Wellsville Library Presents "A Night of Family Fun"

The Wellsville Public Library presents renown storyteller Jocelyn Dabney and the public is invited to “A Night of Family Fun”. It will be an evening of music and stories in the African-American tradition as part of the library's observance of Black History Month. It is set for Thursday, February 24 beginning at 6:30 PM.

A dynamic storyteller, actress and retired librarian, Mrs. Dabney is the frist African-American to earn a Masters Degree in Storytelling/Reading. A published story writer she is a resident of Youngstown. She earned her Bachelor's Degree majoring in speech and drama from Kent State. Her storyteller/reading Masters in Education is from East Tennessee State University. Mrs. Dabney has presented programs and conducted workshops for schools, universities, libraries, festivals and churches in five different states.

Among her professional associations are memberships in the National Association of Black Storytellers, the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers, the Western Reserve Association for the Preservation & Perpetuation of Storytelling and the Ohio Order for the Preservation for Storytelling among others. She has played the part of Harriet Tubman in a PBS segment about the Underground Railroad and also has been a narrator for the PBS Ohio Stories segments on women in Ohio history.

Critics say Mrs. Dabney is one terrific storyteller, a step above the rest, captivating audiences with her rhythmic telling. Dr. Olga Nelson, a professor at Eastern Michigan, wrote “Jocelyn excels in participatory stories and is equally strong in delivering stories to both children and adults”.

Jocelyn will be accompanied by her husband Robert Dabney with his fabulous drumming and singing. They are members of Youngstown's Rising Star Baptist Church where she is the director of the church's Creative Arts Ministry.

Mark Thursday, February 24 on your calendar. It promises to be a very entertaining evening for the whole family, courtesy of the good folks and their friends at Wellsville's Carnegie Library. The above picture was borrowed from a Google search.

ole nib