2024 Pigeon Community Conversations With Storytellers Series Bios

Thursday, April 11, 2024 Adama Dembele

Adama Dembele is Bambara and was born in Ivory Coast, West Africa. As a djembefola (master djembe player) he is the 33rd generation of a family that has been serving the community through the music and culture of the djembe and balafon. Adama’s family place, known as The Djembe House, was a respected place to become educated in the traditional ways of the Bambara people. The Djembe House helped to shape the fiber and being of many professional djembe players globally, by teaching the traditions set forth by the ancestors. Adama inspires the next generation as a Cultural Ambassador and Resident Teaching Artist of LEAF Global Arts, a world changing arts organization. He is a Professor at UNC-Asheville and Warren Wilson College and is a multi-instrumental composer and choreographer.

Thursday, May 09, 2024 Ann Miller Woodford

Ann Miller Woodford’s journey as a visual artist, author, and entrepreneur is truly inspiring. From the self-discovery of artistic talents to her dedication to capturing the spirit around her, Ann’s story reflects a lifelong commitment to creativity and community. Her teachers recognized her talent when she was a child and supported her artistic development. The fact that her art has won awards in state and county competitions highlights the recognition she has received for her skills. The encouragement she received from family, friends, and a school nurse who gifted her with oil paints further fueled her passion.

What sets Woodford apart is her decision to return to Andrews, NC to establish One Dozen Who Care, Inc., a 501 (c) 3 African American women-led organization that is dedicated to improving understanding among different races, religions, youth, and adults. This reflects her commitment to using her talents for the betterment of her community. The publication of her groundbreaking book, “When All God’s Children Get Together: A Celebration of the Lives and Music of African American People in Far Western North Carolina,” showcases Ann’s dedication to preserving and celebrating Black heritage in Western North Carolina. Her African American heritage presentations aimed at uplifting youth and adults further contribute to her role as a cultural advocate. Ann’s new portrait series, “Black in Black on Black: Making the Invisible Visible,” is a powerful exploration of identity, color, and emerging from darkness. The title itself suggests meaningful and thought-provoking narratives that display the amalgamation of all colors – Black! Ann Miller Woodford’s multifaceted journey is a testament to the transformative power of art and the impact one individual can have on their community through creativity, education, and advocacy.

 Thursday, June 13, 2024 DeWayne Barton

DeWayne Barton is a native of Asheville, N.C. He grew up in Washington, D.C. and is a Gulf War Veteran. He is the author of two books of poetry and has been involved in community and youth development for over 30 years.  As a visual and performing artist, he is involved in environmental justice issues—both through his art and his community involvement.  His mixed-media, found-art installations have been featured at Duke University, Smithsonian Institute’s Museum of African American History and Culture, and the August Wilson Museum. He is co-founder of both Peace Gardens & Market and Green Opportunities. In 2019, he was selected as a Robert Woods Johnson Culture of Health Leader. He is the founder and CEO of Hood Huggers Intl. and Hood Tours - building communication, connection, and wealth using the arts, environment, and social enterprise. DeWayne was appointed by the governor to the board of the NC Arts Council, is the current President of the Burton Street Community Association, and a 2022 Fellow with the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Leadership Institute. His latest endeavor, the Blue Note Junction, is a community health and business incubator and will serve as a climate resiliency hub as part of the NC Climate Justice Collective.

Thursday, July 11, 2024 Marsha Almodovar

Marsha Almodovar is a mother, painter, writer, and activist.  She works for United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County and has facilitated racial equity and inclusion training for local area nonprofits and for-profit businesses. Almodovar is a mixed-medium painter and uses her art to highlight social justice issues. She has served on numerous boards and commissions that align with her mission of art and inclusion and In 2023 was awarded the Tzedek Impact Social Justice award. Almodovar recently published, illustrated, and authored a Spanish-language children's book with English subtitles called Mucho Mucho. The book's principal character is an Afro-Latina child from Puerto Rico who talks about the things in the world she loves that all kids have access to regardless of where they come from or their economic background.

Thursday, August 08, 2024 Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and resides in Qualla, NC. Her debut novel, Even As We Breathe, was released by the University Press of Kentucky in 2020, a finalist for the Weatherford Award and named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. In 2021, it received the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Her first novel manuscript, Going to Water is winner of the Morning Star Award for Creative Writing from the Native American Literature Symposium (2012) and a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction (2014). Clapsaddle’s work has appeared in Yes! Magazine, Lit Hub, Smoky Mountain Living Magazine, South Writ Large, Our State Magazine, and The Atlantic. Clapsaddle is the former co-editor of the Journal of Cherokee Studies and serves on the Board of Directors for the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and is the President of the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Writers Network. In 2023, in partnership with Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Clapsaddle launched Confluence: An Indigenous Writers’ Workshop Series that seeks to bring indigenous writers to the Qualla Boundary (Cherokee, NC) to work with aspiring writers several times throughout the year.