UNT Call for Proposals: Folklore in the Archives

The University of North Texas Special Collections is seeking participants for a virtual event focused on highlighting archival and rare materials related to local, regional, or state folklore or legends. The final format of the program will depend on responses received but is expected to consist of participating individuals and institutions taking turns highlighting a fonds, collection, or item related to local or regional lore in presentations each around 10-15 minutes in length.

To view a potential direction for the program, please see the October 2020 presentation “Gettin' Spooky with Special Collections,” on the UNT Special Collections Facebook page. Proposals can involve either manuscript or audiovisual materials, but presentations should utilize the visual possibilities of the webinar format. We have tentatively scheduled the event to take place the week of August 16, 2021, but this date is subject to change depending on participants’ availability.

For this event, we welcome proposals from storytellers, scholars, filmmakers and anyone who holds unique personal collections and lore they would like to share. Presentations are welcome to include either or both discussions of lore and readings of excerpts from stories and tales. Potential topics and areas of interest for this event include local legends, cryptozoology, ghost stories and hauntings, tall tales, fables, children’s literature based on folklore, and more!  

To submit a proposal, please click here to submit a 500-word abstract, along with your contact information. Proposals are due Friday, May 28, 2021.