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In This Issue...
- Mother Mary Carter Smith Day
- 2015 Festival - photos
- Profile: Mama Edie Ama Adobea Armstrong
- Letter from NABS CARES
- Sankofa Oral History Project
- From My Journal - Panafest 2015
- Care and Feeding of the Voice
- Poem - We Shall Overcome
- You Need a Contract
- 34th Festival - 2016
- Editorial Committee Deadlines
Founders
Mother Mary Carter Smith (1919-2007)
Mama Linda Goss (BOD)
Board of Directors
Karen Abdul-Malik, President
Saundra Gilliard, President-Elect
Sandra Williams Bush, Secretary
Gwendolyn Hilary, Treasurer
MaryAnn Harris, PhD., Past President
Jimmy Caldwell
Janice Curtis Greene
Steven Hobbs
Executive Director
Vanora Legaux
Editorial Committee
Sharon Holley, Chair
Lynnette Ford
Donna Washington
Dr. Joyce Duncan
Contributing Editors & Photographers
Donna Washington
Sharon Holley
Lynette Ford
Janice Curtis Greene
Rosa Ashby
Metoyer
Ilene Evans
Isabella George
Mission
The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS) promotes and perpetuates the art of Black storytelling--an art form which embodies the history, heritage, and culture of African Americans. Black storytellers educate and entertain through the Oral Tradition, which depicts and documents the African-American experience. A nationally organized body with individual, affiliate and organizational memberships, NABS preserves and passes on the folklore, legends, myths, fables and mores of Africans and their descendants and ancestors - "In the Tradition..."
Vision
We envision strenghtened communities through the telling, collecting, owning and institutionalizing of our stories.
Beliefs
We believe that communities are empowered through storytelling.
We believe we need to own and tell our stories by collecting, creating, publishing and archiving the oral histories of black life in America.
We believe that we must enrich our neighborhoods by developing programs and performances that share our stories, culture and history; and, address contemporary social justice issues.
We believe in institutionalizing storytelling in underserved environments by creating curriculum and guidelines that are unique to our art form.
We believe that we must sustain the tradition of Black Storytelling by listening and blending the voices of our elders and youth.
We believe it is our responsibility to provide both traditional and innovative tools of action in order that our members may be the best stewards of the Black Storytelling Tradiirectorion.
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HAPPY
MOTHER MARY CARTER SMITH DAY!
The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc.
Proclaimed
February 10 as Mother Mary Carter Smith Day
in Celebration of the Birthday of Our Beloved Founder and Revered Ancestor
NABS Festival
A VIRTUAL CONVERSATION WITH: MAMA EDIE AMA ADOBEA ARMSTRONG
I became an activist through the power of the word and more aware and proud of who I am as a child of African descent than I ever had been before. - Mama Edie
Among the many jewels that are the treasure of NABS leadership, Membership Committee ChairpersonMama Edie Ama Adobea Armstrong brightly shines. Although both of us had much to do in January, we spent a little time in virtual conversation:
Lyn: Mama Edie, you are a bilingual internationally recognized storyteller, an accomplished percussionist, a speech pathologist, a published writer, and a recent traveler on the NABS Panafestjourney. You have been a member of NABS since 1986. How, where, and why did your storytelling career begin?
Mama Edie: I participated on the Forensics Team in intercollegiate competition at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL under the guidance of Dr. Annjeannette McFarlin, a former member of NABS and Founding President of the Black Storytellers of San Diego, who is now among the Ancestors. My first effort bombed miserably, because I chose what was purported to be comical material that I thought the majority of people, who happened to be Euro-Americans, would enjoy. Dr. McFarlin's question was,
"So, what was that?" I learned from her that my mission was not to satisfy what I assumed would be the pleasure of my audience, especially if it did nothing for me (and it really didn't), but to give voice to material that moved me and mattered. With Dr. McFarlin's guidance, I came to see that the things that mattered most to me. And after that one and only fiasco, we went home with the "gold" every time in both categories of prose and poetry. I ravenously read material that reflected and broadened my own concerns and perspectives, and moved me to action on my campus and in my community (upon my return to Chicago after graduation from undergraduate school in 1973). I began to work in organizations with Haki Madhubuti of Third World Press Publishing Company and the Institute of Positive Education, and with Jawanza Kunjufu, author of Countering the Conspiracy to Destroy Black Boys, and to attend lectures of people such as Frances Cress Welsing, Cornel West, Jacob Carruthers , Malidoma Some, and our ancestor Ya Veldete. I've sat at the feet of some very amazing people and they have strengthened, renewed and enriched my soul.
