Journal & Recent News

Podcast

It Still Lives: Season 2, Shape Note Music

July 7, 2020

In Appalachia, shape-note singing dominated musical and religious groups. Shape-note music, also referred to as sacred heart music, uses different shapes, like squares, triangles, and diamonds, to...

It Still Lives Bonus Episode: Cherokee & COVID-19

June 16, 2020

This month’s update on the coronavirus focuses on the threat it presents to indigenous communities. We “sat down”–virtually, of course–with Dakota Brown, program...

It Still Lives Episode 6: Planting by the Signs

June 2, 2020

Gardening season is in full swing as summer quickly approaches! For the month of June, we’re talking about planting by the signs, a common folk belief throughout Southern Appalachia. Planting...

It Still Lives Bonus Episode: COVID-19 Oral Histories

May 19, 2020

As public historians and folklorists, we have a responsibility (and interest!) to capture history as it happens around us, and to engage the community in that pursuit. In light of the current...

It Still Lives Season 2, Episode 5: Moonshine

May 5, 2020

Appalachia is renowned for its moonshine–that clear, high-proof liquor illegally distilled deep in the woods. Originally, the distilling process came over with Ulster-Scots who settled in the...

It Still Lives Bonus Episode: Foxfire Story

April 21, 2020

As we approach the long-awaited release of Foxfire’s newest book, Foxfire Story, we decided to bring you a small sample of the folktales you’ll encounter in this volume. Foxfire Story is...

It Still Lives: Season 2, Episode 4

April 7, 2020

It’s finally spring on the mountain, which means wild plant foods and medicines are popping up all over the mountain! Join us as we learn about some of these important wild sources of food...

Bonus Episode: Spring Gardening

March 31, 2020

After several requests for more information about gardening, we’ve put together a special bonus episode on traditional heirloom gardening practices, straight from the Foxfire archives. ...

« Older Entries

Our Mission

Foxfire’s mission is to preserve and develop the public’s appreciation for Southern Appalachian history – its history, people, and traditions – through artifacts, oral history, and programs that interpret, document and celebrate the region, and fosters self-directed, community-based classroom instruction following the Foxfire Core Practices.

Donate & Give