In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, International Storytelling Center president Kiran Singh Sirah will give a lecture as part of the Benjamin A. Botkin Folklife Lecture Series. The lecture will take place in Washington DC on Wednesday, May 25, at noon in the Mary Pickford Theater of the James Madison Building, Library of Congress. The lecture is free and open to the public. Kiran was interviewed on WETS, the public radio station operated by ETSU, about his upcoming lecture to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. You can hear that 30 minute discussion here.
The Botkin’s series honors Benjamin A. Botkin, a pioneering folklorist who headed the Library’s Archive of American Folksong from 1942-1945. The Series presents distinguished experts speaking about their research and current issues and best practices in folklore, folklife and related fields.
Sirah will discuss the power and artistry of storytelling as an ancient art form and as the world’s oldest form of communication.
The International Storytelling Center (ISC) Collection, which documents ISC’s history and National Storytelling Festival recordings, is held at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
It is considered one of the world’s largest and most important collections of oral recordings that tell the story of the storytelling movement.
“We at ISC have always recognized that the art of storytelling can be harnessed as a powerful tool to build community,” says Sirah. “We’re honored to have this essential work acknowledged by our friends at the Library of Congress.”