Mission:

Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the awareness, appreciation, and application of Black Storytelling in Rhode Island through performance, educational, and cultural experiences.

About RIBS:

Annually, RIBS presents FUNDA FEST: A Celebration of Black Storytelling.  This much anticipated and highly visible event is the flagship RIBS program and reaches a statewide audience of several thousand. The week long celebration is observed from Martin Luther King birthday (Monday) through the following Sunday, every January. Tellers present a variety of performances and workshops throughout the state of Rhode Island, from school performances for K-12 to intergenerational and family work shops, to evening spoken word and storytelling concerts for adult audiences.

In addition, RIBS tellers appear at numerous arts and community events throughout the year. The organization offers workshops in storytelling, writing, and related arts as a part of the development of the next generation of storytellers. And RIBS also presents professional development workshops for adults interested in enhancing cultural awareness, performances and communication skills.