Lyn: In December, 2015, you were among a family of NABS storytellers who participated in PanaFest. But your hearts experience in this journey is already reflected in your work. What is the focus of your work within your community, and with NABS?
Mama Edie: The focus of my work is to use the power of the word in my community - or anywhere else in the world - as a speech and language pathologist, storyteller and/or musician - in order to inspire insight, joy, strength, self-love, personal power, and the ability to connect and communicate in healthy ways, thereby leading to healthier relationships, families and homes.
In addition to performances in the usual places (schools, libraries, cultural centers, arts festivals, etc), I create storytelling programs: for art museums and galleries, blending stories that I create around selected works of art; for homeless women in Chicago; as a bilingual storyteller (Spanish/English & Sign Language/Voice), and I was asked to write an article entitled "How to Reach a Multilingual Audience for Margaret Read MacDonald's book Tell the World: Storytelling Across Language Barriers".
I'm continuing research on concepts of "home," which easily includes connections with people who ; now live in the US from other countries and speaking other languages. Work in this area was able to be continued through several interviews as I participated as one of the "Panafest 8 + 1" in Ghana. I interviewed a young man whose very sad circumstances at an early age prompted him to start an orphanage and school that I was able to visit. I also was able to visit with Ghanaian friends who are living well, doing quite fine. They have their own stories about "home" and just what that means to them and the key elements that they believe will maintain its healthy nature.
While I have always loved and appreciated NABS, there's the Ethiopian proverb that says, "Even the river wants to grow." My work as Membership Committee Chairperson was an answer to a prayer! We are finding ways to reach out to and support our membership, past and present, and of all ages. bottom line is that we want to keep an eye open for any opportunity that may enhance the experience ofmembership of our NABS Family Members. Among our greatest needs, in my opinion, is for us to know who we are, what we came from, and what we have the right, the responsibility and the potential to be. As Frantz Fanon has so eloquently stated: Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it.
Lyn: Anything that you want to add beyond responses to the above questions?
Mama Edie: Nope, I think that's about enough. Now I need to write my own article, which will be mostly focused on the orphanage and also the opportunity for us to participate on the development of a children's section of a park in Ghana.
For more information, contact: Mama Edie Ama Adobea Armstrong www.storytelling.org/MamaEdie (773) 879-6773
 by Lyn Ford
Letter from NABS CARES
Dear NABS Members,
As a group we are a Caring people. Our annual In the Tradition National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference has become a great homecoming and family reunion filled with hugs, love, networking, inspiration, education and FUN. And when we return to our homes we carry our NABS family in our hearts. We send expressions of caring to members throughout the year. Caring for and about each other is just something we have done since The National Association of Black Storytellers was born. So the idea of NABS Care is nothing new.
In conversations with our co- founder, Mama Linda Goss, she speaks passionately about NABS members reaching out to each other, especially when a need is expressed. She has encouraged us each year at festival and in meetings to take care of each other and to be considerate of our elders and those needing special care.
In 2014 our 14th president, Karen Queen Nur Abdul-Malik, spoke with that same passion about an organized way of sending expressions of love to our members all year as well as at festival time. Out of that spirit the NABS Care sub-committee as officially launched.
NABS Care is intended to meet identified needs of the NABS membership at the annual festival, including special assistance for those with disabilities. We also intend to reach out to the membership during the year with prayer, words of encouragement, cheerful thoughts and recognition of accomplishments. We are also happy to refer members to appropriate sources to address their questions on specific areas of storytelling. Although we are unable to offer financial assistance, as a supportive arm of NABS, we will make every effort to reach out to each member who makes us aware of their specific needs, whether joyful or sad.
From March to November 2015 the NABS Care sub- committee has sent close to 200 E- Cards, postal cards or other expressions of concern to members as we became aware of their need. Our goal is to continue to nurture our membership. Our President, Queen Nur, and the NABS leadership team along with our Co- founder Mama Linda Goss are strong supporters of our efforts. Mama Linda says, As long as we feed the river, the water will never dry up. We are here for you. If you know of a member who needs to be uplifted, congratulated or just a hello, let us know. My email address is [email protected]. If you dont check your e-mail regularly, maybe you should, you might get a pleasant surprise.
NABS Cares about you!
