A regional gathering for the celebration and study of Southern folk art and culture is coming to Alabama in June.

After a six-year hiatus, the Folklife in the South (FITS) gathering will reconvene. Details on the American Folklore Society website describe the symposium as an opportunity to bring together “folklorists, community leaders, cultural workers, and traditional artists from throughout the Southeast to share knowledge and collaborate on issues affecting the region as a whole.”

Folklife in the South met regularly from the 1980s until 2017. Lake Guntersville State Park in Guntersville, Ala. will host this year’s conference from June 8-10.

The theme for the 2023 FITS gathering is “Folklife in a Textured World” — an examination of the role of folklore and the joys and challenges of contemporary life in the South. The two-day conference will include skills workshops and presentations from local artists.

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Registration for the conference opens on Jan. 17. Conference organizers have also created an online form where prospective attendees can sign up to receive updates about registration information and calls for conference ideas and topic sessions.

Partners for FITS include South Arts, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Alabama Folklife Association, and the American Folklore Society. Folklife in the South is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.