Ramona King

Her workshops and discussions include Empowered Living and Inspired leadership; how to create an environment for receiving stories to build harmonious relationships; and how to use your personal story to leave a legacy for nurturing independent responsibility for the next generation.

Stage performances include the White House, the New Mexico State Capitol Building, the African American Performing Arts Center's Storytelling Festival Event in New Mexico and the National Hispanic Cultural Center. She was interviewed in Parenting Magazine and in the ABQarts Magazine. In 2010 her article "From the Middle of Me to the Middle of You", the story on famed storyteller/poet street performer Brother Blue was published in the UK magazine Fact n Fiction. She is also listed in the commemorative book Albuquerque: Three Centuries to Remember.

The solo production, Maternal Dreamer/On My Own by Ramona King--stories of family secrets and foster care in New York -- was performed at the New Mexico National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Training Conference. Her performance of Humanitarian, Civil Rights Activist and Educator Mary McLeod Bethune is an intimate look at how parental and community supports provide a strong foundation for a child with big dreams – the child who became an adult leader to change the course of history and human relations. In the production Roots Revival at the North 4th, VSA in New Mexico Ramona King leads children through heartfelt lessons in Black History. Later she returns to the VSA for the Spoken Word production UnSpeakable –curated by Tonya Taylor Rubinstein – she performs her original heart-gripping piece "Detour" revealing incidents and life salvaging moments from foster care.

"...she modeled ways for others to develop diverse, individual approaches for their own storytelling."
Chelsea Fortescue, Instructor, UNM College of Education

In reference to Ms. King's work with the adult residents of St. Jude Worker House in Illinois, staff director Ellen McDowell said this;

"...there are no words to describe how very much we enjoyed and appreciated your gift of storytelling. The experience reminded me again of what a healing and restoring activity storytelling is."

Ramona King narrates the spiritual caring connection artists share in their relationship with the indigo plant in filmmaker, Mary Lance's documentary "Blue Alchemy: The Story of Indigo" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1836753/). Her voice-over narration for Fractal Fridays at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History (www.fractalfoundation.org) reveals the mysteries of interconnected patterns duplicated through infinity – similar are behavioral patterns in human nature. Interviews with local and national storytellers, along with recorded story performances and themes, are her specialty as past host for the Spoken Word Hour KUNM Radio. www.KUNM.org/listen.

In December of 2007, Ms. King received The Links Incorporated Award – an International Philanthropic Organization –for her services to youth in the Albuquerque area. She can be found among fellow storytellers, including Garrison Keillor of the Prairie Home Companion and the late Jackie Torrence, on the award-winning CD "Rainbow Tales Too". Her other recordings include DVD's "Tell Me Why: Wisdom Tales from Africa to America and "Coyote Song" – metaphors from the southwest for my New York Dad.

Cornell University is where she studied Human Development and Family Studies and at the University of New Mexico, she studied Education. She's taught in Albuquerque, N.M. and Brooklyn, N.Y.

Her professional affiliations include the National Association of Black Storytellers, New Mexico Women in Film, The Women's Speakers Association, the Screen Actors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.