The 2025 Wilmington Black Storytelling Residency will be called:
Voices of the Unbroken: Telling Our Truths, Shaping Our Future – Elevating the untold or overlooked stories of those who endured, fought back, and laid the foundation for the world we live in today, with a focus on reclaiming history and inspiring action.
This residency is based on the fundamental belief that Black Storytelling is Black Joy. The immersive learning environment of this seven-day residency was created to enable storytellers to deepen their understanding of the place of Black Storytelling as a tool to improve all aspects of the lived experiences of the Africans in the Diaspora.
OUR VISION… is to create a blackstorytelling residency known for encouraging and nurturing storytellers to use blackstorytelling to illuminate the African Diaspora experience (past and present), speak truth to power, and be of service to our community.
OUR MISSION… is to elevate the skills of emerging and experienced storytellers in story crafting and performance and to expand their knowledge of African Diaspora storytelling.
Who Should Participate?
We seek an intergenerational cohort of adult storytellers with a strong interest in African Diaspora history and a dedication to using their talents in service to Black folks. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in Blackstorytelling/Oral Performance. Performing artists experienced in the following African Diaspora Oral Art Forms are encouraged to apply
What to expect?
The Wilmington Black Storytelling Residency Voices of the Unbroken: Telling Our Truths, Shaping Our Future is designed to give participants an intense seven-day learning experience that will help them to increase their knowledge of Black storytelling and train under the guidance of masters in the craft. The foundation of the training will be grounded in four aspects of culture:
The learning format includes group instruction, independent study, and performance rehearsal, as well as scheduled time for research, collaboration with others in the residency, and to just hang with like-minded artists.
Program sessions are led by the faculty of internationally and nationally recognized performing and teaching artists. In addition to instructions in Blackstorytelling, elective workshops in African Dance and Djembe Drum circle are also included to ground participants in the understanding that blackstorytelling encompasses a variety of artistic and cultural expressions.
There will be semi-public performance opportunities during the residency and a final culminating performance.
Cityfest will provide participants with catered meals or a per diem to cover meal expenses. Housing will be provided. Transportation to and from Wilmington, DE, will be the responsibility of the residency participant.
When:
The Residency will be held in Wilmington, DE, July 20 – 27, 2025.
Application Process
There is no application fee or tuition. Application will open March 3, 2025.
Please fill out the online application and submit the required documentation outlined in the application. The application deadline is April 3, 2025, at 11:59 pm. Notification will be made on April 30, 2025.
What the 2024 WBSR cohort has said about the residency:
“The residency has impacted me by identifying the storytelling process. This residency taught me to see my life as the story to be told, that the stories of others can be equally told through my lens.”
“As a Black storyteller, I feel that I have discovered a hidden voice that has been inside of me. I will now regularly call on this form to express not only my own story but the stories of my community, my people, my culture, my family, and so much more.”
“It has expanded and strengthened the foundation upon which I can recognize, conceive, develop, and hone a story in multiple genres for Black storytelling.”
“This residency has deepened my ability to convey pride through the stories I create. It has further opened my eyes to the fact that stories live all around us if we have the eyes to see them.”
“The inclusion of the expanded elements beyond the foundational sessions, such as meditation/yoga, African dance, and lectures/workshops at the Delaware Historical Society, was invaluable.”
“I’ve deepened my understanding of just how imperative it is to tell our stories. Every one of our stories has a place in the canon of Black history and creative expression.”
“The impact of movement, whether it was grounding in yoga or the African dance, made our creative juices flow.”
Videos:
Check out Press from past WBSR:
https://townsquaredelaware.com/black-storytellers-gather-in-wilmington/
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