Basic Folklore and Oral History Interviewing Course

 

Join Heritage NL for this four-week course to learn all you need to know to get started on your oral history projects!

Basic Folklore and Oral History Interviewing Course

This course is offered as a WHAM! partnership and is considered a core course for MANL’s Museum Studies Certificate Program, but you do not need to be enrolled in the program to participate in the workshop.

Calling all budding folklorists and armchair historians! This workshop is open to anyone with an interest in local history, culture and folklore, and who wishes to learn more about safeguarding our cultural heritage through the medium of oral histories.

The course will give a background on conducting research interviews in the field. It will provide an overview of the methodology and explore the practical matters of creating, designing, and executing effective oral history research projects, project planning, interview questions, ethical issues, and recording equipment.

Over the four week course, participants will conduct an interview, prepare archival metadata, and work collaboratively to create a finished oral history project. Participants will need to bring their own laptop/tablet, all other materials provided. If you have your own digital recording device (tablet, iPhone, mp3 recorder, etc) you are encouraged to bring it, but it is not required.

The workshop will be taught by folklorist Terra Barrett, Intangible Cultural Heritage Program Planner for Heritage NL. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Folklore and a Master of Arts in Public Folklore from Memorial University. Terra sits on several boards including the Mummers Festival, and has experience working with Memorial University’s Folklore and Language Archives, Them Days, and The Rooms.

Click here to register!

Monday Nights, 7pm-9pm
February 9th-March 2nd, 2026
Workshop fee: $100 (preregistration required, limited to 8 participants)
Location: Newman Building, 1 Springdale Street, St. John’s
(This is office space which is unfortunately located on the second floor of the building so it is not fully accessible. We will be offering a digital version of the course in the future so stay tuned.)

For more information, contact Terra Barrett at 709-739-1892 x2, or email terra@heritagenl.ca

Living Heritage Podcast Ep226 Mentor-Apprentice Program: Weaving with Megan Samms and Jane Walker

Megan Samms and Jane Walker making a warp. Photo courtesy of Megan and Jane.

In this episode we talk with mentor Megan Samms, and apprentice Jane Walker who are two participants of Heritage NL’s Mentor-Apprentice Program. 

Megan Samms has worked with textiles since she was a child but her main focus over the last ten years has been hand weaving. Over her career she has attended artist residencies and dedicated full time studio hours which has allowed her to finetune her craft. Each piece of her work is unique, and Megan uses plant dyes that she grows or forages locally to colour the yarns she uses in her textiles. With a particular interest in working with the linear structure of burlap and linen apprentice Jane Walker has been practising the art of rug hooking for several years. Upon noticing the correlation between rug hooking and weaving, Jane has been keen to advance her knowledge of weaving.

Megan Samms and Jane Walker beaming a warp. Photo courtesy of Megan and Jane.

### Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.