NABS Care Sub- Committee: Rosa Ashby Metoyer, Chairperson
NABS Care Sub- Committee Members:
Omiyale Dupart Terry Greene
Talle Laodedikan
Eslyn Hinman Charlotte
Starks Muteeat Lawal
Mama Edie Armstrong, Chairperson NABS membership committee
Sankofa Intergenerational Oral History Project
The NABS Legacy Committee has been moving forward with the Sankofa Intergenerational Oral History Project (SIOHP) despite not receiving Grants for which we applied. The Griots' Circle of Maryland stepped up by approving funding for an initial version of the project and several members of the Griots' Circle made personal contributions to its success. SIOHP is an undertaking to have personal oral histories of our elders documented. The interviews for these oral history sessions will be conducted between our youth of the Growing Griots Literacy Learning Program (GGLLP) and elders members of the Griots' Circle eighty years and older. These sessions will be held in an effort to learn about African American History and gain survival skills from elders, many of whom have overcome great obstacles. Also, the development of interview questions will help GGLLP students prepare for their Living Biographies at the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum as they frame questions they would ask historical African Americans if it were possible.
To prepare participants for this undertaking the Griots' Circle commissioned NABS Member and Elder, Ruth Hill, to design and conduct an oral History workshop for the GGLLP in Baltimore on January 16, 2016. Ruth Hill is the Oral History Coordinator at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University's Schlesinger Library. At first the students were uncertain about conducting and documenting Oral History interviews, but Sister Ruth prepared a workshop outline, explained the process and expected outcome. She also showed a video of excerpts from a real life interview, brought books of documented interviews, distributed a bibliography and held roll play exercises. After having to time to introduce themselves and speak to Sister Ruth individually, the students were able to participate in a Q&A session.
The Sankofa Intergenerational Oral History Project is off to a great start. Complete documentation of the process will be presented to the National Association of Black Storytellers with intermittent updates.
Submitted by, Janice Curtis Greene, Legacy Committee Chair
From My Journal - Panafest 2015-Ilene Evans
She smiled and said, Akwaaba! and then handed me a complimentary bottle of water. Those were the first words we heard coming off the plane, Akaawba. Every step of our journey was filled with the same grace and welcome. We were the returning children of the diaspora, of the generations they had lost to warlords and human traffickers. We heard again and again, you are welcome; you are home. Akwaaba. Everywhere we looked we saw strong faces, strong bodies, hard work in constant motion. It swiftly replaced every lie we had been told about Africa.
The land was so green and lush as we drove along the countryside. Groves of banana, pineapple, plantain, coconuts, cabbage, fishing villages, carving villages, all woven together in a rich, colorful tapestry. The fruits were the sweetest I have tasted, the waters warm and salty, the sound and song of the sea was a constant lullaby. We were embraced and cared for by people who spoke five languages.
The coastline is dotted with silent memorials and we shared the stories of victory that we knew with our guides: IMAHKUS, Shabazz, Kwesi, Gamalie, and Seth. We asked the questions that made the stories make sense. We had dreams that could not be explained until we reached this place and saw for ourselves what an ancient mighty story tree - from which we have descended.
It was at the water, in the forest, in the village, and at the rivers edge, that the mythic stories came alive. The living legend of the Sword in the Stone at Okomfo Anokye Hospital and the Golden Stool in Kumasi continues to hold the nation strong and maintain the soul of the people. Literally, the seat of power maintains the unity of the people and their spiritual strength; a living epic. (Ask one of us to tell you). Giving voice and honor to the Ancestors story at Assin Manso and Cape Coast Castle helped us remember, reclaim, rekindle and restore their memory. Such reverential ceremony, I believe, helps the ancestors rest and give us the strength to move forward.
Care and Feeding of the Voice - Donna Washington
It is that time again! The weather has gotten cold. Everybody around you is sneezing and hacking, and you have got to preserve your voice through it all so you can work.
That can only mean one thingTime for the annual Care and Feeding of the Voice!
The truth is that we have to work on this every single day, and not just when the weather gets chancy. Here are few daily suggestions.
1. Make sure you get plenty of rest. A tired voice is one that can be easily strained.
2. Dont drink dairy before you go on stage. It promotes mucus which gunks up your vocal folds and makes you work harder to make the same amount of sound.
3. Caffeine is actually bad for you before you go on stage. (Yeah, I know)
4. If you are making a sound that hurts your throatstop
5. If your voice is sore after you leave the stage, you are stressing your vocal folds. Make sure you are warming up in the morning.
6. Dont drink cold water while you are performing. The cold water hits your vocal folds and erases all of the work you are doing to keep them warm and vibrating.
