Storytime with Momma B

at Potomac Library

Folktales, songs, and wisdom from a traditional griot storyteller.

Momma B is the name Baltimore native Karen Burdnell has been given by her audiences. She infuses her folktales and personal stories with songs, chants, movement and wisdom. She is an active member of the Griots’ Circle of Maryland and the National Association of Black Storytellers.

Family stories and literature were a major part of Karen's upbringing, and she started sharing those stories with audiences when she was a 15-year-old camp counselor. Karen followed in her mother’s footsteps as a Children’s Librarian for the Enoch Pratt Free Library, from which she recently retired. She has also worked as a Library Media Specialist for Baltimore City Public Schools and has studied storytelling and story creation in East Tennessee State’s Storyteller’s performance graduate program.

Momma B is constantly amazed at the connections that she finds among story themes, cultures, and characters. Discovering those connections in her performances is what brings joy to her audiences.

For all ages.

Questions about this program? Contact the Potomac branch at 240-777-0690.

Library Program Attendance (both virtual and in the branch) is limited to participants within the suggested age range of the program. Children attending an MCPL program under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Adults attending a program intended for children must have an accompanying child.

Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

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