CALT Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship
Introduction
Mid Atlantic Arts partners with the National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS) and South Arts on the Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowships. This program honors and promotes the understanding of Black Appalachian storytelling traditions that embody the history, heritage, and culture of African Americans in the region. The National Association of Black Storytellers awards one Fellowship per year in each of the six eligible states: Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Fellows receive $5,000 in unrestricted funding, a unique physical award created by a Black Appalachian artist, and NABS membership during their award year. The Fellows are honored each year at the “In the Tradition…” National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference.
The Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowships are part of Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions program.
Eligibility and Schedule
Eligibility:
The deadline to apply for the 2024 Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowships was August 22, 2024. Eligibility is for informational purposes only.
Applicants must:
- Represent one of the counties designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, or Virginia.
- Applicants do not need to reside in an ARC-designated county, but should have strong ties to Black Appalachian identity and heritage, such as being born there or maintaining family connections.
- Have the commitment and proven ability to sustain the traditions of Black storytelling.
- Identify as an oral tradition culture bearer and reflect the story-sharing traditions of family and/or community.
Schedule:
The 2025 Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship nomination process will open in summer 2025.
Current Fellows
2024 Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellows
- Beverly Fields Burnette, Buncombe, Polk, and Burke Counties, North Carolina
Performer, author, poet, Founder and President of the North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers - Janice Lynn Cooley, Greenbriar County, West Virginia
Historian, researcher, exhibit curator - Omope “Mama O” Carter Daboiku, Lawrence County, Ohio, and Wise County, Virginia
Author, performer, teaching artist, historian, quilter - Jim Embry, Madison County, Kentucky
Social and environmental justice advocate, agrarian, performer, cultural organizer - Eric “Monstalung” Jordan, Fayette and Monongalia Counties, West Virginia
Recording artist, performer, hip hop producer, teaching artist, Creative Director of the Norman Jordan African American Arts & Heritage Academy, Program Coordinator for the West Virginia University Center for Black Culture - Felecia “Sista’ Felecity LUV” Outsey, Knox County, Tennessee
Interpretive dancer, author, motivational poet, cultural organizer, arts activist
The 2024 Fellows will be honored at the 42nd annual “In The Tradition…” National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference in Buffalo, NY, October 23 – 25. They are also invited to present at the 2025 Festival and Conference. Each Fellow will receive a physical award created by Virginia gourd carver and instrument maker Dr. Dena Jennings.
Previous Fellows
2023 Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellows
- Andrew Baskin: Madison County, Kentucky
- Lyn Ford: Columbiana County, Ohio
- Kelle Jolly: Knox County, Tennessee
- Aristotle Jones: Cabell and Monongalia Counties, West Virginia
- Ronnie W. Pepper: Henderson County, North Carolina
- L. Renée: Tazewell County, Virginia
Read more about the 2023 Fellows here. Each 2023 Fellow received a unique physical award created by Virginia gourd carver and instrument maker Dr. Dena Jennings.
2022 Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellows
- David Butcher: Athens County, Ohio
- Raymond Christian: Watauga County, North Carolina
- Ruby Daniels: Raleigh County, West Virginia
- Crystal Good: Kanawha County, West Virginia
- James “Sparky” Rucker: Blount County, Tennessee
- Alicestyne Turley: Powell County, Kentucky
Each 2022 Fellow received a unique physical award created by artist Harlan Mack.
