“Almost fifty years ago, the US Congress founded the prestigious American Folklife Center (AFC) in Washington DC to preserve the diverse American folklore. Today, the institution, which is part of the Library of Congress, has the largest cultural archive in the world. Natalie Merchant has been a member of the board of trustees for two years. The Folker spoke to the renowned singer/songwriter about the significance of her unusual position” - Erik Prochnow. Check out the full article here.

Natalie Merchant recently spoke with Sheroes Podcast host Carmel Holt, a longtime friend, on the latest episode of the show and its special ten-part series The Road to Joni, honoring Joni Mitchell. On episode four, "The Bridge to Joni," they discuss discovering a shared fandom for Mitchell at a 1999 breast cancer benefit concert which Holt organized and Merchant headlined, and Merchant's own relationship with Mitchell's music. Merchant also shares a previously unreleased recording of her performing "All I Want" from her personal archives. Listen to the full episode here.

Vulture has included Natalie’s 2016 NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert on their new list of The 50 Best NPR Tiny Desks. “The perfect venue for a performance of Natalie Merchant’s intimately reimagined debut solo album, this Tiny Desk features the Italian American singer-songwriter with minimal accompaniment. The fewer distractions the better — not even a potentially disastrous bit of crowdwork recruiting the NPR crowd to join her in an ancient religious hymn is enough to derail this showcase” - Matthew Ismael Ruiz. Read the full article here.

On September 17th, Natalie spoke during #MusiciansForKamala, a National Livestream Musical Event, about her participation in local & national activism and the upcoming rally & concert Hudson Valley Votes. You can watch the stream at this link.

On Friday, October 4th, Natalie will be performing at Hudson Valley Votes rally & concert at Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, NY. You can grab your tickets now for a night of motivating speeches and inspiring music! More information available now at www.hudsonvalleyvotes.com.

For the first time ever, 10,000 Maniacs ‘MTV Unplugged (Expanded Edition)’ will be released on vinyl this September 6th. You can preorder the album now at this link.

Earlier this summer, visitors were invited to celebrate the opening of the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery at the Library of Congress during ‘Live! at the Library.' On June 13, Natalie performed in the historic Coolidge Auditorium to celebrate the opening of the Treasures Gallery with a selection of original material and traditional folk music drawn from the Library’s archive at the American Folklife Center. You can watch the performance in its entirety at this link.

Earlier this year, Natalie spent time at Fondazione Prada in Milan, Italy to present “Under the Light of the Stars," an interactive musical performance for children directed by Merchant and accompanied by the Italian folk music group Domo Emigrantes. The performance included new songs in Italian adapted from the poems of Lina Schwarz, and was dedicated to the memory of Giannetta Ottilia Latis, who initially began work on the project with Natalie. Check out the full article for more.

The new Revolutionary Women in Music: Left of Center Exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is now home to some of the most memorable looks of Natalie’s career, displaying pieces from her 1998 album “Ophelia.” The exhibit uses artifacts, images, and video to look at the work of many groundbreaking and rebellious women in music, from the 1970s to today.

From March 13-15, Natalie traveled with her fellow AFC Trustees to Louisiana for the opportunity to talk directly with people about their cultural projects and gain insights into the challenges and opportunities facing tradition-bearers and folklife professionals at the neighborhood level. The American Folklife Center is nearing its 50th year of serving the nation by documenting and sharing cultural expressions of the human experience to inspire, revitalize, and perpetuate living cultural traditions. It has now become one of the largest ethnographic collections in the world. Check out the full article for more details.