Williams explores power of community

Lyricist and singer-songwriter Dar Williams will play next weekend's Sisters Folk Festival for the first time as a headliner.

Williams is a well-known singer-songwriter who has been performing and writing songs most of her life.

"I don't know how well being a singer-songwriter would work without the combination of writing a story and then performing that story," Williams told The Nugget.

Williams' most recent album, "Emerald," was released a few years ago, but many of the songs she wrote resonate for her now in the present landscape.

"It was written before the 2016 election, and truly a lot of the songs are a true American record and have a lot of resonance in the current environment our country is in," she said.

The inspiration for the album came from everyday things around her and she just started picking up songs along the way.

"I wrote the title track of the record on I-84 on the way through Oregon, driving through the emerald gems surrounded by trees and rivers. That is where I find the best songs is looking closely for the little gems that surround us," Williams said.

One of Williams' most famous songs, "When I Was a Boy" written in 1993, is still her most-requested song based on its message about gender equality. Williams said that she lucked out on writing that song.

"I could've made the song a straight-ahead feminist song, but decided to change the ending verse to focus on sitting down with a guy talking about when I was a girl. Then the song took on a life of its own and became not only about women empowerment, but gender empowerment," she said. "On the surface of the song was a larger exploration of gender and gay and women's rights, and I put it into a song that at the time, launched my career and still resonates today."

Williams not only writes stories in songs, she is also a critically acclaimed author. She has written two children's books. Her most recent book, titled "What I Found in a Thousand Towns," focuses on her philosophy of "positive proximity."

Positive proximity is her idea that people within communities and towns need to learn how to live a positive lifestyle together and use each other for ideas and live together in close proximity.

"It is my take on what people in various cities and towns have done to improve them for the community as a whole. I travel and perform and observe ways people have collaborated to make amazing things happen," she said.

The book is broken up into seven chapters, each chapter focusing on a different city or town.

"Every place I visited had a different theme and vibe about it, relating to its own culture," she said. "I think having hometown pride and sharing thoughts and ideas with people and encouraging the process of living together well is good for the strength of the country."

The title very literally describes the book and what she found within towns that she has had the opportunity to explore - Sisters and Bend being among those towns, too.

"I almost included those as a chapter in the book because both towns offer having a way of life that emphasizes community involvement and people collaborating to make something special, such as the creation of the Sisters Folk Festival," she said.

Williams has played a few times in past years in Bend and in Sisters and always enjoys coming back and feeling the positivity and the identity the towns offer. Williams has never played the folk festival, but looks forward to attending it as an artist.

"I've heard a lot about the festival and really respect that it's kept its 'music first' attitude and I am excited to meet and see everyone involved and see the community come together to make something wonderful, creating and emphasizing that philosophy of positive proximity," she said. "I look forward to attending this festival that has really kept its identity and look forward to seeing other artists and meeting those involved."

Dar Williams will be playing sets throughout the three-day festival, September 7-9. Some passes may still be available. For more information visit

www.sistersfolkfestival.org.