A Regional Public Folklore Association in Flux: The Association of Western States Folklorists Plans its Future

Abstract

The 2015 Association of Western States Folklorists (AWSF) conference in Portland, Oregon, was an opportunity for folklorists from around the West to reconnect and network. The twenty-one attendees included retired folklorists, state folklorists, independent folklorists, students, and professionals from related disciplines. The diversity of perspective was helpful as AWSF looks to the future. The purpose of the 2015 meeting was to reevaluate and redirect the focus of the association. By the end of the meeting, everyone felt as if AWSF is on the right track to becoming a group that will serve the needs of its members while remaining a reason to gather once a year.