A celebration of Black Storytelling: Jan. 17th-26th, 2025


















FESTIVAL PASSES AVAILABLE!
2025 GUEST TELLERS AND ARTISTS
This much anticipated and highly visible event is the flagship of RIBS programming and reaches a statewide audience of thousands. Each January for the week of the Martin Luther King Holiday, RIBS tellers, local artists and invited national and international guests bring the best of Black Storytelling to Rhode Island and Southern New England. For two weeks, Rhode Island will experience some of the best cultural arts programming across the state for the 27th year in a row.
Teju Ologboni

TEJU OLOGBONI
Teju Ologboni, from Milwaukee, is a master storyteller and folklorist of international renown and FUNDA FEST favorite. Teju draws his listeners into stories with gestures and movements, and sometimes with traditional African instruments. An author, teacher, poet, actor, dancer and "verbal illusionist" Teju shares stories that reflect on longstanding and contemporary cultural perspectives to give listeners greater understanding of the profound influence of African heritage on our traditions and identities. Come listen to this culture keeper and be enlightened and inspired.
MItch Capel
“Gran’daddy Junebug”

Mitch Capel
Mitch Capel / “Gran’daddy Junebug”… storyteller, recording artist, poet, actor and author was born and raised in the small town of Southern Pines, North Carolina. Since 1985, he has been bringing stories to life and delighting audiences throughout the United States with his warmth, wit and compelling storytelling style. Elnora Leak Capel, (his grandmother) read to Mitch at the tender age of three from “The Life & Works of Paul Laurence Dunbar”(1872-1906) and the rhythm of the story was planted like a seed. The genius of Dunbar’s work coupled with the joy in his grandmother’s eyes and the passion of her delivery left an indelible impression in Mitch’s heart. Later, Mitch and his brothers were encouraged by their parents to memorize the works of great poets to recite at church and civic events. It wasn’t until Mitch finished college that Dunbar would re-enter his life. His father, Felton Capel, shared stories of his youth and “creek talk”(a term he used to describe the dialect of his hometown of Windblow, NC) and one day gave Mitch the same Dunbar book that had been used by his grandmother and the source of his family’s entertainment for generations. His father said, “If you love that ‘creek talk’ you’ll love this…”and he handed over the book. Mitch’s father was right…the next seven years he studied that book, examining every word, every nuance, every moral and every intention of the author.
After re-discovering “A Cabin Tale”, Mitch started reading the story poem to his kids every night and memorized it. He told a friend the story one day, was invited to tell it at a banquet where there were teachers in the audience, who subsequently invited him to their school. The seed that was planted over twenty-seven years earlier was being nourished and beginning to sprout. Using make-up and baggy clothes, he developed the older character “Gran’daddy Junebug” to deliver the words because he felt a young man (such as himself) wouldn’t be as convincing. The character is a tribute to his own grandfathers who passed when he was young, two elderly gentlemen he adopted to fill the void and a way to pay respect to the elders. The “blossoming” was evident when Mitch’s grandmother reached a point where her memory was failing her…he sat on her bed and started reciting “A Cabin Tale” at which point she started reciting with him…then laughed and said, “boy, you remembered that story!” Not only did he remember, he is now one of the most sought after storytellers in the world!
Mitch Capel / “Gran’daddy Junebug”since his first step on the journey of storytelling in 1985, has memorized over 70% of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s work and is considered the “national interpreter” of the poet laureate. He claims that now he doesn’t need “make up” for his character…he just “shows up!” He has used his talent for voiceovers as Dunbar on film; is considered the “national interpreter” of the famous poet laureate and it is Mitch’s voice you hear as Paul Dunbar on the kiosk at The Wright/Dunbar Interpretation Center in Dayton, OH. While researching Dunbar he discovered other poets such as William Cullen Bryant, James David Corruthers, Henry Franklin Bryant, Raymond Garfield Dandridge, Helen Wheeler Wilcox, Oscar Brown, Jr., (and others) and in the interim, Mitch became a poet. He has over 33 hours of stories and poems stored into his memory with over 90% of those works in the form of rhyme.
Mitch Capel / “Gran’daddy Junebug”,who calls his style of storytelling “sto’etry” (stories recited poetically), has been described as a “word magician”, a “national treasure”, “unexpectedly powerful”and a “transformer of lives”. He has been featured at numerous festivals including The National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN & The Timpanogas Storytelling Festival in Orem, Utah; The Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC; The 2009 Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC and annually at both The National Black Storytelling Festival (since 1988) and The Signifyin’ & Testifyin’ Storytelling Festival in Minnesota (since 1994)…where he is the official emcee of both “Liar’s Contests”. He has performed at hundreds of venues including The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; The United Nations & Aaron Davis Hall in New York; The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH; The DuSable Museum in Chicago; Newark Symphony Hall and at AAPAC in Albuquerque, NM. He was Artist-In-Residence at The International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN and invited by the Smithsonian to perform in Washington, DC for the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. He has been featured on National & International Public Radio, has performed his character education programs in over 2,000 schools and has received numerous awards from local, state and national organizations for his work as a storyteller, including “The Zora Neale Hurston Award”, the highest honor given by the National Association of Black Storytellers. Mitch also co-founded the African American Storytellers’ Retreat held annually in the spring at various sites throughout the state of North Carolina since 1990.
Mitch Capel / “Gran’daddy Junebug” has created award winning cassettes, CD’s, DVD’s as well as a motivational book, “The Jealous Farmer”. He has produced, collaborated and performed on a series of DVD’s including “Jump Back, Honey, Jump Back”, “In Days Gone By”, “Stories for Grown Folks”and “The Kings & Queens of Storytelling”. Mitch has also performed on documentaries with Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez and Amiri Baraka (on Paul Laurence Dunbar) as well as with Ruby Dee (on Langston Hughes). He played a union soldier in the historical PBS documentary “Filling the Gap”(which was nominated for a NAACP Image Award). He also premiered a program “W’en Dey ‘Listed Colored Soldiers”(a journey through the eyes of individuals who fought in the civil war) at the “National Teacher Institute” at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC in 2005 and subsequently performed the program twenty three times the following February for various attendees’ schools. His stage credits include “Driving Miss Daisy”, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and a new production by Walter Allen Bennett (which had its world premiere in Fayetteville, NC)“And Then Came Tomorrow”.
Mitch Capel, / “Gran’daddy Junebug”,hobbies include: collecting the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar, writing, landscaping, and collecting art. He is also an avid golfer because he says it was a pre-requisite growing up in the Pinehurst/Southern Pines area...“I love the challenge, the beauty, the tranquility and the camaraderie that golf offers. Besides, golf is a lot like storytelling in that it teaches us valuable life lessons.” He attended A&T State University in Greensboro, NC and Howard University in Washington, DC studying speech and theater but, more importantly, he is “a full time honors student at the University of Life”.
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Gran’daddy Junebug Writes…
“Good storytelling is like poetry to your ears…good poetry is storytelling at its best. Storytelling and poetry go together like hand in glove. Ninety percent of the stories I tell are in rhyme so I coined the term “sto’etry” to describe my unique style of telling.”
“At the tender age of three, my paternal Grandmother read to me the story poem “A Cabin Tale” from the ‘Life and Works of Paul Laurence Dunbar’. The genius of this work coupled with the joy in my Grandmother’s eyes and the passion in her delivery left an indelible impression in my heart. Since 1985 I have been performing the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar, myself and others at festivals, schools and various venues throughout the United States.”
https://gjbug.com/
Muriel Johnson

