Programs
Story Programs
"Common Heritage"
A cross-cultural collection of ancient and contemporary stories (e.g. tales of wonder, praise, trickery, liberation and spirituality), which promises to inspire pride of heritage and curiosity about the similarities among different cultures. Audience participation is an important part of this program. (1 or 2 hour performance; additional workshop component available. Middle School-Adult.)
"Precious Memories"
This collection of personal, sacred and spiritual stories tell of wisdom, healing, faith, courage, praise and much more. Laced with an abundance of Southern humor, they have broad audience appeal. (1 or 2 hour performance; additional workshop component available. Middle School- Adult.)
"Lest We Forget"
A collection of original and literary stories (of national and international origins) in which peace making and liberation are primary themes. This series includes accounts of the courageous role of children in the legendary Civil Rights Movement during the early sixties. Inspiring and thought provoking-an audience favorite.(1 or 2 hour performance; additional workshop component available. Middle School-Adult)
"Herstory"
Charming myths and powerful true stories of self-confident, spirited and courageous women; sheroes who use wit, wisdom and common sense to get the job done. Enough said. (1 or 2 hour performance; additional workshop component available. Middle School - Adult.)
"Fruit of the Learning Tree"
Wonderful children's stories and songs each selected to inspire self-esteem, imagination, self-reliance and laughter. This is a highly interactive and magical program. (1 hour performance. Pre-kindergarten - 4th grade)
Keynotes
Keynotes are developed in consultation with sponsors (high school-college) in order to maximize the fulfillment of programming goals.
Academic Residencies
Story-based classroom courses (workshop format) that support reading, reasoning, writing and telling stories about the world around us with emphasis on the way we conduct ourselves in it. Collaboration and information gathering play important roles in this creative process. Courses complement the study of social sciences, history, literature and performance (high school-college).
Extracurricular Residencies
Thematic story-based residency programs, appropriate for celebrations of world peace, Black and Women's History Months, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Kwanzaa, diversity awareness and much more (high school-college).
Workshops
Workshops are developed in consultation with sponsors in order to maximize the fulfillment of programming goals (high school-college).
Community Building Residencies
Story-based residency programs, designed for community, social, business and student groups (high school-adult).
"Onawumi brings to her storytelling the honesty and wisdom maintained by the ancient storytellers of West Africa and the joy and humor of southern porch tellers. She can tell one of our stories any day!"
- Patricia and Frederick McKissack, Children's Book Authors.
"I have heard only glowing feedback about your contribution to our program. People have used words like "stunning", "remarkable" and extraordinary to describe the ways your stories shaped the program and the impact you had on listeners."
- Andrea Ayvazian, Ph.D., Protestant Chaplain, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
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"Onawumi didn't just tell stories to our multicultural audience, she encouraged us to tell ours. Then she mesmerized us with stories about situations that were very familiar to us and taught us songs that made us smile and think too."
- Natasha Sanford, 9th grade, Northeast Science Enrichment Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst.