PRESS RELEASE
- Dr. Adrienne Unae Dozier
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
September 28, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information, Contact:
Karen “Queen Nur” Abdul-Malik
The National Association of Black Storytellers Announces
the Black Appalachian Storytelling Fellowship Awardees for 2025
Baltimore, MD: The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS) has selected six artists as the 2025 Black Appalachian Storyteller Fellows. Applicants with connections to six states in the areas designated by the Appalachia Regional Commission of KY, OH, TN, NC, VA, and WV were awarded. The Awards are funded by MidAtlantic Arts and South Arts. Recipients will receive a cash award of $5,000 to support their practice as a Black Appalachian storyteller and culture bearer with opportunities to examine, research, develop and perform and/or document the Black Appalachian storytelling tradition. Additionally, the fellows will receive funds for travel to and lodging at the 43rd Annual National “In the Tradition…” Black Storytelling Festival and Conference.
The NABS Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship is made possible through partnerships and funding in part by Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions Program and South Arts as part of the In These Mountains, Central Appalachian Folk Arts and Culture.
Fellows will be welcomed at an opening “Akwaaba Gathering,” and celebrated at the BASF Awards Ceremony during this year’s Festival and Conference in Atlanta, GA, November 19-23. Next year, the Mid Atlantic fellows will present during the 2026 festival and conference being held in Rhode Island. A one-year membership to the National Association of Black Storytellers is also awarded as part of the fellowship prize.
This 4th year fellowship is an adjudicated award recognizing artistic excellence in representation of Black Appalachian storytelling and cultural heritage. The 2025 Black Appalachian Storyteller Fellowship awardees are:
Kentucky
Hasan Davis: Storyteller, Living History Interpreter, Teaching Artist, Author, Workshop Presenter, Advocate, Historian, Mentor; Madison County, Kentucky
North Carolina
DeWayne Barton: Storyteller, Performer, Author, Activist, Workshop Presenter, Advocate, Historian, Mentor, Advocate, Tour Developer; Buncombe, North Carolina
Ohio
Trevellya “Tee” Fordahmed: Storyteller, Performer, Author, Workshop Presenter, Advocate, Mentor; Athens, Ohio
Tennessee
Jazmine LeBanc: Storyteller, Performer, Teaching Artist, Workshop Presenter, Advocate; Hamilton County, Tennessee
West Virginia
Doris Fields: Storyteller, Singer, Teaching Artist, Author, Workshop Presenter, Advocate, Historian; Raleigh County, West Virginia
Virginia
Naomi Hodge Muse: Storyteller,
The co-founders of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS) both from Appalachia, Mother Mary Carter Smith from Birmingham, Alabama and Mama Linda from Alcoa, Tennessee conceived the idea of a storytelling festival to give opportunities to African American storytellers to share the stories of their heritage.
The first “In The Tradition…” Festival of Black Storytelling was held at Morgan State
University (MSU) in 1983. Now in its 43rd year, the Festival and Conference will be in Atlanta, GA and co-hosted by NABS Affiliate, Kuumba Storytellers of Georgia.
More details about the program and award winners can be found on NABS website: https://www.nabsinc.org/2025-black-appalachian-storyteller-fellow
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