What Folklorists Do

"The significance of Timothy Lloyd's book What Folklorists Do extends beyond the important insights offered in the essays about how individuals have used their degrees in folklore to enhance and expand professional opportunities both inside and outside of academia. While the essays constitute the heart of this volume, its broader significance is captured in Lloyd's introductory essay in which he discusses the ongoing debates about the value of the humanities in preparing individuals for the world of work in the 21st century. His alignment of the essays with this important debate allows the book not only to appeal to a wider audience, it also allows his approach to become a model for confounding abstract arguments about the continuing importance of the humanities and, by extension, those disciplines—including folklore—that constitute this foundational area of academic research and teaching.  "

~John Roberts, professor emeritus, The Ohio State University

"In engaging, accessible essays, this volume showcases an exciting range of occupational opportunities for folklorists. The contributors—in reflections that are diverse, inspiring, and at times funny—illustrate the versatility of the skills they have gained in this field at the intersection of humanities and social sciences. What Folklorists Do is instructive reading for anyone looking to apply (or employ) the fruits of academic training in folklore and related areas. "

~Kate Parker Horigan, Western Kentucky University

"Timothy Lloyd's What Folklorists Do is an extraordinary book that could only have been shaped by someone with Lloyd's decades of tireless advocacy on behalf of folklore studies. This collection of seventy-six short, accessible personal essays by leading folklore professionals presents the astonishing range of work that folklorists do on a day-to-day basis. From those seeking to understand what a career in folklore studies might look like to veteran professionals of many decades, readers will expand their understanding of how the unified methods, theories, and skills that folklorists have long cultivated give us the means to work on the highest levels in industry, government, publishing, universities, and cultural institutions, among many other settings. This book should be required reading for popular enthusiasts, students, and working professionals alike."

~Anthony Bak Buccitelli, Director, Pennsylvania Center for Folklore, Penn State University, Harrisburg.

"Timothy Lloyd, former Executive Director of the American Folklore Society, has assembled a valuable compendium of 76 short essays by folklorists, mostly North Americans, exploring an impressively broad range of professional options and careers. . . . What Folklorists Do is an important, exciting and accessible book that I would recommend to anyone with any interest in folklore."

~Timothy H. Evans, Western Kentucky University, Journal of Folklore and Education

"What Folklorists Do is certainly a useful book for budding folklorists who wonder what they might do after the diploma is earned and the paychecks need to start rolling in."

~Hilary-Joy Virtanen, Finlandia University, Western Folklore

"Timothy Lloyd's book is a useful collection on a number of levels, helping the reader understand the working world of the professional folklorist. Taken as a whole, the collection is, in a sense, an occupational folklife ethnography of a particular academic subject, albeit almost exclusively in the United States."

~Gerald Pocius, Journal of Folklore Research Reviews

"But the message of the collection is a positive and proud one: we as folklorists have a great amount to offer society. The value of studying folklore is indisputably laid out in seventy-six different ways, which is why I will be recommending What Folklorists Do to my Folklore Studies students—who I hope will be inspired to become ambassadors themselves."

~Ceri Houlbrook, Folklore

"What Folklorists Do identifies an important and pressing conversation that will undoubtedly engage scores of researchers from academic, public, and government sectors. It is a crucial topic that will necessitate reimagining as we find ourselves in new phases of post-pandemic life and work."

~Vyta Pivo, University of Michigan, Journal of American Folklore