Penny Gamble-Williams is a tribal leader, visual artist, jewelry maker and writer. She speaks about her people, the Chappaquiddick/Wampanoag of Massachusetts and weaves the historical threads of long ago and today. Penny discusses the early links of Native American and African people before Columbus, during slavery to present times. This is a chapter in American history that is seldom told. Penny incorporates these stories as it relates to New England and East Coast Native Americans. Her presentation includes Native American objects of art and crafts, songs and uses indigenous instruments to make the story complete.

Penny Gamble-Williams began her storytelling journey as a child while listening to her grandmother, mother, father and extended family members who enjoyed telling stories about their lives. They would tell them with lots of expression and energy leaving Penny spellbound. She continued the tradition by telling stories to her five children and would often be invited to share stories at the schools her children were attending. As the director of an after school program she regularly incorporated art and storytelling as a method of settling down very active children who had been in the classroom all day.

Fourteen years ago she co-founded a storytelling collective called The Painted Gourd-Red and Black Voices. The group performed in schools, colleges, churches, museums and government institutions throughout Washington, Maryland, Virginia and other parts of the country. Over the years radio became a media for Penny by invitation of talk show hosts who wanted to explore Native American topics. One topic in particular was the historical connection of African Americans and Native Americans. After several years of being a guest, Penny was offered a program of her own on Radio One’s AM station WOL in Washington, DC. The program is called the Talkingfeataher and has been on the air for six years. Issues and concerns of Native Americans, African Americans and Indigenous people throughout the world are discussed as well as cultural, spiritual, educational and environmental matters. The Talkingfeather had a national audience on XM Satellite Radio’s talk channel 169, “The Power for two years.”

With the love of art, dance, music, writing and theater, Penny’s storytelling connects the common threads that link us to the source of our humanity.