ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 7, 1996 TAG: 9606070001
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAMES TOLLIVER JR. STAFF WRITER
ENTERTAINMENT in Birmingham, Ala., during the Roaring '20s was minimal. But the friends and family of Mary Carter Smith never worried about being entertained.
Smith possessed a remarkable talent for telling stories.
"I went to the library every day and got a book," Smith says of her childhood in Alabama. "Reading to friends and family was a wonderful way to bring the stories to life."
Smith's vivid charades of the books she read planted the seeds for a 77-year career as a teacher, novelist and international storyteller.
At a time when many children look to cable television and video games for entertainment, the art of storytelling appears almost a lost pleasure.
The Roanoke County Parks and Recreation Department hopes to revive this ancient art form at the "Second Annual Blue Ridge Storytelling Festival & Antique & Collectibles Show." The festival will be held Saturday at Roanoke County's Green Hill Park. Smith will be the featured storyteller at the festival.
"I saw her in Jonesborough [Tenn.]," said Cathy Carter of Roanoke, president of the Blue Ridge Storytelling Association. "And when she tells a story, she captivates and spellbounds the audience."
Smith has earned several titles throughout her career. The National Association of Black Storytellers heralded her as "Mother Griot" - pronounced "gree-oh," a French West African word for folklorist - and she was proclaimed "Maryland's Griot" by the governor.
But of all the titles Smith has earned, she adores one in particular.
"Alex Haley called me his 'American Griot,'" Smith said, referring to the author of "Roots" and "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." "It means a lot to me and I love to be called by that name."
Haley's "American Griot" has spoken in Africa, the Caribbean Islands, England, France, and at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Smith's stories have been enhanced by many experiences, such as being left motherless at age 4 when her mother was shot by her stepfather. After the funeral, a young Smith re-enacted the grim scene on the street, and her audience gave her money.
But her grandmother put a quick stop to Smith's street performances.
"My grandmother was my greatest role model," Smith said. "She helped me live with a sense of pride."
Smith may have stopped performing on the street for money, but she refused to stop telling stories.
"We hope her name and credentials will draw people," said Eddie Ford, Roanoke County's special events supervisor. "If we get this event established, we can nurture it and possibly become the official state for storytelling."
Smith's first performance will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday - her Roanoke debut.
"I am excited that I was asked to speak there," Smith said. "It should be an enchanting afternoon full of entertainment."
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Mary Carter Smith will be spinning yarns at the annualby CNBBlue Ridge Storytelling Festival & Antique & Collectibles Show
Saturday at Roanoke County's Green Hill Park. color.