Folk Is Female

This week’s assignment turned into a photo essay with a few videos and a Spotify playlist at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about women in folk music and have left this assignment being inspired by these singer/songwriters.

I used Sutori for my assignment, and I would highly recommend it. It was easy to use and I believe helped me create a powerful essay. There were a few things I wish I could have done, that I was unable to figure out:

1. I wanted footnotes but was unable to edit them in.
2. My first video of Elizabeth Cotten sits with just a black screen. I really wanted to make sure that I covered her, so I am hoping the black screen isn’t a deterrent.
3. I also wish it had more capability to move things around, but I am ultimately happy with my project.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that many of the women I covered have been granted awards for their art, especially with Grammys. I also noticed that many have made it into a hall of fame, but most happened much later in their careers. This is not surprising since women are often passed over and go unrecognized for their work when it is happening. Add extra layers of oppression like race or sexual identity, and that becomes even more complicated.

You can access my essay here.

And my Spotify playlist here.

Future Podcast Stars?

For our audio assignment, Olivia and I worked together to discuss Phil Ochs and his legacy. We knew his commitment to social justice was something we wanted to touch on, as well as his niece Robyn Ochs. His unfortunate death by suicide was something that we wanted to mention, but also not sensationalize. That is why we decided to give listeners resources. Oliva and I work within social justice organizations and it is in our nature to provide folks with help when we can.

The process was fun and challenging. I feel like I would do this again, maybe even start my own podcast. I could talk about fat-shion, queer issues, history, and cats. Any takers?

But truly, I am grateful for this assignment. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and empowered me to get comfortable with myself. It is totally normal to feel cringy when one hears their own voice but after a bit of listening, I appreciate my voice more. I appreciate the power of it.

Here are a few pointers/things I would do differently next time:

1. Check for background noise after the first recording, away from the original location so you can truly tell if the background is noisy. We checked it, but did so in the same area so it didn’t sound off until it was too late.
2. When editing, smaller clips are better. You have a bit more control of the edits and rearrangements.
3. Find background music early, and make your clips longer than you think. It is better to have too much and have to edit, then having to start from scratch.

Without further ado, here is our audio project:

Annotation Station

This week, we were assigned the task of annotating the work of Phil Ochs. I loved this assignment.

The sixteen-year-old poet inside of me loved breaking down his lyrics and applying meaning to it. The historian in me loved researching further into the Civil Rights Era and Ochs’ place within it.

The song I chose to annotate was “Here’s to the State of Mississippi”. While addressing Mississippi by name, Ochs’ call-out is relevant to many states in the South during the Civil Rights Era. Blatant refusal to desegregate schools, follow federal mandates around dissolving Jim Crow laws, police brutality incidents, the reemergence and support of the KKK, and corruption with state officials led to the deaths of many marginalized people, especially people of color.

Using genius.com was a cool experience, and one I will do again for sure! It is an interesting resource for those looking to expand their knowledge of musical artists they enjoy. I recommend it for sure.

Without further ado, here are my annotations:

“Here’s to the State of Mississippi”

Tell me what you think, y’all!

Amanda

“The Times They Are A-Changing”

I used to considered myself “technically challenged.” I’m the person that avoided anything that fell into the world of technology. I was scared. Scared I would break something. Scared I would make a fool of myself for the world to see. Because of that fear, I refused to learn.

Then, DirecTV happened to me. Not because I wanted it to, but because I needed a steady flexible job while going back to school. DirecTV hired a person with no technical skills to be a technical support person. (I have no idea what they were thinking.)

They taught me how to work with electronics and digital information. I can program remotes, walk some through setting up electronics associated with internet, TV and telephone. I learned how to navigate this unknown world.

While DirecTV was a terrible experience overall, I can thank them for giving me a foundation. One that moved me from digitally incompetent to a digital immigrant. While I haven’t always felt confident in the realm of digital, at least they threw me into it.

I am taking this class, because I want to learn how to effectively reach people in today’s society. I want to be able create a lasting brand for myself, as I begin to venture out into the professional world. I want to learn how to market myself, my research and my hobbies in an appropriate way.

I also hope to gain skills that will make me a premier candidate for working in the realm of social justice. I want to use these new skills to help out the organizations I feel passionate about.

As  Bob Dylan said in his song, “The Times They Are A-Changing”:

“Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin’.
Please get out of the new one
If you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.”

BobDylan.com

I want to lend a hand in the change that is coming, and digital literacy is an important component of that.

 

*This blog post was written as the first assignment for my Intro to Digital Humanities class at OSU-Tulsa. If you are interested in more info about American Studies, click here.