The Folklorist Next Door

“Chalupa y Buenas” is a podcast recorded along the United States and Mexico border.  We'll explore inter-generational family traditions along the Rio Grande Valley, especially the family game of chance, Mexican Lotería. Listen as we learn how lotería has touched individuals' lives through the years. Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Have you ever wanted to be something you never thought you’d really be? Sitting in my high school Spanish class, I decided I wanted to be a Mariachi. Unfortunately, I was raised in a small rural Midwestern town where there were no Mariachis. In fact, here was only one Mexican American family and a teacher. That was the closest I thought I would ever get to Mexico. I fell in love with Mexican culture and the language. I kept my Mariachi dream to myself until now. This podcast is about living on the borderland of Mexico and the people I met who connected me to the music. These are people who also happen to be… You guessed it! Mariachis. Meet Juan David Martinez, Genesis Staple, and Valerie Torres. Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

"El dia que se apareció el diablo" takes us back to a time when "the devil" appeared on the poor side of the tracks. The terrifying experience leads a Chicana to embark on a quest for answers. Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Food is an expression of who we are. Table host and folklorist next door, Yvette Blair-Lavallais, catches up with two generations of two North Texas families as they share recipes, memories, and family history over hand-patted cultural foods like tamales, salmon croquettes and made-from-scratch biscuits. There are some surprises and memorable moments along the way.Pull up a seat and join us for “Food, Family and the Stories We Share…we’re just getting started!Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

African American women have created beautiful works of art with quilting.  Are you holding on to a piece of family history?  Laura Casmore talks to owners of vintage quilts as they share the stories of their makers.Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Folklorist Next Door will be back on January 13th! Happy Holidays! Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Join Gianna Elvia as she enters the kitchens of three women in San Antonio, Texas. Each woman discusses memories of their grandparents through food. You are invited to break Pan Dulce, caldo and migas with us and share in the type of storytelling that make kitchens special. Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The smelly food with a loyal following. Explore the origins of sauerkraut in the Texas Hill Country, its present makers, and sauerkraut’s  ability to stir up feelings of nostalgia. Hosted and produced by Hill Country-based fellow, Julie Gossell. Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

"Ukrainian songs, whether they are sung or instrumental, tell about the history of our people and about their landscape." Dallas-based fellow Kelsey Lee explores Ukrainian folk music performance in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Veselka Dallas is a folk singing group that performs all over North Texas.  Kelsey interviews two singers from the group, as well as a Dallas-based bandura musician. Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Host mónica teresa ortiz examines the experiences and cultural shifts of communities impacted by climate and disaster in the Texas Panhandle. Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

A sneak peek of the Folklorist Next-Door, a nine episode series hosted by Texas Community Folklife Fellows in various regions of the Lone Star State. The series features local traditions ranging from sauerkraut-making to African American quilting to climate change's effects on farming culture. Support the showLearn more at TexasFolklife.org This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.