Welcome to the new Mid-Atlantic Folklife Section (MAF)! This Section was established in 2025 to carry on and extend the work of the former Middle Atlantic Folklife Association (MAFA), the activities of which elapses around 2019. The Association had planned and sponsored regional retreats, co-meetings with like-minded Mid-Atlantic organizations, a brown bag meeting at the annual American Folklore Society meetings and other activities. The new Section aims to continue bringing professional folklorists and those with folklife interests living and working in the region together to support collaboration for impactful folklife research, programming and professional development in the seven Mid-Atlantic states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
MAF Section Conveners: Betty Belanus and Marion Jacobson
Contact the Section Conveners at [TBA].
The Section’s History and Founding
The Middle Atlantic Folklife Association (MAFA) was founded in the 1980s and has had a robust schedule of activities over the years. Like many organizations, it languished during COVID and never rebounded, although a number of former members still believed in the mission and wanted to revive the spirit of camaraderie and the regional activities. At the 2023 AFS meetings in Portland, a session gathering ideas for revival of MAFA took place to an enthusiastic audience of former members and regional folklorists interested in continuing the good work of the Association. Following that meeting, after consulting as many former members as possible, a committee made up mostly of former Association officers approached the American Folklore Executive Board with a proposal following the protocol of establishing new Sections, to gain their approval. Approval was granted in Spring 2025 and the MAF Section established in late 2025.
Next Steps for Our New Section
Section Conveners Betty Belanus and Marion Jacobson were voted in at the AFS meetings in Atlanta in October 2025. We would like to invite all those interested in the region to join the new Section. For the time being, there will be no dues collected for the Section. If you are already an AFS member, you can add the section by clicking “My Info” and selecting “Mid-Atlantic Folklife” in the “Sections/Committees” list.
We are working on planning a Section-sponsored activity, TBA, and always welcome ideas for future activities. Please keep informed by signing up to join the Section, and through these pages. Please join the discussion here on the Section’s Community Hub. Also, please join our Facebook group and feel free to post your news.
If you know someone who would be interested in joining the section, please share this page with them. Membership in the MAF Section is open to all AFS members in good standing.
Get Involved
Sign in to the AFS Member Portal to join the section and ensure you’re receiving section communications. All of your section involvement can be managed under My Info.