Annual Meetings

The Western States Folklore Society (formerly California Folklore Society) holds Annual Meetings to encourage professional and amateur folklorists to meet each other, present papers, and engage in discussions of all aspects of folklore and folklife. The Meetings, usually held on a weekend in April and extending from Friday through Sunday morning, are hosted by different colleges or universities throughout the western states from the Rockies to the Pacific.

Members and nonmembers alike can present papers. Abstracts of proposed papers are typically due by February 28 (or 29) of the Meeting year; applicants should check this page for any changes. (Note that the abstract deadline for the April, 2013 meeting is Friday, March 1, 2013). Abstracts must be 100-200 words in length and must be accompanied by a registration fee. Special discount rates are available for regular members, student members, and student nonmembers. Nonmembers who join the Society at the time of registration are eligible for membership benefits, including reduced registration fees and a subscription to Western Folklore. Registration fees for regular members are $45; for non-members $70. Registration fees for student/retired members are $25; for non-members $40. All fees are to be sent to:

Elliott Oring
Business Manager, Western Folklore
P.O. Box 3557
Long Beach, CA
90803-0557

The final program for the 2013 Annual Meeting, held at the University of Califonia, San Diego, on April 19-20, is available by clicking on the 2013 Meeting button in the navigation panel on the left.

One important event in the Society’s Meetings is the invitational Archer Taylor Lecture Series, given by a folklorist of note. The lectures are subsequently published in the Society’s journal, Western Folklore. You can see a full list of the lectures, in reverse chronological order, by clicking on the Archer Taylor button on the navigation panel.

In 2011, Joe Hickerson, of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress gave a talk titled “Exploring the Record Record Record Record: Reflections on My Adventures with Sound Recordings in the Field of Folklore, Especially at the National Folk Archive at the Library of Congress.” The talk was videotaped and the Society is happy to present it in its entirety. The video, a little over one hour in length, is available from the Archer Taylor page.

See the Publications page for information about the journal.