Muriel Johnson
Muriel was born and raised in Salisbury, MD until the age of 18. She grew up in an environment where language was celebrated. Her mother was an English teacher, actress and avid reader. As a child Muriel would sit in awe as her mother would read, tell stories, sing songs and recite nursery rhymes. By the age of five Muriel had acquired an extraordinary vocabulary, soaring imagination and gift of expression. It was only natural that when Muriel became a mother and a teacher that she was compelled to share the same way her mother had shared with her. Muriel moved to California as a young adult where she built a life, raised 3 children, developed her storytelling artistry and became an educator. For over 30 years CA was her beloved home. However, Muriel has recently relocated to New England from the San Francisco Bay Area. In New England she enjoys being near two of her 3 grandchildren.
In addition to grandparenthood, Muriel has been an Early Childhood Educator for 28 years and enjoys teaching about the role storytelling plays in the development of early literacy and language skills.
As a professional storyteller, she has performed at pre-k and elementary schools, churches, museums, colleges, theaters, festivals and countless other venues from Wyoming to West Africa.
In 2022 Muriel had the honor of traveling to Brazil, South America for a multi-city tour. This year her storytelling has taken her to Colombia, Panama, and back to California where she was a featured teller at the renowned Sierra Storytelling Festival in Nevada City, California.
Adding author to her repertoire, in 2021 Muriel published her first children's book, We Sing Like This.
Learn more about Muriel on her website: www.forherstories.com
Nestor Gomez

