Sarah Fisher has been awarded an Associates of Science in Business Administration from Penn State University; a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in history from the University of Maryland; a graduate certificate in Museum Studies and a Master of Arts in Folklore and Public Culture from the University of Oregon. Her Masters Terminal Fieldwork Project included immersing herself with the Merry Pranksters as a participant observer, learning to create art, music, and concert productions. She has completed internships at the Oregon Folklife Network, working on marketing, web site optimization, and grant writing; and at Special Collections University Archives, learning audio digitization procedures. Sarah has also taught composition courses at the University of Oregon, and she has completed language study in French and Ancient Greek. Sarah is currently the Folklore Archivist and Collection Coordinator at the Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore. She is a member of the Association of Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC). Sarah has completed her first book, "The Art of Pranksterism: A Visual Journey with the Merry Pranksters", which will be published in 2019. This book explores folkloristic and subcultural theoretical models in application to the artistic community of the Merry Pranksters. She is co-editor of "Cooking with Folklore: Recipes from the Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore." "Cooking with Folklore: Recipes from the Archives, Volume II" is currently in the editing process, to be published in Fall 2019. She is also the curator of the exhibit, From Folk to Folklorist: An Archives for Everyone, on display in the Knight Library at the University of Oregon through the Fall 2018 and Winter 2019 terms. Sarah grew up in Pennsylvania and lived there until she moved to Oregon for graduate school. Her husband and four children, a girl and three boys, adventured with her. As a family, they enjoy hiking, bouldering, gardening, attending concerts, and watching movies. Sarah and her husband also enjoy volunteering to produce local concerts, with motivation that is driven by the love of music and dancing. Sarah enjoys reading, painting, singing, and playing music on her flute when she finds the time.
Jennie Flinspach is a recent graduate of the University of Oregon where she completed dual Master's degrees in Folklore and Arts Management. Her terminal project, "A Double Rose – Tam Lin Recast: The Adaptation and Performance of a Traditional Medieval Ballad" explored narrative adaptation and performativity through the writing and staging of her original play. With the Oregon Folklife Network, Flinspach has served as the Summer Folklife Fellow, managed the Oregon Culture Keepers' Roster, and interned with the Warm Springs Folklife Fieldschool. As a graduate student archivist for the Randall V. Mills Archive of Northwest Folklore, she designed and edited “Cooking with Folklore: Recipes from the Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore.” “Cooking with Folklore: Recipes from the Archives, Volume II” is currently in the editing process, to be published in Fall 2019. Prior to moving to Oregon, Flinspach was a high school English and drama teacher in the Iowa public school system.
Alia D. Kempton is a Masters student in the Folklore and Public Culture Program at the University of Oregon. While pursuing her graduate degree, she is also working as a student archivist in the Randall V. Mills Archive of Northwest Folklore, where she edited “Cooking with Folklore: Recipes from the Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore.” “Cooking with Folklore: Recipes from the Archives, Volume II” is currently in the editing process, to be published in Fall 2019. Prior to attending the University of Oregon, she obtained her undergraduate degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver in Anthropology, Women’s Studies and Indigenous Studies. During her undergraduate work, she was a volunteer at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Colorado’s largest natural history museum. During her volunteer-ship she was additionally able to secure an internship with the Anthropology Department under their NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) coordinator and worked towards cataloging and preserving sacred and patrimonial objects along with several other tasks related to NAGPRA through intradepartmental and organizational collaboration. She was instrumental in facilitating repatriation meetings with a Native American tribe of the Southwestern U.S. and participated in the repatriation of several false face masks to a Northeastern Tribe of the U.S. She is also an active member of The National Society of Leadership and Success.
Christal Snyder is a first year M.A. student in Folklore and Public Culture at the University of Oregon. She obtained her B.A. in Anthropology from California State University, Fullerton where she served as president of the Anthropology Student Association and treasurer of the Lambda Alpha National Anthropology Honor Society, Chapter ETA. Through involvement with student organizations, she became interested in developing and implementing cultural programming. Christal reinstated the anthropology student newsletter at Cal State Fullerton, acting as chief editor and served as an editor for the student journal. Her research interests lie in folk religious beliefs and rituals and the revitalization of such practices. By analyzing the perpetuation of folklore archetypes and their patrons, she seeks an understanding of modern alternative spiritualities. Christal presented her work on the Lakota goddess known as Double Woman, at the Southwestern Anthropological Association conference in 2016, as a part of a panel discussion on dreaming. As a graduate student archivist for the Randall V. Mills Archive of Northwest Folklore, she designed and edited “Cooking with Folklore: Recipes from the Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore.” “Cooking with Folklore: Recipes from the Archives, Volume II” is currently in the editing process, to be published in Fall 2019. Outside of academia, Christal enjoys immersing herself in a good story, adventuring into nature, and discovering new documentaries.