Celebrating 100 Years of the Texas Folklore Society, 1909-2009
Celebrating 100 Years of the Texas Folklore Society, 1909-2009

Author: Kenneth L. Untiedt

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 1574412779

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The Texas Folklore Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious organizations in the state. Its secret for longevity lies in those things that make it unique, such as its annual meeting that seems more like a social event or family reunion than a formal academic gathering. This book examines the Society's members and their substantial contributions to the field of folklore over the last century. Some articles focus on the research that was done in the past, while others offer studies that continue today. This book does more than present a history of the Texas Folklore Society: it explains why the TFS has lasted so long, and why it will continue.

Thirty-three Years, Thirty-three Works
Thirty-three Years, Thirty-three Works

Author: Kenneth L. Untiedt

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2016-12-15

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 1574416553

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Francis Edward Abernethy served as the Secretary-Editor of the Texas Folklore Society for 33 years. He played an integral part in the process of moving the headquarters from the University of Texas to Stephen F. Austin State University in 1971; for more than three decades, he managed the organization’s daily operations and helped it continue to grow—sometimes through lean years, both financially and in terms of academic interest. In addition to fostering many new members and guiding their contributions to folklore scholarship, his editorial accomplishments were substantial. In all, he edited two dozen volumes of the PTFS series, including the three volumes he wrote himself that serve as the Society’s history, from its beginning in 1909 up until the year 2000. While some publications during his tenure as Secretary-Editor may list the name of another writer (for an Extra Book) or a guest editor (for a special-topic PTFS), he most assuredly provided critical and creative input regarding the style, layout, content, and other aspects of the manuscript to make sure it was worthy of being identified as a TFS book. This Publication of the Texas Folklore Society celebrates Ab Abernethy’s many years of leadership and dedication to collecting, preserving, and presenting the folklore of Texas and the Southwest. Ab’s contributions to the Society’s publications cover a variety of topics. Here, they’ve been organized into some basic categories that serve as chapters. The prefaces to some of the more memorable volumes he edited are included, along with articles he wrote on music, teaching folklore, interesting anecdotes about historical figures and events, and a generalized category of articles on “cultural” examinations of the things we hold dear. In all, these pieces tell us what was important to Ab. In part, it also seems fair to say that these topics are what was—and still is—reflective of what’s important to the Texas Folklore Society.

African American Folklore
African American Folklore

Author: Anand Prahlad

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2016-08-08

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 1610699300

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African American folklore dates back 240 years and has had a significant impact on American culture from the slavery period to the modern day. This encyclopedia provides accessible entries on key elements of this long history, including folklore originally derived from African cultures that have survived here and those that originated in the United States. Inspired by the author's passion for African American culture and vernacular traditions, African American Folklore: An Encyclopedia for Students thoroughly addresses key elements and motifs in black American folklore-especially those that have influenced American culture. With its alphabetically organized entries that cover a wide range of subjects from the word "conjure" to the dance style of "twerking," this book provides readers with a deeper comprehension of American culture through a greater understanding of the contributions of African American culture and black folk traditions. This book will be useful to general readers as well as students or researchers whose interests include African American culture and folklore or American culture. It offers insight into the histories of African American folklore motifs, their importance within African American groups, and their relevance to the evolution of American culture. The work also provides original materials, such as excepts from folktales and folksongs, and a comprehensive compilation of sources for further research that includes bibliographical citations as well as lists of websites and cultural centers.

Hide, Horn, Fish, and Fowl
Hide, Horn, Fish, and Fowl

Author: Kenneth L. Untiedt

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 1574413201

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No matter how sophisticated or technologically advanced we become, there is still something within that beckons us to "the hunt." This desire creates the customs, beliefs, and rituals related to hunting--for deer, hogs, as well as fish and snakes, etc. These rituals and customs lead to some of our most treasured folklore.

