2023 Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society
Just Released! The Preliminary Program for the 2023 AFS Annual Meeting
AFS Invites You to Our 2023 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, and Online
Join us this fall online and in Portland, Oregon for the 135th annual meeting of the American Folklore Society!
Find all of your annual meeting information here.

Annual Meeting
Financial Support
You can defer your registration payment until later (choose “Pay by invoice” "Pay by invoice" in the Payment Information section of the registration form), and/or you can apply for financial assistance for registration or membership fees.
Every little gift can make a big difference
With your help, we can make the AFS annual meeting more accessible than ever.
Check out the Preliminary Program!
Our preliminary program is now available, full of lectures, events, sessions, and other exciting programming at the upcoming meeting. Details will continue to be added as they are confirmed in the coming months.
We sent a message regarding the Review Committee’s acceptance decisions on 7/11/23. Let us know if you submitted a proposal and haven’t yet received a response.
We’re Gathering Virtually and In Person
This year, AFS is offering two days of dedicated virtual programming, October 11-12, in addition to a four-day, in-person gathering in Portland, Oregon, November 1-4.
AFS will also offer virtual access to some Portland-based programming in the form of streamed keynotes, a limited number of hybrid sessions, and more session recordings. Learn more in FAQ.
Stay tuned for developing information for attendees as well as local information, which are both resources that will grow as we get closer to the meeting.

Meeting Theme
The theme of the conference is Roots, Rootlessness, and Uprooting, pointing to historic, natural, and social processes of connection, creation, and removal. It also invites us to consider how and why injustice manifests, how it can be confronted, and invites presentations that highlight the role of folklore and folklorists. We invite participants to reflect on notions of roots as they connect to geographies and migration or more broadly to cultural practice or even shifts in disciplines or institutions. How might folklorists contribute to larger conversations in productive ways?
Plan to Participate
Whether or not you plan to present, please plan to participate! Registration provides access to both the fully virtual (Oct. 11-12) and in-person (Nov. 1-4) portions of the annual meeting.
Virtual attendees can expect access to some Portland-based programming in the form of streamed keynotes, a limited number of hybrid sessions, and more session recordings, as well as the full virtual program October 11-12. Place-based attendees can also join the fully virtual components before gathering in Portland for the immersive, in-person conference experience.
The in-person portion of the conference will be held at the Hilton Portland Downtown, 921 SW Sixth Ave, Portland, Oregon.
More information for attendees coming soon

-
Meeting Essentials
Everything you need to prepare for the 2023 AFS Annual Meeting.
2023 Annual Meeting Theme -
Annual Meeting Registration
Your registration fees are important to us as a contribution to the cost of producing a meeting to keep us all connected, come what may.
-
Annual Meeting Financial Support
If registration fees might prevent your participation in the Annual Meeting, apply for a scholarship to reduce or eliminate the obstacle.
-
Annual Meeting Policies
Please review these important terms and guidelines before registering.
-
Annual Meeting FAQ
Wonder what’s going on with annual meeting planning? Read on to find answers to your questions.
-
Local Information
Learn more about Portland in the newly published Local Guide and reserve your hotel room in the AFS block!
Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Advertisers
Now, more than ever, we have many options for raising awareness of your work, services or products.

Portland Local Committee
Emily Hartlerode
Thomas Grant Richardson
Riki Saltzman
Martha Bayless
Daniel Wojcik
Mark Miyake
Joe Hickerson
Molly McBride
Lillian DeVane
Violeta Martin
Sharon Sherman
Carol Silverman
Jared Schmidt
Mathilde Lind
Rick March
Debbie Fant
Makaela Kroin
Robert Glenn Howard
Proposal Review Committee
Robert Glenn Howard, chair
Carl Lindahl
Daniel Wojcik
Thomas Grant Richardson
Molly McBride
Violeta Martin
Debbie Fant
Mathilde Lind
Jared Schmidt
Brandon Barker
Questions about the annual meeting? Check our FAQs, or send a message to [email protected].