Community Folklife Fellowship

This program is intended for adults who are interested in documenting living cultural traditions in their communities, also known as community folklorists. The goal of the program is to provide the training, tools, and resources for community folklorists to carry out a documentation project, and to serve as a foundation for continuing to do this work beyond the fellowship.

Past participants have included storytellers, musicians, artists, writers, and researchers without formal training in folklore.

The program is not intended for academics, scholars, folklore professionals, or individuals currently enrolled in an academic program.

• Applicants must currently reside in the state of Texas and continue to reside in the state of Texas for the duration of the program.
• Applicants must be over the age of 18.
• Applicants must be able to receive payment via electronic direct deposit or ETF.
• Applicants must NOT hold a PhD or Masters degree in Folklore or a related field, including Ethnomusicology, Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, Sociology, Oral History, or English.
• Applicants must NOT be currently enrolled in an advanced degree program in folklore or a related field.
• Applicants may hold advanced degrees in unrelated fields, such as science, law, engineering, or medicine.
• If you have a question about your eligibility, please contact the Program Director.

• Application Opens: October 14, 2027.
• Application deadline: November 17, 2027, 11:59 PM Central Time.
• Notifications: December 22, 2026.
• Deadline to Accept offer: January 5, 2027.

• Program Begins: January 16, 2027.
• 12 sessions on Saturday mornings over Zoom.
• Program Ends: May 28, 2027.

• Intro to Folklore, Writing About Folklore, Interviewing, Oral History, Audio Storytelling, Folklore & Media, Audio Transcription and Editing.
• Additional topics may be added based on participant’s interests.
• The program director and instructors will provide office hours for one-on-one project support.
• Additional technical support will also be available as needed.

• This is a hybrid format program.
• Texas Folklife will offer (required) workshops over Zoom 3-4 times per month. The program will culminate in a final in-person presentation.
• Participants will conduct their own in-person fieldwork, interviews, and documentation in their community and present an in-person community workshop.

• Participants will be expected to have a laptop or desktop computer and reliable high speed internet.
  • This program cannot be completed on a tablet or phone.
• Participants will work regularly with the following tools and platforms.
  • Google Drive
  • Google Classroom
• Access to the following items will be provided by Texas Folklife
  • Audio Field recorder
  • Transcription software 
  • Digital Audio Workstation software 

**This schedule is only an example and has not been finalized.**

• Workshops
  • January 16, 23, 30
  • February 6, 13, 20, 27
  • March 6, 13
  • April 3, 10, 17
• Final presentation: Weekend of May 21.

All participants will be expected to produce the following items:

• Signed release forms for all interviews.
• A podcast episode of approximately 30 minutes.
• Participant-led public community workshop.
• Must include post-workshop photos and documentation.
• Blog post for the Texas Folklife website.
• (optional) Article for the Texas Folklife Mosaic magazine.

• Can I complete this program using a tablet or smartphone?
  • No.
• Can I miss any workshop sessions?
  • You may miss up to two (2) workshop sessions with advance notice. You will be expected to review the workshop recording.
• Can I do my community workshop as a virtual event?
  • No, the community workshop must take place in person.
• I am currently a student in an ethnomusicology or ethnic studies program. Can I apply?
  • No. Students currently enrolled in a program for a related discipline are not eligible.
• What if the people I want to interview are not available?
  • Participants are responsible for lining up alternate interviewees. A lack of response is not an excuse for not completing the project.
• Can my interviewees be anonymous?
  • While you may interview some people anonymously, we will need signed release forms for all interviewees included in the podcast episode or quoted in the articles.
• Will Texas Folklife provide any support for travel and lodging for the in-person listening party at the end of the program?
  • Yes, participants will receive partial funding for travel.

