Brooke Bryan is a graduate student at Antioch University, working to build a curriculum at the interstice of Folklore and Oral History (with a hefty dose of documentary). Recently a journalist for an independent weekly, her interests include foodways and the fate of old barns, youth in unmediated spaces, how domestic practices have changed over time with the introduction of new technologies, and how people think about convenience in an age of modern gadgets and appliances. Her oral histories are typically conducted within broader observational circumstances, employing narrative ethnography and documentary photography.
As a graduate research associate, she coordinates the WYSO Community Voices oral history and community stories project, a new initiative to train and empower community members to engage in oral history and radio storytelling.
When her three children and husband allow, she serves as a board member for Home Inc., a community land trust, is an editorial board member for Newfolk and the Oral History Association, and is part of an NEH-funded multidisciplinary working group exploring best practices for digital oral history.
Brooke works with local youth through the Why Here | Why Now Project, has published one media review, a guest column, and more than 60 journalistic articles.