The Folger Undergraduate Fellowship

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The Amherst–Folger Undergraduate Fellowship program provides an opportunity for Amherst students to engage in primary source research in libraries and archives in Washington, DC, while receiving individualized mentorship and instruction from Folger staff and scholars. The program takes a broad view of research and has included fellows with projects outside the early modern world and across disciplines and majors.

Past Folger Undergraduate Fellows

Before Farm to Table 2021

Photo of colorful produce kiosk, part of Holyoke Food Collective
Holyoke Food Collective co-founder, Neftalí Durán (Ñuu Savi-Oaxaqueño) spoke with the students about Indigenous Foodways, working towards an equitable food system, and building a network of Indigenous food leaders.

Students Examine Early Modern Foodways with the Folger Shakespeare Library

In January, five Amherst students participated in the "Before Farm to Table" research colloquium during which they investigated and analyzed an 18th-century manuscript recipe book from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection. Working closely with Folger staff members Drs. Heather Wolfe and Amanda Herbert, the students joined a collaborative research team at the Folger to transcribe, edit, and adapt recipes from the book.

Read the article by Eniola Ajao '21

Folger Undergraduate Fellows 2020 - Before Farm to Table

Force Meatballs Recipe
18th-century recipe for "Forced Meatballs"

We don’t know who Mrs. Knight was, but we know she liked to cook.

Nine Amherst students spent two weeks in January getting to know the life and kitchen of this unknown Englishwoman by examining her 102-page, 400-recipe manuscript, on loan from the Folger Shakespeare Library. This handwritten collection of recipes and folk remedies, compiled circa 1740, received the Amherst treatment as the students studied it—and cooked from it—from every angle.

Read the Article

Folger Undergraduate Fellows 2018

2018 Folger Fellows and staff
Folger Fellows from right: Jane Bragdon ’20, Isabella Berkley ’19, Ann Guo ’20 (in back), Phuong-Nghi Pham ’18 (in front), Annika Ariel ’19 (center in front) and Ariella Goldberg ’19 (fourth from left). Photo provided by Phuong-Nghi Pham ’18.

Learning how to do the research is what matters.

Ann Guo ’20 looked at early-17th- through mid-18th-century references to tea and foods as a lens into conceptions of racial and ethnic “others.” Ariella Goldberg ’19 investigated Renaissance cryptography. And Isabella Berkley ’19 researched 17th-century travel writing and its influence on England’s relationship with the Caribbean.

Read the full article in Amherst News

Folger Undergraduate Fellows 2016

Amherst Fellows Catherine Lowdon '17, Kevin Mei '16 and Irisdelia Garcia '18 get a feel for writing like Shakespeare.
Amherst Fellows Catherine Lowdon '17, Kevin Mei '16 and Irisdelia Garcia '18 get a feel for writing like Shakespeare. Photo by Meredith Deeley.

Having free rein to explore any topic of your choosing

This year's students delved into media history, archival research methods and material culture, from early modern books, manuscripts and art to the curation of modern editions and digital texts.

Read the full article in Amherst News

Amherst and the Folger Shakespeare Library

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An Unlikely Love Affair

Shakespeare was a guy from the wrong side of the pond, but the American people still fell for him—hard. Even more improbable: the extent to which Amherst has been part of the long romance...

Read the full article in Amherst Magazine

Explore the Folger Catalog

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The online catalog of The Folger Shakespeare Library

The Folger Shakespeare Library’s publicly available online catalog contains bibliographic and accession records for many important parts of the collection, including materials published since 1800, rare materials acquired since 1996, manuscript collections and works of art.

Explore the catalog