7. Vocal warm-ups before going on stage are a great idea. I recommend doing them in the shower.
Now, let us add cold weather to the mix, and there are more things to consider.
1. Keep yourself hydrated! Cold weather leeches moisture out of the air. Be aware that you are likely to dry out more frequently during the winter. Drink a little extra water while you are on stage to keep your body hydrated and your vocal folds vibrating easily.
2. Use a microphone! I dont care whether or not you can fill that big room. In the winter, when the air is drier, you have more of a chance of damaging your vocal folds if you are forcing air through them, since they are drying out at a much faster rate.
3. Herbal tea is a good alternative before you go on stage to coffee. The tea will warm up your vocal folds without adding caffeine to the mix.
4. Whatever sorts of over the counter things make you feel better, use those. I like those Halls Everyday Soothers. To each his/her own, but find what works for you and use that.
5. If you can sleep with a humidifier, that is also a good idea. Keeping your vocal folds humid overnight will help with keeping your voice healthy.
6. Wrap up that throat. Wear your scarf.
7. Warm up your voice before performing. There are great vocal warm-ups on-line. Again, I recommend you do the warm-up in the shower where you have lots of steam.
Preserving your voice well through the coldest part of the year is worth doing since it a big part of how we present our craft, and it ensures that your voice will be strong now and in the future.
Poem - We Shall Overcome
This piece is my own personal account of history, So I will consciously try to be matter of fact.
As I think a heck of a long way back...
There's a lot of the movement to credibly track. So chronology of events may not be exact.
In Versery Rhyme
I share this with the next generations, for all time. For me...
The decade started off with
The song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight",
Mama and our German shepherd, Peggy
Waking me up at the break of daylight.
In Miami's Overtown neighborhood,
Where colored was the fruit flavor of our American pie.
Across the street from Booker T.Washington, Jr. Sr. High
Was our hangout,Miss Anne's, crowded little soda shop
At 3 for a quarter, 45 rpm records, played on a jukebox non-stop.
A few of my favorite songs were...
"The Duke of Earl," "Stand by Me",
Gary U.S. Bond's, "A Quarter to Three",
Jackie Wilson and Smokey and the Miracles
Sang songs with much more meaningful lyricals. Ray Charles and the Raelettes', "Hit the Road Jack"
And Little Stevie's "Fingertips" were jamming back to back.
A time when "RC" was our "Pepsi", "Charms" was our "Skittles",
And Pizza, burgers, and fries, were also our vittles.
"We Shall Overcome!"
Again... This is my personal account, just so I clear the air.
In 1961, John F. Kennedy was in the White House chair.
Mahalia Jackson sang at Kennedy's inaugural ball,
Miss Mahalia and Marion Anderson, both sang
At the "I Have A Dream Speech" at the National Mall. "
Jim Crow Law", separate but equal, was a lie they would tell.
The real "Jim Crow" was the lynching of blacks and a shotgun shell.
For four Birmingham colored girls, we heard the sad knell,
Of the toll of the 16th Street Baptist Church's, funeral bell.
When Ruby Ridges integrated at William Frantz Elementary,
She was escorted to class daily by the U.S. Marshal Sentry.
"The Little Rock Nine" integrating Central High, were blocked entry
"Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught",
A Bob Dylan lyric about the Jim Crow Evers fought.
James Meredith made all the headlines integrating Old Miss. At UGA Hunter and Holmes were taunted and badly dissed.
We cheered the "Woolworth Sit-Ins" of the Greensboro Four, As Highway Freedom Riders were organized by CORE.
The Freedom Rides were also joined by the SNCC. Dr. Martin Luther Kings movement, was the SCLC, Fighting for the black right to vote was the NAACP. Fire-hosed and dog-bitten, the "Children's Crusade" of '63, And the Jobs and Freedom March, that year, on Washington D.C. Effected the longest congressional debate in U.S. history,
But they did agree, on July 2, 1964... and passed the "Civil Rights Act". At last, we had American freedoms, which to us were lack.
John Lewis, a participant in the Edmund Pettus Bridge March, Was badly beaten on Bloody Sunday as they approached the arch. That march affected the passing of the "Voting Rights Act" in '65, So when we decide not to vote, let's try to remember the 60's strive. Members of the Black Panther Party kept the movement struggle alive. Huey Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Hutton, and Bobby Seale And others, took a more aggressive approach, a militant type of appeal. More fighters were, Malcolm X, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, Angela Davis, Whitney Young, A. Phillip Randolph, Jesse Jackson, Abernathy, and Mavis. Bayard Rustin, Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, Andrew Young, William Fitts Ryan, Dorothy Heights, Gloria Richardson, and others, unsung. Whites and Jews stood with Negroes and fought with us, side by side. Pictures of Mrs. Peabody jailed in St. Augustine, Fl. went worldwide. Viola Liuzzo, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner sadly, died.
