Folk Tales
A Podcast from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Folk Tales
Since 1967, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival has illuminated culture and amplified voices from around the world. Folk Tales, our new podcast, 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 inaugural season, Youth and the Future of Culture, features eight episodes highlighting youth vitality and cultural continuity, plus a bonus episode that reflects on how the 2025 Festival was built. Each year, Festival programs will be accompanied by a fresh season of Folk Tales, offering listeners an ongoing audio gateway into the Festival.
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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
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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
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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
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December 1, 2025A Festival Pitstop for Filmmaker Samuel Habib’s The Ride Ahead
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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
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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
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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
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November 14, 2025Cloth and the Art of Connection with the Karen Weaving Circle
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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
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