Above: Steve Shell
Ray Christian
In what is being billed as a celebration of the spoken word, Black Box Storytelling Theater presents Word at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. The event will take place at Buffalo Nickel, 747 Haywood Road in West Asheville. Tickets are $10 in advance (go to eventbrite.com) or $12 at the door.
Word will feature Raymond Christian, of Boone, and Steve Shell, of Asheville. Both are recent winners of the nationally known Story Slam at The Mothlight in Asheville. David Joe Miller and Jimmy Neil Smith will cohost the event. Also appearing will be vocalist Rhoda Weaver who will offer up some Motown tunes between the stories.
Ray Christian, who teaches history at Appalachian State University, describes himself as “storyteller, public historian, doctoral candidate, retired Army paratrooper, part-time professor, and purveyor of the African-American experience.” Steve Shell is an English teacher at Asheville’s School of Inquiry and Life Sciences. An accomplished spoken word artist, he also teaches poetry slam techniques.
David Joe Miller is a former employee of the National Storytelling Association and has performed all across the country at schools, libraries, festivals, and corporate boardrooms. Jimmy Neil Smith is the founder and president of the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
For information about Black Box Storytelling Theater, contact David Joe Miller at davidjoetells@yahoo.com.
