Debra Lattanzi Shutika is a folklorist specializing in critical race, sense of place and Appalachian and Irish folklore. She received a Ph.D and M.A. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. Debra is the director of the Mason-Library of Congress Field School for Cultural Documentation. Her current research is an ethnographic study of community gardens in District of Columbia National Parks.

In Ireland, Debra will partner with Emma Fallon of Mayo North East to complete a folklore collection in the three Gaeltacht communities: Achill, Crossmolina, and Erris where she will explore womena€™s traditional agricultural practices. She will teach the Mayo and Galway campuses of Atlantic Technical University and will offer masterclasses in folklore, field documentation, digital storytelling, and sense of place.