Michelle Washington Wilson received a 2025 Folk and Traditional Arts Project Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JerseyPineStory@gmail.com

Michelle Washington Wilson received a 2025 Folk and Traditional Arts Project

award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the

National Endowment for the Arts.

Atlantic City, NJ – July 31, 2024 – Michelle Washington

Wilson, a renowned storyteller, teaching artist, and folklorist,

has been awarded a significant grant from the New Jersey

State Council on the Arts. This grant, part of the Council’s Folk

& Traditional Arts program, will support her project “With

These Two Hands: Preserving and Sharing the Traditional

Foods of African Americans in South Jersey.” Michelle, who

has been a storyteller for over 40 years and a professional

culinarian for 30 years, will use the $9,941 grant to document

and preserve the rich culinary traditions of African American

farm workers who traveled to New Jersey farms and seafood

houses in the oyster industries during the 1950s and 60s.

These traditions, often passed down in church kitchens and

backyard barbecues, are vital to the Southern Soul Food

heritage. “I am deeply honored to receive this grant and excited to embark on this

project,” said Michelle. “This is not just about preserving history; it’s about engaging our

community in a meaningful way. By involving local residents, churches, and community

groups, we can ensure that these traditions are not only remembered but also actively

practiced and celebrated.” The grant was announced at the Council’s 58th Annual

Meeting in Trenton. Michelle was one of five individual artists to receive a grant for Folk

& Traditional Arts.

Michelle is a working storyteller, teaching artist, and folklorist who presents at schools,

colleges, libraries, museums, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, conferences,

churches, and storytelling festivals. She is a graduate of Monmouth University and The

Academy of Culinary Arts. Her project aims to highlight the foodways of African

American farm workers in the 1950’s and 6o’s and their contributions to New Jersey’s

culinary landscape. “With These Two Hands” will focus on the traditional foods and

recipes that have been passed down through generations, preserving a crucial part of

the state’s cultural heritage. “Michelle’s work is invaluable in preserving the rich cultural

heritage of our community. Her dedication and passion are truly inspiring,” said Ralph

Hunter, Founder, Director of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern, New

Jersey. For more information about Michelle Washington Wilson and her work, please

contact her at email JerseyPineStory@gmail.com ph# 609-665-0974.

School Residencies - Storytelling Arts, Inc.

Storytelling Arts, Inc. is now booking storytelling residencies that build literacy and develop social-emotional skills while supporting cultural equity in the classroom.

Opportunities include School Readiness for Preschoolers residencies that develop emergent literacy skills, including listening, vocabulary, comprehension, sequencing, and recall that are vitally important to a child's chance of success in the formal schooling years.  

Reading Readiness for Grades K-3 residencies include stories from the oral tradition (folktales, myths, legends, and fairy tales) and powerful personal stories for supporting listening and reading skills through student response, story mapping, sequencing, and re-telling (This program meets NJ Core Curriculum Standards for 2nd Graders.).

Oral History for Grades 4-8 residencies are a tool of empowerment that develop cultural pluralism inside the classroom. Family legacy stories allow students to reclaim their identity through the transformative process of intimate family interviews and storytelling. The six-to-ten-week residencies support an emerging mosaic of diverse experiences, traditions, and migrations that inspire compassion and a deep connection to what it means to be human.

Contact us today to book storytelling residencies with PreK to 8th Grade: 609-430-1922 or vivian@storytellingartsinc.org  

Learn More:
https://storytellingartsinc.org
Event Phone Number(609) 430-1922Event Emailvivian@storytellingartsinc.orgEvent Websitehttps://storytellingartsinc.org

Let’s share our stories! - Ken Karnas

NJSN is proud of its talented members!

During the month of January, NJSN is sharing -  virtually -  “A Christmas Ghost Story” told by  storyteller Ken Karnas. 

Please click “SMEE: A Christmas Ghost Story” that will take you to Ken’s telling. 

About the Story:

“SMEE: A Christmas Ghost Story” brings us back to the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories during the winter solstice, holiday season…into the New Year. We enjoy Christmas ghost stories by authors such Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, and Washington Irving. Karnas points out the phrase “scary ghost stories” in the lyrics of the popular  song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”


About the Storyteller:

Ken Karnas is a seasoned storyteller. Before his retirement as a public school educator, he enhanced his middle school classroom lessons through stories and storytelling. He now tells stories throughout New Jersey at schools, libraries, museums, and festivals. He is currently NJSN’s vice president and promotes the mission of NJSN to “spread the art of the spoken word through storytelling.” 


