Faculty Spotlight: Jeannie Thomas

USU Folklore Professor Jeannie Thomas was recently featured on KUTV for her work on the
“Swiftie” phenomenon as a part of a larger project for the Digital Folklore Project. Jeannie
reflects, “My work on the Digital Folklore Project (co-directed with Dr. Lynne McNeill) led me
to do a deep dive on Taylor Swift this year because one of the entries for Digital Lore of the Year were the friendship bracelets made by Eras Tour attendees. Photos of these bracelets and the exchange of them at the concerts then circulated widely on social media. Taylor Swift is an artist who is incredibly successful, and I got curious as to what her ‘secret sauce’ is when I was writing up the ‘Swiftie’ friendship bracelet entry for the Digital Folklore Project. The KUTV reporter found me because of that work on the Digital Folklore Project.”

Jeannie was also recently interviewed on Utah Public Radio for Valentine's Day. “Utah Public Radio reached out to me to do a Valentine's Day Access Utah interview,” says Jeannie. “I teach a course called Monsters and Magic, so I suggested we talk about love magic and break-up rituals for Valentine's Day. Love magic is fascinating: it manages to be quirky, romantic, and sometimes quite disturbing, too. I brought in historical magical spells and the materials to enact the spells, so host Tom Williams could try them out on air (he did draw the line at an open flame in the studio though).”

Jeannie is a folklorist and a Fellow of the American Folklore Society. She is the editor of Creole Soul: Zydeco Lives (2022) by Burt Feintuch with photographs by Gary Samson. She is the author or co-author of several books including Putting the Supernatural in Its Place (2015); Haunting Experiences (2007); Naked Barbies, Warrior Joes, and Other Forms of Visible Gender (2003); and Featherless Chickens, Laughing Women, and Serious Stories (1997). Two of her books have won international prizes. She is the co-director of USU’s Digital Folklore Project and an award- winning teacher. Additionally, her scholarly work has appeared in the Journal of American Folklore, Western Folklore, Journal of Folklore Research, Midwestern Folklore, and Contemporary Legend.

“Studying folklore at USU hones your analytical, communication, cultural competence, documentary, and writing skills. These are skills that make you very employable. Folklore is also an engaging and fun field, so you can really enjoy your studies while simultaneously picking up important workplace skills,” Jeannie adds.