Pismo Folkowe is the only Polish periodical/magazine dedicated to folklore and modern folk movement (the word pismo may be variably translated as paper, magazine or periodical). It describes manifestations of the traditional culture, ongoing and reconstructed, and contemporary folk music within the cultural context. Since 1996, Pismo Folkowe has been published by the Academic Cultural Centre (Akademickie Centrum Kultury) of the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) ‘Chatka Żaka’ and the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in collaboration with the Stowarzyszenie Animatorów Ruchu Folkowego (Folk Movement Organisers Association). The idea to bring out such a periodical was conceived amongst the enthusiasts of tradition, gathered around the folk ensemble Orkiestra św. Mikołaja (literally Santa Claus Orchestra). Ever since its inception, the editor’s office of Pismo Folkowe has been located on the premises of the Akademickie Centrum Kultury UMCS ‘Chatka Żaka’. One hundred and forty-five issues of the periodical were published before 2020.

Pismo Folkowe serves as both a platform for sharing information on the events related to the contemporary folk music movement (such as meetings, festivals, concerts, debuts and CD premieres) and a place of promoting traditional skills and expertise. It is divided into several sections: science and research [i.e. Z teorii (On Theory) and Z tradycji (On Tradition)], information and integration [i.e. Festiwale (Festivals), Relacje (Reports), Nowości płytowe (New CDs) and Nowości książkowe (New Books)], reviews [i.e. Recenzja (Reviews), Prezentacje (Presentations) and EtnoLektura (Ethnic Literature)] and opinion journalism [i.e. Sonda (Survey), Felieton (Column) and Pocztówka (Postcard)]. The readers will also find interviews, biographical information on the folk musicians, researchers and members of the folklore movement, as well as traditional culinary recipes, travel diaries plus such occasional sections as Sto lat! (Happy Birthday!) and 30 lat folku (30 Years of Contemporary Folk Music).

For the last 24 years, Pismo Folkowe has helped exchange information, experiences, events and passions of the people who are interested in matters relating to ethnology, ethnomusicology, cultural studies and anthropology. It has welcomed students and young journalists, on one hand, and renowned researchers and scholars, on the other. The periodical has thus provided space for an inter-generational exchange of opinions and, in consequence, traditional relationships between the master and the pupil.

Since 2013, the position of editor-in-chief has been held by Dr Agata Kusto. She has two assistants working as deputy editors-in-chief: Agnieszka Matecka-Skrzypek (who jointly created the first version of Pismo Folkowe) and Damian Gocół. The other members of the current national editorial staff include Bogdan Bracha, Małgorzata Wielgosz, Wojciech Bernatowicz, Joanna Zarzecka, Witt Wilczyński, Ewelina Grygier, Tomasz Janas, Maciej Froński and Justyna Michniuk.

The editorial staff of Pismo Folkowe cooperates with a wide range of scholars and researchers dedicated to folklore, and a number of contemporary folk music enthusiasts. The periodical has published articles written by Prof. Jan Adamowski (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin), Prof. Jerzy Bartmiński (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin), Andrzej Bieńkowski (Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw), Simon Broughton from the United Kingdom (‘Songlines’), Prof. Anna Czekanowska (University of Warsaw), Prof. Piotr Grochowski (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń), Wojciech Ossowski from the Radiowe Centrum Kultury Ludowej (Folk Culture Radio Centre) in Warsaw, Dr Maria Pomianowska (Academy of Music in Kraków), Janusz Prusinowski (Mazurkas of the World Festival in Warsaw), Prof. Jan Stęszewski (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań), Prof. Józef Styk (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin) and Maciej Szajkowski from the ensemble Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa (literally the Folk Band from the Village of Warsaw). Since 2016, the activities and initiatives of Pismo Folkowe have been supervised by its Scientific Council consisting of Dr Piotr Celiński from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Dr Tomasz Rokosz from the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Dr Katarzyna Smyk from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Dr Joanna Szadura from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Dr Weronika Grozdew-Kołacińska from the Institute of Art at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Dr Bożena Lewandowska from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Dr Kinga Strycharz-Bogacz from the John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, as well as Wojciech Bernatowicz, MA and Damian Gocół, MA working as secretaries (from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin).

Pismo Folkowe has gathered together an energetic and hard-working group of specialists and enthusiasts, amongst them organisers of folklore events and scholars. Its editorial staff undertakes multiple initiatives, such as a series of scientific conferences during the festival ‘Mikołajki Folkowe’ (folk events on Saint Nicholas Day) and the publishing series ‘EtnoBiblioteka’ (‘Ethnic Library’).

Pismo Folkowe cooperates with organisations promoting traditional culture and its modern manifestations, including the Association of Folk Artists (Stowarzyszenie Twórców Ludowych), the Polish Ethnomusicological Seminar (Polskie Seminarium Etnomuzykologiczne) and the Folk Culture Radio Centre (Radiowe Centrum Kultury Ludowej). It also maintains close ties with scholars, doctoral students, other university students and scientific circles, as well as folk musicians and organisers of cultural initiatives aimed at promoting folk music, contemporary and traditional, not only in Poland.

Editorial staff of Pismo Folkowe

 https://youtu.be/Iz-PL19PiZM