Do YOU have a story you would like to share virtually? NJSN would love to feature a story each month from a member.

If you would like your story to be considered for virtual sharing, please click “Submit a Storytelling Event” on this page.

1. a link to a story you have posted online.

2. a few lines to introduce your story … a kind of interest grabber to entice viewers/listeners.

3. a few lines about yourself as a storyteller. 

* Your story’s introduction and information about you as a storyteller will be included in the promotion of your video.

* By submitting your story, you are guaranteeing that you have the “rights” and “permission” necessary to share this story virtually.

NJSN is very grateful to you for sharing a story but cannot guarantee that all stories submitted will be featured. Our goal this year is to share 12 stories, one each month. Receipt of your story will be acknowledged via email, and in a separate email you will be notified if your story will be slotted to be shared during our 2024 storytelling year. 

 

Questions? Additional information?

click “Submit a Storytelling Event” on this page

Making It Public

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The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in partnership with Forecast Public Art, is pleased to invite New Jersey artists to participate in Making It Public - a free 5-week virtual workshop series designed to support artists of all disciplines in exploring their art making practice and expanding into public spaces. We urge all NJ-based artists, at any level of their careers, to utilize this free professional development opportunity - especially those who are new to the field of public art, as well as mid-career artists of any discipline.

Workshop Dates: Thursdays (6 - 7:30 PM), beginning on March 2 and concluding on March 30, 2023. Registration opens mid-January 2023.

Questions? Contact Stephanie Nerbak, Artist Services Associate, NJ State Council on the Arts: Stephanie.Nerbak@sos.nj.gov or 609-292-4474

Rivka Willick: Storytelling Challenge Group Created

During this time of self isolation Rivka Willick, a NJ storyteller and story-coach, wanted to create a place for us to come together.

The Storytelling Challenge is a group on Facebook. I will post challenges with prizes every week or two. Anyone can join the group. I'm looking for folks to submit stories as well as read them, volunteer to judge, and donate prizes.

Every couple weeks I'm setting out a challenge for all storytellers - tellers can record from their phones, computers, where ever and post on the page. There will be cash prizes. My goal is to get lots of people to step out of their comfort zones, try new things, and enjoy watching a wide community of folks all trying new things.

Check it out. The Storytelling Challenge.
Here's the link. https://www.facebook.com/groups/262004438125007/

Shirley A. Johnson: Storytelling in South Africa:

NJSN member and storyteller, Shirley Johnson, recently made an extraordinary visit to South Africa.  There she visited Orange Farm and Sister’s Inc. where she shared the joy of storytelling with preschoolers.

Both Orange Farm and Sisters’ Inc. support women and their families some of whom are in crisis situations. Orange Farm is a semi-rural township about 30 miles south of Soweto, the biggest black township in South Africa. About 40 years ago, during the height of the Apartheid Era, many blacks left Soweto to find work in the citrus industry, albeit.... Orange Farm. These working parents needed childcare.  Thandeka Mpalza with very modest means started keeping children in her home in the late 1980s. Sister’s Inc. is a sheltered home for women and their children located in the suburbs of Cape Town. There women surviving abusive home situations can find shelter for themselves’ and their children.

Shirley considered it a special honor to be able to share her stories with children in South Africa.

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Member News: Denise McCormack Brings Old Tales to Life in Storytelling Series

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“On March 17th, Denise McCormack took the stage for Godfrey Daniel’s Storytelling Series. McCormack, a highly accomplished storyteller, chose the theme of “Medieval Tales and Slavic Sagas” for the set of stories she would tell during this performance. Most of these were taken from the Song Cycles of Kiev—a classic Russian storybook—and included tales such as “Ilya and Cloudfall” and “How Stavr the Noble was Saved by a Woman’s Wiles.” Watching McCormack tell her stories was an absolutely magical experience, and her passion for her craft shined through in her performance.”

Read the complete article at TheSouthSider.com here.

