According to the College of William and Mary's The DoG Street Journal (DSJ), Moss shared that she decided to become a storyteller because she needed to do something different. "I believe it was God saying to me that there is something different that you need to do," said Moss.
Now performing professionally as the Soulful Storyteller, Moss is a rhythm and talking-book entertainer whose renditions of stories and a capella songs about Africa and African descendants include tales of freedom, spirituality, deception and marvel.
Many fans share that Moss succeeds in taking even the most challenging of audiences on a thrilling, mesmerizing ride with her original, timeless stories and personal narratives. According to DSJ, Moss has the talent to captivate everyone with her rich voice, her catchy rhythm and her passion for African folklore. For many listeners of Moss' storytelling, her stories are entertaining and educational, and encourages recognition of kinship, an appreciation of cultural differences, personal reflection and pride of heritage.
Moss has shared her soulful narratives and adventurous tales across the nation, performing at numerous national festivals including the National Storytelling Association's Swappin' Ground (1992), Exchange Place (1995) and the National Storytelling Festival (2001). After attending last spring's National Storytelling Festival, fellow storyteller and spectator Jay O'Callahan remarked in his newsletter that Moss told her story with such beauty that there were gasps. Moss was also a featured storyteller at the National Association of Black Storytellers Conference six times since 1992.
Her passion for storytelling, however, is not demonstrated merely at the national level. Moss also shares her talent within the town of Amherst, performing at various events on campus as well as within the larger Five College community. She has also performed at Springfield, Keene State and Swarthmore Colleges.
President Anthony Marx fondly recalled the impact Moss' stories have made within the Amherst community. "My kids and I have enjoyed Onawumi's storytelling, as have a generation of Amherst students, faculty, staff and townsfolk," he said. "It's wonderful to see her recognized in this way in a year in which we are going to be celebrating Onawumi's ongoing career and contributions at this college and to this community."
Attempting to make an even larger impact, Moss founded the Keepers of the Word Storytelling Festival at the College. An annual event, the festival invites other nationally renowned storytellers to the Amherst campus, allowing both Moss and her fellow performers to share the power of story and the knowledge and traditions that their stories embody within her own community.
Held in the Keefe Campus Center, students, faculty and townspeople alike are exposed to unique performances and lifelong lessons. The 14th Keepers of the Word Storytelling Festival will be held in April 2006.
Moss' talents, however, are not limited to the realm of performance alone. Moss recently collaborated with renowned author Patricia C. McKissak and illustrator Kysten Booker on her new book, "Precious and the Boo Hag." The book, which was released in 2005, tells the story of a young African-American girl who outwits a mischievous spirit. The book was praised by the School Library Journal as "an enchanting tale that is a pinch scary but a peck of fun." "Precious and the Boo Hag" was recently selected by the New York Public Library as one of its top-100 "must-read" books, an honor given to the best achievements in children's literature.
Moss is also a member of several national storytelling associations, including the National Storytelling Network (NSN), the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling (LANES) and the NABS.
The Zora Neale Hurston Award for Storytelling is given annually in recognition of "a body of work that preserves the tenets of African and African-American storytelling through performance, publications, recordings and service to national and regional storytelling organizations." Former recipients of this prestigious award have included storyteller and jazz singer Oscar Brown Jr. and the famous theatrical couple, the late Ossie Davis and his wife, Ruby Dee.
Moss could not be reached for comment over Thanksgiving Break.