Dolly Parton

National Public Radio shines a spotlight on the UT students and professor who inspired its award-winning Dolly Parton’s America podcast.

The documentary about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library was not only a special experience for a group of UT students but also a springboard into their future careers.

From folk to country and rock to opera, UT alumni span the music industry. Find out more about these Volunteers who write and perform songs, top the charts, and tour the world making music. We’ve even put together a Spotify playlist of some tunes for you to enjoy.

Land Grant Films helps students in the School of Journalism and Electronic Media tell stories about real life.

Lindsey Owen, a graduate student in the College of Communication and Information, recounts her experience working with UT’s Land Grant Films on a documentary about the 100 millionth book being given away by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Owen learned not only about filmmaking but also how the program changes lives.

History honors students look at how a “hillbilly” girl from Appalachia grew up to become an international one-word sensation. The course pulls students in to study someone they thought they already knew and familiarizes them with analyzing popular culture as a historical source.