Why Perception Matters When Presenting (Article)

Joe Dudis, storyteller and member of New Jersey Storytelling recently shared a thought-provoking article with us. It was interesting enough that we decided to share it with you. Published on July 10th, 2018 by Forbes, the title of the article is, "It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It: Why Perception Matters When Presenting." Here is an excerpt from the article:

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Which leads us to a simple and irrevocable truth: When it comes to body language, actions really do speak louder than words, and your body language can make or break your presentation.

An audience decides within seconds if they trust the speaker on stage, and that determines the speaker’s level of success before the audience. These seconds are used, perhaps unconsciously on the part of the audience, sizing up how the speaker presents him-or herself. If the audience doesn’t trust the speaker, it won’t matter what he or she says; the audience will not be persuaded. But a confident (and “confident” does not mean “arrogant”) attitude on stage gives you an air of authority, which supports your story.

Read the full article, here.

Bordentown storyteller reflects on her art

NJSN member, Denise McCormack was highlighted on CommunityNews.com recently. Below is an excerpt from the feature:
 

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I’ll tell you a story.

So goes the beginning of the answer to “What is the meaning of life?” The story behind that actually stems from artificial intelligence research a few decades ago. It’s what a computer capable of relating stories said when asked that question.

Or so the story goes. Whether it’s true is not the point. The point is the power of the statement. And the story itself is one Denise McCormack likes to tell. The answer is just so … perfect for how she sees humanity: We are stories. Our personalities, our memories, dare one say our very souls; all about story.

It’s impossible, in fact, to separate McCormack from stories. That’s not just because she tells them for a living, it’s because talking to her for more than a few minutes means hearing one story after another, after another.

It’s almost tempting to think she’s not even aware of how many stories she has in her mental library; like a comedian peeling off one-liners in a nightclub. It’s easy to start wondering if she’ll ever run out; easy to try to remember them all for later; easy to start telling your own in return.

But then, that’s largely what McCormack wants—stories, from everywhere and everyone. Because part of telling stories, she says, is hearing them back. 

Continue reading the full feature here.

Storyteller Denise McCormack Producing New Radio Program

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Storyteller Denise McCormack is in the process of producing a radio program in the Germantown/Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia. The premise of the program, of course, will be stories and storytelling.

If you'd like to share a story or stories --or a facet of storytelling, to be recorded and aired, please use this link to send your information and ideas to Denise.

For more information about Denise, visit www.MagicWords101.com ... because the right words can do magic!

Of Interest: Ursula K. Le Guin on Redeeming the Imagination from the Commodification of Creativity and How Storytelling Teaches Us to Assemble Ourselves

While this is long article, it is well worth the read. Relax and enjoy the sage words from an author who has inspired three generations of readers.

Le Guin writes:

In America the imagination is generally looked on as something that might be useful when the TV is out of order. Poetry and plays have no relation to practical politics. Novels are for students, housewives, and other people who don’t work. Fantasy is for children and primitive peoples. Literacy is so you can read the operating instructions. I think the imagination is the single most useful tool mankind possesses. It beats the opposable thumb. I can imagine living without my thumbs, but not without my imagination.

Read the full article here.

Storytelling Conference in the News!

The Northeast Storytelling Conference was held in Plymouth, MA in March. PCNtv stopped into several of the events and workshops to learn more about this art form.  How fun! Check out the video below to see one of our members, Rivka Willick in action (1:05 minute mark and again around 1:40 minutes) and to learn more about storytelling.

 

 

Of Interest: Story Smart: Using the Science of Story to Persuade, Influence, Inspire, and Teach

Here is a reading option for storytellers: "Story Smart: Using the Science of Story to Persuade, Influence, Inspire, and Teach."  This one-of-a-kind book reveals the secrets of a story's power to persuade, inspire, influence, and to teach. * Shows how to use the power of story to get your message across in any medium or venue * Explores the convergence of the neural science of story with the art of communication to reveal the power of words * Provides tips, techniques, and strategies for structuring your stories for the most impact * Reveals the common communication pitfalls to avoid.
Source: Alibris.com.

BBC News, writes: "When storytellers get personal... very personal"

On May 3rd, BBC News wrote, "Storytelling events are hugely popular in much of the US, with more and more people paying to see performers share their most intimate experiences on stage. But how intimate is too intimate?

A room full of strangers is waiting. Graham Campbell is backstage, pacing one way then another under the red light of an Exit sign, muttering under his breath. As the compere gives the cue for him to step on to the stage, he admits he is "terrified," 

Read more