folklorist. collaborator. program director.

My name is Daisy Ahlstone (they/them) and I am a folklorist, digital community leader, legend scholar, eco-philosopher, mycologist, and collective-joy-enthusiast. I my research is concerned with how interdependent systems shape creative cultural expressions in everyday contexts, and how such an understanding informs wildlife conservation communities responding to the threat of extinction. Folklore is the study of creative expression in everyday life, and these expressions are highly reflective of relationships with nature. I am the director of WiseFolk Productions, producers of the YouTube and Twitch streaming channel Folkwise, which explores the study of tradition non-traditionally through digital content creation, public education, and community engagement.
 
I hold a PhD in Comparative Studies and my dissertation investigated how living, environmental systems relate to the ways people who study folk and traditional arts understand meaning, knowledge, and community in the 21st century. Some subjects I explore in my writing and research are ecology, digital folklore, extinction, quilting and artwork as methodology, Theory of Mind, community-engaged research methodologies, systems theory, public engagement, collaboration, and videography. I am interested in questions about community formation, systems thinking, and more-than-human community members contributions to the transmission of everyday knowledge.

I also collaborate with other folklore-related organizations on outreach and impact projects, including the Western States Folklore Society and American Folklore Society.