• • Use our Online Application
    • The application must be completed together by both the mentor and apprentice. You can save your application. However, we strongly encourage you to prepare your responses in a separate document. 
    • PDF Preview – Use this to review the application questions and requirements. DO NOT turn this form in. It is only a preview.
    • References – The application requires a completed online form from two references. We recommend reaching out to your references ahead of time. The application will have a place to fill in their information and they will receive an invite via email. 
    • We recommend reviewing the Texas Folklife Glossary to familiarize yourself with the terms used in the application questions.

Applications will close on November 17, 2026, at 11:59PM Central Time. Late applications will not be accepted.

2026 Fellows

Adam Rosario
Central Texas: Austin
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19351420-the-sound-of-community-puerto-rican-plena-in-texas
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/the-sound-of-community-puerto-rican-plena-in-texas/

Alba Sereno
Gulf Coast: Houston
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19387029-our-transnational-plant-lives
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/transnational-plant-lives-en/

Amber Ortega
South Texas: San Antonio
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19391884-archiving-the-ephemeral-the-art-of-preserving-dance
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/archiving-ephemeral-amber-ortega/

Beto de Leon
South Texas: San Antonio
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19391928-flor-y-palma-symbols-of-la-primavera-in-south-tejas
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/flor-y-palma-beto-de-leon/

Genesis Moreno
Rio Grande Valley
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/jukebox-as-archive/

Koyana Flotte
West Texas
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19599662-pitaya-harvest-in-the-big-bend-region-of-texas-a-family-tradition
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/pitaya-harvest-flotte/

Laura Yohualtlahuiz
San Antonio
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19633794-atlachinolli-keepers-of-the-fire-water
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/atlachinolli/

Oddett Garza
Central Texas: Austin
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19526843-las-limpias
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/reconnecting-through-curanderismo-garza/

Sam Goldberg
Central Texas: Austin
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19391949-when-story-becomes-performance-existence-is-resistance
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/yiddish-life-through-song/

Sonny Mehta
Gulf coast: Houston
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/19570645-songs-that-made-texas-home-for-south-asians
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/texas-home-south-asians/

_________________________

2024 Fellows

Blanca Jenkins
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/15554955-recuerdame-roadside-descansos-in-east-texas
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/roadside-memorials-in-east-texas/

Elizabeth Barger
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/15473684-pan-de-campo-camp-bread-a-taste-of-tradition
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/breaking-bread-and-building-bonds-with-pan-de-campo-a-taste-of-tradition/

Famo Musa
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/15438579-preserving-traditions-in-the-somali-bantu-community
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/preservation-traditions-in-the-somali-bantu-community/

Imgard Khosravi
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/15326437-karibu-mezani-welcome-to-the-table
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/the-shared-memory-of-kenyan-food/

Laura Villarreal
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/15284820-seed-saving-and-texas-native-plants-small-actions-towards-big-change

Maria Luisa Ornelas June
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/15380106-flamenco-in-houston-a-bridge-between-texas-and-tejanos
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/flamenco-flows-from-the-rio-grande-to-houston/

Racquel Gilford
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/15515974-good-dirt-the-texas-black-farmer-oral-history-project
Blog post: https://texasfolklife.org/good-dirt-texas-black-farmer-oral-history-project/

_________________________

2022-2023

Laura Casmore
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/12023320-heritage-scraps-from-heritage-hands

Yvette Blair-Lavallais
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/12081436-food-family-and-the-stories-we-share

Elvia Rendon
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/11914389-remembering-abuelos-history-through-recetas

Monica Teresa Ortiz
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/11798248-the-806

G’beda Tonya Lyles
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/12173043-becoming-an-honorary-mariachi

Kelsey Lee
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/11831788-the-soul-of-ukraine-abroad-ukrainian-folk-music-in-north-texas

Ayme Peña
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/12221004-chalupa-y-buenas

Geroninma Garza
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/12127183-el-dia-que-se-aparecio-el-diablo-the-day-the-devil-appeared

Julie Gossell
Podcast: https://thefolkloristnextdoor.buzzsprout.com/2040172/episodes/11874005-sauerkraut-in-the-texas-hill-country