Nestor Gomez
Nestor Gomez, was born in Guatemala and traveled to Chicago with his family at the age of 15 in the mid 80’s. He had a stutter, didn't know the English language and was undocumented. He didn't have a voice.
Today, Nestor is an American citizen and speaks English with a sexy latino accent. A few years ago Nestor told his first story at a Moth story slam to get over the stuttering that plagued his childhood, since then he has won over 80 Moth Slams. He found his voice.
He also published a collection of stories detailing his adventures as a Chicago driver for a ride sharing company, the book is title: Your Driver Has Arrived. He is currently working on a second book to be released later this year.
Nestor has been a featured storyteller at many storytelling festivals and conducted storytelling workshops around the country.
He also created, hosts, produces and curates a storytelling show called: “80 Minutes Around the World” a show that features the stories of Immigrants, their descendants, and allies, now also available as a Podcast.
To learn more about Nestor visit his web site https://www.nestorgomezstoryteller.com.
RHODE ISLAND BLACK STORYTELLERS
VALERIE TUTSON

VALERIE TUTSON
Valerie Tutson has been telling stories in schools, churches, libraries, festivals and conferences since 1991. She draws her stories from around the world with an emphasis on African traditions. Her repertoire includes stories and songs she learned in her travels to South Africa, her experiences in West Africa, stories from African American history. In addition, she is gaining quite a reputation for her exciting retelling of age-old Bible stories.
She graduated from Brown University with a Master’s Degree in Theatre Arts and a degree in a self-designed Major-Storytelling as A Communications Art
V. RAFFINI

V. RAFFINI
V. Raffini, a self-made artist, actress, and teacher from the South Side of Providence has long been committed to the community, teaching Black History, and theatre, telling stories and nurturing the spiritual and creative abilities of youth.
ROCHEL COLEMAN

ROCHEL COLEMAN
Rochel Garner Coleman, actor, singer, storyteller, has been performing since he was 9 years old. He travels nationally and internationally sharing stories of Black historical legends such as Nat Love and Cool Papa Bell in shows developed using the research to performance method.
LEN CABRAL

LEN CABRAL
Len Cabral is an internationally acclaimed storyteller who has been enchanting audiences with his storytelling performances at schools, libraries, museums and festivals since 1976. A great grandson of a Cape Verdean whaler whose grandparents immigrated to America from the islands off the coast of West Africa, Len’s strong Cape Verdean ancestry comes alive in his exuberant retelling of African, Cape Verdean, and Caribbean folktales as well as original stories and tales from around the world.
Read more about Len or book a performance HERE.
MARLON CAREY

MARLON CAREY
Marlon Carey is a multitalented artist who is always looking for ways to help build community and inspire people to make positive changes to the world. As a storyteller, he weaves an intricate tapestry with words, using a variety of methods with respect to the Storyteller traditions of old. He is a full-time father of three remarkable children and three cats.
SYLVIA ANN SOARES

Sylvia Ann Soares
At 82, Ms. Soares is SAG-AFTRA, AEA, actress, poet, playwright, director, activist. Her mission is to deliver “entertaining education.” She performed at New York Public Theater, Negro Ensemble Company, for Woodie King, Jr., L.A. Shakespeare Festival, Trinity Repertory Company, regional theatres and Westerly Shakespeare Theatre. Her national tours include “No Place to Be Somebody” and “River Niger.” Her 70s LA television guest appearances include “Kojak,” “Good Times” and more. She returned to Providence in 1981 performing locally for charity. A volunteer for Amos House Shelter in ’89, she also helped build a school in Nicaragua with Providence-Niquinohomo Sister City Project. Sylvia Ann earned a CCRI AA ‘93 and a Brown ’95 Honors AB in Theatre, and then cared for her mother who had Alzheimer’s. In 2013, RI Council for the Humanities funded her to become Nancy Elizabeth Prophet in Living History and Sylvia Ann has performed thus numerously. She performs her ‘Silvy Tory’ an enslaved RI woman. Sylvia’s recent researched play is about the oppression in the 1850 village Snowtown, Providence, and represents citizens, Black, Indigenous and White. Over the past, she has enjoyed working with RIBS and Funda Fest.
www.youtube.com/@sylviaannsoares1941
https://motifri.com/living-legend-sylvia-ann-soares-discusses-her-life-lessons/
RAMONA BASS KOLOBE

Ramona Bas Kolobe
"The Watermelon Lady", is a "story wheeler." Miss Ramona brings her traditions of storytelling from her Jamaican and Native American ancestry together with her formal education to create works that open up the treasury of healing and understanding. Watermelon is a fruit of peace, friendship and sharing good times - all around the world!
RACHEL BRIGGS

