Banish Folklore Zine Series Subscription 2026

Four Zines in 2026

The Banish Folklore Zine Series captures real folklore through fake constraints. In a cultural moment which requires most artistic content to make sense in very black and white terms, The Banish Folklore Zine series embraces absurdity. By playing pretend, the zines express the personality of New York City’s folk music world and the many people who make it real.

1. Close to Paradise: An Irish American Songbook From Rockaway Beach

“Irish Town” is bygone neighborhood on Rockaway Beach, but people say they've been feeling it again. Between 98th and 116th streets, there used to be a lot of dancehalls and clubs catering to Irish New Yorkers on vacation. This zine is a collection of song lyrics and lore, but it is also a document of a ghost hot spot coming back to life, which I personally experienced living in the energetic remnants of Irish Town.

2. After The Jalopy Burnt Down

One day, the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music in Red Hook Brooklyn burnt down. This zine collects actual memories and stories about a place that is significant in New York City’s Folk Music history, from interview with those who love it, by imagining that it no longer exists. It does exist, it didn't burn down, don't worry.

3. Dance Hard and Often

This zine documents New York City's thriving country music social dance community. Does it thrive in spite of, or because of, the digital age? The zine is a private investigation of why people dance and go so hard as cowboys in the middle of the biggest urban center of the united states.

4. Folk Music is a Criminal Offense

Uh oh! Folk musicians are in jail in this zine. I go to their cells to find out what they did wrong. I ask NYC’s folk musicians why they are in jail. Not that they are. They aren’t. But, the answers I collect will illuminate exactly what folk musicians in the 2020’s are up to–ranging from innocent to subversive acts.

WHY BANISH FOLKLORE???

My goal is not to actually Banish Folklore, but to investigate what folklore collection is all about. Is it extractive? Demeaning? Empowering? Frivolous? Necessary? No matter the answer, folk music and dance communities remain essential during a time of increasing isolation and frayed social connections. A question I hold dear to my heart is this: What would a world look like that didn’t need folklore collectors at all? A world where folk cultures were the norm, not the museum piece? A world where the traditional is quotidian and the commercial is bizarre?