This spring, the Journal of American Folklore publishes its monumental 500th issue. As the official journal of the American Folklore Society, JAF has been published continually since the Society’s founding in 1888. That’s a very impressive 125 years! In their introduction to the 500th issue (available from JSTOR), editors Thomas A. DuBois and James P. Leary write:
Any field, any journal, ought to pause to savor such a moment: reaching 500 is no small feat, and represents in fact the combined effort of a vast number of folklorists, past and present, male and female. And folklorists do like to pause, call it an occupational hazard: the product of training that reminds us to view the present always with a cognizance of the past, and often with a level of discomfort at the changes we see around us. So readers of JAF might well expect that issue 500 would take note of its number, and they will not be disappointed on that score.
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Q&A with Murphy Hicks Henry, author of Pretty Good for a Girl
Posted by sfastQ: You’re a professional banjo player. Growing up, did you encounter those who dismissed your playing because “you’re a girl.”
Henry: Oh, yes! I don’t think many women in bluegrass have escaped hearing the phrase, “you’re pretty good for a girl.” I know for me, since I was a girl, I felt like I had to play louder, harder, and better than any of the guys around me to be accepted—and respected. That was very important to me. In no way did I want to be considered a “wimpy” (read: girly) banjo player. This made me obsessive about studying the recordings of Earl Scruggs, to make sure I played it “just like Earl,” so no one could fault me. Part of this came from my own competitive nature to be “the best” but part of it also came from the cultural idea that doing anything “like a girl” was not good enough. Continue reading →