Northeast Texas Community College’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter received the college’s first-ever Humanities Texas grant, a state subsidiary of the National Endowment of the Humanities. The $2,000 grant will be used to create a mini-documentary about folklore specific to the northeastern Texas region.
The mini-documentary will be based on local community folktales that the Phi Theta Kappa chapter recently collected. The northeast corner of Texas is wetter and more wooded than the rest. It is also more rural than most of Texas. A distinct subset within East Texas, the region is an area historically claimed by Miller County, Arkansas, and Spain/Mexico/Republic of Texas. The northeastern boundary was clearly defined only when Texas became a state within the United States. The region's geography and history give it an independent pride and a unique culture, thus a unique collection of folktales.
Oral interviews based on previously collected tales will be scheduled and arranged. Videos of locations mentioned in the oral history interviews and previous written submissions will be filmed.
As folklore reflects and generates a sense of community, transcending class and socio-economic lines, the project will both reflect and emphasize the pride and uniqueness of the northeastern Texas region.
The mini-documentary will be shown on April 18 at the Annual Texas Folklore Society meeting. Other locations where the film will be shown include the Northeast Texas Community College, Franklin County Historical Society, Franklin County Art Alliance, and other local places. The mini-documentary will ultimately be streamed online.
Dr. Fulgham will oversee the content portion of the proposed program. As the lead advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa chapter, she oversaw the collection of nearly one hundred folk stories about the northeast Texas region. Athena Hayes, a co-advisor for the Phi Theta Kappa chapter, formerly worked as the Texas Folklore Society’s social media manager and will provide relevant oversight and suggestions. The two faculty members will be overseeing work done by Phi Theta Kappa Chapter Officers: Emily Hamlin, owner of Clarity Productions, a video and photography company, and cinematographer Skylar Hodson, an award-winning film scholar.
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