Jim Leary earned a Ph.D. in Folklore and American Studies from Indiana
University (1977) and is currently director of the Folklore Program at the
University of Wisconsin, with a .25 appointment in Scandinavian Studies.
Born and raised in northern Wisconsin, Leary researches the narrative,
musical, customary, and material folklore of the Upper Midwest's diverse
peoples, including those of Nordic heritage. In addition to field research
and production for an array of public radio programs, documentary sound
recordings, museum exhibits, and folklife festivals, Leary has published
widely on Scandinavian American humor (especially dialect songs and jokes),
on Finnish American dance musicians, and on the folk arts of Finnish and
Norwegian Americans.

Major publications include: WISCONSIN FOLKLORE (1998);

an essay, photographs, and artists' biographies in WISCONSIN FOLK
ART: A SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION (1998);

and SO OLE SAYS TO LENA: FOLK HUMOR OF THE UPPER MIDWEST (2001).

In addition to teaching

"Scandinavian American Folklore" (440) for the Department of Scandinavian Studies, Leary works with the UW's Mills Music Library to increase its holdings of publications, sound recordings, photographs, fieldwork materials, and
ephemera regarding Scandinavian American musical culture.