icelandic witch trials.