Speaker: Jim Hoy, Jim teaches folklore and literature at Emporia State University.

Grasshoppers so big that cowboys can ride them to herd cattle. Summers so hot that corn pops in the field. Rancher Henry Mudge wrecking pianos, shooting sheep, and fooling European dignitaries. Kansas is a place of big skies and tall tales, but these exaggerated narratives help us understand the character of our state and its people. This talk will explore some of the many Kansas legends and folktales and help audiences decipher between a myth (folk religion), legend (folk history), and tale (folk literature). When possible, local legends and folk tales—and what they say about that particular community—will be discussed.