Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Arkansas State University’s Delta Symposium is planning a special event. Two workshops, titled “Oral History, Folklife, and Heritage Sites,” will be offered during the four-day conference.

One will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 9, in the Pine Tree Room at the Carl R. Reng Student Union. The other will precede the Arkansas Roots Music Festival in Dyess on Saturday, April 11, beginning at 9 a.m. Participants will meet in the visitors’ center of the Dyess Colony: Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash.

The workshop content is essentially the same for both sessions. There is no charge, but registration is strongly requested and can be made by contacting Dr. Gregory Hansen, professor of folklore and English, ghansen@AState.edu or (870) 972-3043.

The Department of English, Philosophy, and World Languages has the support of A-State’s Heritage Sites to coordinate the event.

“The focus will be on the use of oral history and traditional expressive culture within the region’s heritage sites,” Hansen said. “Anyone with an interest in the region’s heritage is welcome to participate, and specific interest will be applied to preserving and presenting historical and cultural resources through a variety of organizations’ program events.”

Participants are welcome to attend either workshop. The program coordinator is Ian Hallagan, a public folklorist, media producer, and writer. He has worked in a variety of nonprofit, cultural heritage tourism, university, and state and local government institutions across the South, West, and Southwest.

Hallagan has extensive experience developing community-based heritage projects, and he is particularly interested in connecting with communities in northeastern Arkansas.

Symposium co-coordinator, Leslie Reed, instructor in English, is helping to arrange events for the symposium. She is also a board member of Hoxie: The First Stand Museum. Reed explained she is excited to bring Halligan’s workshop to Arkansas.

“While start-up museums are often viewed as ambitious endeavors, they play a vital role in preserving local history and fostering a strong sense of community,” Reed said. “I am looking forward to the symposium workshops.”

For further details, one may contact the Department of English, Philosophy, and World Languages at (870) 972-3043 or visit the symposium website.