CALL FOR PAPERS
2026 Annual Meeting
University of Oregon, Eugene
April 16 - 18, 2026
Theme: Folklore as a Resource — Old and New
Folklore is a resource that we draw on for resilience, comfort, community, and for making sense of the world around us. It can be a vehicle of joy or grief or anger, with the capacity to express the full range of human emotions. Folklore is an especially vital resource for surviving turbulent times, both historically and today. How has folklore, both old and new, served as an individual or community resource? What does it offer us, and how does it facilitate resilience?
As always, the theme is a suggestion for those considering presentation, not a requirement. We welcome proposals for individual presentations and organized panels on any topic related to folklore.
The Archer Taylor Lecture will be given by Enrique Lamadrid, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of New Mexico.
Registration
Online conference registration is under way; please see below for further information.
In-person registration will begin Thursday, April 16, 2026 and continue throughout the conference, as will online registration. Papers will be presented live and online via Zoom on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18. Please note that virtual attendance will be limited to registered virtual presenters. To register, visit our Registration Page.
As in the past, nonmembers who join the Society by the time of registration are eligible for membership benefits, including reduced registration fees and a subscription to Western Folklore. If registering by regular mail, please make checks out to the Western States Folklore Society and address them to:
Western States Folklore Society
17591 River Ranch Rd
Grass Valley, CA 95949Presentations
Presentations: If you wish to present a paper, film, performance, rount-table exchange, or other presentation,please submit by email a short (100-150 word) abstract by February 1, 2026.
Please use the following format. Abstracts that do not follow these guidelines will be returned to the author for revision. Please also indicate upon submission if you plan to present virtually.
LAST NAME, First Name (Affiliation in parentheses). Title in boldface. Abstract descriptive text (100-150 words only) in regular typeface (not bold). (Your email address, enclosed in parentheses)
- Please use Microsoft Word: PDF and email text are not acceptable
- The full abstract—including your name, presentation title, 100-150 word descriptive text, and email address—must be a single paragraph; do not separate name, affiliation, title and email from text
- Descriptive text must not exceed 150 words (that is, not including name, affiliation, title of presentation, and email address).
Abstracts should be submitted to the Abstract Review Committee. Cut and paste the following address into your email program: abstracts@westernfolklore.org.
Registration fees should be postmarked the same day as the abstract submission and should be accompanied by a brief note indicating your name and paper title (non-presenters please indicate “non-presenter”). All correspondence will be handled electronically unless specifically requested otherwise.
IMPORTANT: While some papers may be presented virtually, only presenters may attend virtually.
Sample abstract:
TYSON, Neil deGrasse (Andromeda Galactic University). Of Black Holes, Virality, Uncertainty, and Incompleteness. Science, technology, history, and other scholarly disciplines are rich resources for generating folk idioms. [etc.]Please check this page again for further information as it develops.
Elliott Oring Student Stipends
Westen States Folklore Societs awards three student travel stipends of $150 each to students coming to the conference to deliver a paper. To qualify, a student must indicate they are applying for the stipend, submit their abstracts before the deadline, and submit both a 100-150 word abstract for publication in the program and a 350 word abstract in which the paper is described in more detail with special attention to the conceptual point of the paper. Some preference is given to students who come from afar and incur significant travel expenses in coming to the meeting.