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Torching the Fink Books and Other Essays on Vernacular Culture

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This eloquent and deeply engaged collection of Green's essays (some previously printed)covers topics ranging from the expressive nature of labor lore and the intersections between ethnicity and labor, to folk music and cowboy culture and the words-often implicated in cultural politics--used to describe them, to the archival detective work necessary to illuminating such strands of culture. Green's work in these articles is etymological and historical, tracing the development and current use of a term, idea, or practice. This is a book that is an essential read for any professional folklorist, be she "academic," "public," or "applied," as it is a primer for committed fieldwork and arts advocacy. Green himself has long advocated for public programming that is culturally equitable, and his knowledge of public sector work and his contributions to it helped pave the way for National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities support for vernacular arts. This book is a testament to the variety and art of people he has long championed.

A great anthology of Archie Green's writings, this book provides a record of excellent writing with insights into why the writer integrates scholarship with effective activism. The range of Green's interests includes topics as diverse as occupational practices, etymology, and country music. He writes with fascinating insights concerning all his interests, and the articles and essays stimulate one's curiousity about related topics. Among the finest contributions to this volume are those that pertain to public folklore. Green provides conscientious and inspiring rationales for the essential need to initiate and coordinate programming that returns folklore research to the public. Robert Cantwell's introduction provides a fine context for stitching together the various threads that connect Green's interests in folklore.