All soldiers who were drafted into the Vietnam War Fought bravely, and proudly served the U.S.A. in their corps. "The Gulf of Tonkin", later questions, what they died for. Bobby Seale, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and five more Formed the "Chicago Eight", in protest of the Vietnam War. Seven were tried for conspiracy, with intent to incite a riot... but Seale Was sentenced for contempt of court... to four years without appeal. Seale, of the Panther Party, was bound and gagged during the trial. To represent himself, in the absence of his lawyer, was a flat denial. Tommy Smith and John Carlos, who fisted the black power salute Were vilified at the '68 Olympics for displaying that symbolic pursuit.
Women fighting for equality and liberation, began a feminist movement The fight was for women's lives, desires, and dreams to be an improvement. In '66, Time Magazine posed the question, "Is God Dead?" God seemed to take less space in our hearts and in our head. By law, prayer and bible reading was banned in public school; A wall of separation between church and state is still the rule. The culmination of a turbulent decade, Was the moon landing that the United States made. President Kennedy was assassinated in '63, So his "Project Apollo" he did not get to see. Jimi Hendrix shut the decade down at Woodstock in '69 And a turbulent 60's decade came to a final wind
I honor the mother of the Civil Rights Movement Rosa Parks
And in memory of others dearly departed... John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X., Robert Kennedy Jimmie Lee Jackson, Clyde Kennard, Juliette Hampton Morgan, Rev. James Reed, Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Vernon Dahmer, Oneal Moore, Rev George Lee, Harry and Harriet Moore, and Emmett Till.
Isabella George, Storyteller
All rights reserved
You Need a Contract!
Do you have a contract for that gig?
The answer to the above question should never be no if money is supposed to change hands.
The answer should not be no if there are some interesting requirements whether money is changing hands or not.
When I first began storytelling, I typed up a standard contract that basically said where I was going to be, had the name of my contact, and listed the amount I was charging. It was a simple thing I came up with on the fly. I went to Kinkos, had five hundred of them printed, and put them in a drawer. When I booked a show, I would pull off the top sheet, fill it out and send it to the venue.
Things are at once more complicated and less time consuming these days.
Everything is digital! I dont see much paper.
Either way, I always use contracts.
Well, you might say, it is only for one hundred dollars, and Ive known this person for years.
If you are working for a colleague, then you definitely need a contract!
Contracts make sure that both parties know exactly what they are getting, and what they can expect. Contracts make sure that you and your client are on the same proverbial and literal page!
Storytelling is a business. It is fun, and it feeds our souls, but if you are exchanging goods and services then you are engaged in commerce. Thinking about your work as a business is important.
The other thing contracts are good for is helping you at tax time. If you want to figure out what you grossed, contracts make that easy.
In the old days, before everything was on a computer, I would simply add up the amounts on my contracts, and that told me what Id made that month. These days the totals show up in Quicken. Either way, it makes taxes much easier than trying to keep track of what you thought you made. Not keeping track of money is a good way to get in trouble with the IRS!
So, make sure that before you show up both parties know where you are supposed to be, what time, what you are going to do, how long you are going to do it, and what sort of compensation is expected.
Happy Telling!
D. Washington
34th Festival - 2016
Editorial Committee Deadlines
Deadline for Spread the Word Spring 2016 - Print Newsletter March 12, 2016
We are looking for: Stories (500 words or less)
How-to Business Information (500 words or less)
Poems (200 words or less)
Book/Media reviews of Storytelling Resources (250 words or less)
Profile of NABS Member (elder/youth/new - 500 words or less)
Send photos and information to: [email protected]
If you are interested in working with the Editorial Committee, let us know.
The Online Version of SPREAD THE WORD, is released in the Winter and Summer. The printed editions are published in the Spring and Fall (articles, stories, features, photos - submit to Editor).
The Monthly E-News Update NABS MENU is published the first week of the month (events, opportunities, support requests, announcements - submit to [email protected].
The Blog, NABSTALKING, is published by the Educational Committee (articles of academic, cultural and social justice interest - submit to Chair).
The President's Message, The FOURTEENTH, is published monthly on the 14th.
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