Since 1967, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival has illuminated culture and amplified voices from around the world. Folk Tales extends the Festival’s storytelling beyond the National Mall and into your headphones. The podcast foregrounds the experiences and passions of Festival participants while also bringing forward voices rarely heard by the public: curators, assistants, and other collaborators working behind the scenes.
The Festival doesn’t appear by magic—it’s built by a vast network of staff, interns, volunteers, and collaborators. This episode reveals what it takes to create a temporary city on the National Mall each summer.
Featured staff: Tori Baker, Jocelyn Callister, Kate Haas, Tyler Nelson, Diane Nutting, Arlene Reiniger, Sarah Roffman
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e9.pdf)
8 Apr 2026
Learning Together
Outside of classrooms and apprenticeships, families and communities pass on cultural knowledge in their daily and social lives. Curator Rebecca Fenton highlights youth learning skills like weaving and saddlery from parents, elders, and mentors.
Featured participants: Chase Carter, Whitley Carter, Ava Delgado, Manuel Delgado, Evelyn Morán Cojoc, Anna Severe, Hta Thi Yu Moo Selvin Vail Diaz
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e8.pdf)
8 Apr 2026
Foodways
Food carries memory, identity, and community. In the Foodways demonstration kitchen, participants share family recipes and culinary traditions. Program coordinator Lirit Gilmore introduces the people and stories behind the meals.
Featured participants: Checo Alonso, Ava Delgado, Manuel Delgado, DJ Special Berriez, Kim Akers Thomas
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e7.pdf)
8 Apr 2026
Streetwise
Engines revving, skateboards rolling, DJs spinning—this is street culture in motion. Curatorial assistant Andrea Mayorga tours the Streetwise tent alongside fellow curators and participants, including youth building lowriders and creating street art.
Featured staff and participants: Michelle Banks, Ash Dalal, Alasdair Delgado, Cristina Díaz-Carrera, DJ Znorthy, Antonio Eagle Bear, Rebecca Fenton, Wyatt Showen
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e6.pdf)
8 Apr 2026
Emerging Media Makers
Youth are using radio, podcasts, film, and video to tell their own stories and spotlight what matters most to their communities. Curator Amalia Córdova shares the mic with media makers forging creative paths of their own.
Featured participants: Betto Arcos, Rameshwar Bhatt, Chloe Barnett, Gillian Bui, Madison Childs, Lila Marie Hayden, Max Cash Selby, Edward Tolson
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e5.pdf)
8 Apr 2026
Wordsmiths and Storytellers
From hip-hop to oral storytelling to poetry, language becomes a tool for community change. Lead curator Michelle Banks introduces young artists shaping culture through words and rhythm.
Featured participants: Jada Anderson, Eber Miranda, Evan Wang
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e4.pdf)
8 Apr 2026
Native Language Reclamation in the U.S.
Native youth are leading efforts to reclaim and revitalize their ancestral languages. Curator Mary Linn introduces four North American Indigenous communities and the paths they are forging to ensure their languages endure.
Featured participants: Kau‘i Kawauchi-Takamine, Kawika Keuma-Cadaoas, mihšiinkweemiša Michael Sekulich, Hunter “Pisuta” Simeonoff, Taiawentón:ti’ Chelsea Sunday, Brandy Thomas, Lawena Toribio
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e3.pdf)
8 Apr 2026
Music Apprenticeship
Songwriting thrives on collaboration, energy, and shared experience. Curator Cristina Díaz-Carrera spotlights Rebel Song Academy, youth mentorship, and a song composed with help from Festival visitors.
Featured participants: Malek Azrael, Alejandro Arias
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e2.pdf)
8 Apr 2026
Next Generation Artisans in the Traditional Building Trades
Artisans in the building trades preserve historic spaces by passing their skills to the next generation. Curator Marjorie Hunt and program coordinator Arlene Reiniger explore how youth apprentices are keeping these traditions alive.
Featured participants: John Canning, Tatum Connor, Matthew Jacobs, Zoe Riccio, Tyrone Vic
Read transcript → (https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/podcast/s1-e1.pdf)
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