The Peale's storytelling program launched in the summer of 2016, in conjunction with the MuseWeb Foundation. The storytelling program is a new way to discover the people and places of the city, as told by the residents of Baltimore. To date, we have shared more than 1,400 stories online, through live events at the Peale, and in Baltimore’s communities.
Mama Linda Goss is the Peale's storyteller-in-residence, as well as a performer in the African diasporic oral tradition. She is a co-founder of the National Association of Black Storytellers, which works to preserve folk traditions. Every month, she shares a poem with the Peale, as part of her collection of stories, "Mama Linda's Chapbook."
Mama Linda Goss (00:00): A Tiger Swallowtail Flies: On January 20th, 2021, a tiger swallowtail landed on freedom's shoulder atop the Capitol dome.
Mama Linda Goss (00:17) It morphed into the young poet, Amanda Gorman, a reincarnation of Phyllis Wheatley, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, and so many others.
Mama Linda Goss (00:35): Young Amanda was flanked by spirits of warrior poets and activists. Nina Simone called out, "Ain't going to be no mess up in here today. Sister Kamala is Madam Vice-President." From the amen corner Langston Hughes and James Baldwin responded in unisons, "Tambourines to Glory."
Mama Linda Goss (01:00) Amanda knew that our ancestors had been 'buked and scorned. So, like a herald angel, she stood before the multitudes and delivered an empowering message of unity called The Hill We Climb. How many more hills will we have to climb? How many more rivers will we have to cross? How many more bodies will we have to bury?
Asset ID: 2021.02.05.a