RACHEL BRIGGS
Rachel Briggs is an elementary school science teacher at The Croft School in Providence, Rhode Island. She is a mixture of city and country, old school and contemporary. Her urban roots are deeply planted in Rhode Island; growing up with her mother, father, and 16 siblings. She graduated from Mount Pleasant High School as part of the Health Magnet program and went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.
She earned a certificate in child advocacy from the RI Parent Information Network. Rachel also completed The Rhode Island Leadership Education in Neurodevelopment and Other Related Disabilities (RI LEND) training program which is designed to provide graduate level, interdisciplinary training to individuals from diverse professional disciplines and cultural backgrounds.
In addition to science, she is passionate about the welfare of children. In 2015, she adopted her five children, now ranging in age from 9 to 17. They are a constant source of inspiration for her professional endeavors. Rachel sits on the Race and Equity Parent Leaders of New England (PLNE) subcommittee, the Kinship Advisory Council, the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Parent Advisory Council and The Office of the Child Advocate Advisory Committee. She is dedicated to building the self-esteem and empowerment of children and hopes that her advocacy and community engagement will serve as a catalyst for positive change in the systems focusing on children.
Rachel is a member of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers, a non-profit based out of Providence, Rhode Island dedicated to promoting the awareness, appreciation, and application of Black storytelling. She considers herself a ‘culture keeper’ and adheres to the African tradition of oral storytelling to pass on wisdom, history, and cultural information to nurture a sense of community. Rachel is an emerging writer and spoken word poet. She is ‘solar powered’ and loves cookouts, gardening, camping and hiking. She is also known for dancing to live bands, and eating dessert before dinner! https://www.thecroftschool.org/rachelbriggs
2025 GUEST PERFORMERS
W.A.R.

W.A.R.
Founded by in 2012, Worship Arts Restoration, Inc. is RI’s first federally recognized non-profit
arts organization dedicated to the restoration and support of visual and performing Christian arts
and artists, ultimately enriching our communities, spiritually, culturally and artistically. Headed
by Founding Director, Melodie Thompson, W.A.R. galvanizes our 60-strong membership in
collaborative work with other arts organizations; in ministry and charitable work; and, most
recently, in regular performance work at the newly acquired Maplestreet Performing Arts
Center &Theater (MPACT). The ultimate goal of W.A.R. is to function as a spiritual, practical and financial support foundation for Christian Artists in the New England area and beyond, and
to be a positive, culturally diverse force in the arts community at large.
Simply Sara

Simply Sara
Brynna Boyd

Brynna Boyd
Brynna Boyd (she/her) is an emerging writer from Texas. She has always had a love for writing and has found community through sharing her work at slams, open mics, and local writing groups. She is the 2024 Boston Poetry Slam Champion and was on the winning team for the Northeast regional slam. She recently earned a Master’s of Education and teaches middle school creative writing. Brynna finds great joy in helping students explore their creative power and wearing silly buttons on her school ID badge. Her writing is informed by her lived experiences, readings, musings of better worlds, and the everyday. When she’s not writing or teaching, you’ll find her at thrift stores, book shops, and searching for the best fries in town. The best way to keep up with her is on Instagram: @brynna_boyd.
Ana Paola Songs

Ana Paola Songs
Ana Paola Songs is a dynamic singer/songwriter and independent recording artist known for her versatility, vocal ability, and captivating stage presence. Born in Lisbon, Portugal and raised in South Providence, she blends elements of Neo-Soul & World music to create a unique sound that resonates deeply with audiences. With a passion for storytelling, she brings raw emotional depth to every performance, whether performing live or recording in the studio. Ana Paola continues to push boundaries, leaving a lasting impact on audiences across continents. Besides creating music and performing, she also serves as a Community Builder In Residence for Neighborworks C3 Center in Woonsocket, RI, teaching at-risk youth Artistic Activism through songwriting and recording. After releasing several singles, her world music debut full-length album is scheduled for release in early 2025.
Social media:
https://www.anapaolasongs.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@AnaPaolaSongs
MarlinOnTheKeys

MarlinOnTheKeys
MarlinOnTheKeys is a talented producer and the visionary founder of House of Keys, a record label and entertainment company dedicated to artist development and authentic storytelling. A pianist since the age of eight, Marlin’s passion for music was cultivated in his Cape Verdean household, where rich cultural traditions shaped his creative approach. Through House of Keys, he continues to champion innovative sounds and genuine artistry, fostering a platform for emerging talent.
Riders Against the Storm

Riders Against the Storm

Music, storytelling, spoken word and more
Because there are so many ways to tell a story! And in Black Storytelling all these genres have a place. Storytelling is not just “reading books to kids.”






OVER 25 PERFORMERS From Around the World!
Experience the talents of performers from the African Diaspora. Our artists hail from the US, the UK, the Caribbean, and the African Continent.