Tales of Texas Cooking
Tales of Texas Cooking

Author: Frances Brannen Vick

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2015-12-15

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 1574416189

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According to Renaissance woman and Pepper Lady Jean Andrews, although food is eaten as a response to hunger, it is much more than filling one's stomach. It also provides emotional fulfillment. This is borne out by the joy many of us feel as a family when we get in the kitchen and cook together and then share in our labors at the dinner table. Food is comfort, yet it is also political and contested because we often are what we eat--meaning what is available and familiar and allowed. Texas is fortunate in having a bountiful supply of ethnic groups influencing its foodways, and Texas food is the perfect metaphor for the blending of diverse cultures and native resources. Food is a symbol of our success and our communion, and whenever possible, Texans tend to do food in a big way. This latest publication from the Texas Folklore Society contains stories and more than 120 recipes, from long ago and just yesterday, organized by the 10 vegetation regions of the state. Herein you'll find Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s Family Cake, memories of beef jerky and sassafras tea from John Erickson of Hank the Cowdog fame, Sam Houston's barbecue sauce, and stories and recipes from Roy Bedichek, Bob Compton, J. Frank Dobie, Bob Flynn, Jean Flynn, Leon Hale, Elmer Kelton, Gary Lavergne, James Ward Lee, Jane Monday, Joyce Roach, Ellen Temple, Walter Prescott Webb, and Jane Roberts Wood. There is something for the cook as well as for the Texan with a raft of takeaway menus on their refrigerator.

Elmer Kelton
Elmer Kelton

Author: Judy Alter

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2011-03-01

Total Pages: 164

ISBN-13: 0875654495

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When Elmer Kelton died in the fall of 2009, the literary world lost a consummate writer, a man the New York Times called a “novelist who brought the sensibility of the old-style western to bear on a modern Texas landscape of oil fields and financially troubled ranches.” Kelton was also a modest, kind man, always willing to advise a struggling writer or write a blurb for a first time published author, or assign publishing rights to his six masterpieces to a small university press. TCU Press owes a great debt of gratitude to Kelton, and this volume, Elmer Kelton: Memories and Essays, attempts to explore just what it is that made Kelton its leading author. Editors Judy Alter and James Ward Lee gathered together a group of Kelton aficionados who had either published or taught or sold his books, or were simply friends. In several meetings, they divided up the main themes of Kelton’s writing: Alter provides the overview of Kelton’s career; Felton Cochran, longtime owner of Cactus Books in San Angelo, describes how the friendship between bookstore owner and author grew over the years; Ricky Burk, pastor of the church from which Kelton was buried, talks about the man’s influence in his community; Kelton’s son, Steve, explains how Kelton’s career as journalist permeated his novels; Ruth McAdams, who has taught Kelton for years, explores how he deals with the themes of endurance and change; Joyce Roach delicately covers how race and ethnicity figure in Kelton’s plots and the development of his unforgettable characters; Lee gives readers his inimitable take on the Hewey Calloway Trilogy—The Good Old Boys, The Smiling Country, and Six Bits a Day; and Bob J. Frye takes a wry look at Kelton’s use of humor throughout his career. The book also contains Kelton’s own view of the history of the Western novel, a response to revisionist criticism. And finally Cochran provides us a list of most, not all, of Elmer Kelton’s extraordinary body of work.

The Family Saga
The Family Saga

Author: Francis Edward Abernethy

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 394

ISBN-13: 9781574411683

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The family saga is made up of an accumulation of separate family legends. These are the stories of the old folks and the old times that are told among the family when they gather for funerals or Thanksgiving dinner. These are the "remember-when" stories the family tells about the time when the grownups were children.

First Timers and Old Timers
First Timers and Old Timers

Author: Kenneth L. Untiedt

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 1574414712

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"The Texas Folklore Society has been alive and kicking for over one hundred years now, and I don't really think there's any mystery as to what keeps the organization going strong. The secret to our longevity is simply the constant replenishment of our body of contributors. We are especially fortunate in recent years to have had papers given at our annual meetings by new members--young members, many of whom are college or even high school students. "These presentations are oftentimes given during sessions right alongside some of our oldest members. We've also had long-time members who've been around for years but had never yet given papers; thankfully, they finally took the opportunity to present their research, fulfilling the mission of the TFS: to collect, preserve, and present the lore of Texas and the Southwest. "You'll find in this book some of the best articles from those presentations. The first fruits of our youngest or newest members include Acayla Haile on the folklore of plants. Familiar and well-respected names like J. Rhett Rushing and Kenneth W. Davis discuss folklore about monsters and the classic 'widow's revenge' tale. These works--and the people who produced them--represent the secret behind the history of the Texas Folklore Society, as well as its future."--Kenneth L. Untiedt