
Lorefest Folklore Conference
Academic Scholarship Meets Performance and Community Interactions
Beyond the main performance-driven events, Lorefest also includes a one-day symposium on Saturday, October 31st, 2026, inviting discourse that brings together scholarly research and community interaction, focusing on folklore studies, creative expression, and collaborative opportunities for undergraduates, graduates, faculty, professionals, and anyone with an interest in folklore and the local cultures through which it communicates.
This year’s themes are multilingualism, abstract and indirect cultural engagement, and Monster Theory related to folklore, but the conference is not limited to these themes alone. We’re especially interested in presentations that center around performance and practice-as-research, however, any relevant topic will be considered. Some suggested topics include:
African American Folklore
Latinx Folklore
Preservation of Folklore
Folklore as Creative Inspiration
Performance Ethnography
Animal-themed Folklore
Glocal Folklore
University-themed Folklore (any university)
Participants should expect 20 mins for presentations plus a Q&A session as part of the panel. In-person or Zoom presentations can be accommodated. To join us for the Lorefest conference, please send an abstract with a maximum of 300 words for papers, panels, or performances to Dr. Johnny Guajardo (jrguajar@tamu.edu) or Dr. Will Connor (willconnor@tamu.edu) by October 02, 2026. Successful abstract submissions will be announced on October 09, 2026.
Keynote Speaker: To Be Announced
Lorefest is proud of the high quality participants we have had over the years and we are still currently confirming the next guest, however, rest assured the speaker we are expecting to confirm is exciting, unique, and ready to talk about lore until bats return to roost!
More information about the conference keynote speaker will appear here soon!
