Joan Effiong loves to tell stories from her childhood. Growing up in Calabar, Nigeria, in West Africa, Joan spent countless hours listening to her elders tell tales. Both of Joan’s grandmothers would gather all the children around and teach them important life lessons through narrative. They typically used animals to illustrate the types of behaviors they wanted to reinforce or discourage. Joan remembers many nights listening to her elders share these stories against the backdrop of an effervescent full moon. 

Joan passed this rich tradition down to her own children who encouraged her to record her stories. Over the last fifteen years, Joan has been sharing her stories throughout the state of Utah. Joan’s stories capture the rich and vibrant culture of Africa. Her jovial spirit brings the character and setting to life. Each story has a lesson and serves to instill self-development, diversity, language, comprehension, math skills and moral reasoning, among other things. Joan is a proud wife, mother, and grandmother. Her family is a great source of support to her. 

Joan is a member of Nubian Storytellers of Utah Leadership (NSOUL) and actively participates in storytelling across the State of Utah. Joan has told stories at the Weber State University Storytelling, SLC Living Traditions, Story Crossroads Festivals, in local public schools, and at other community events to help youth and adults understand and embrace diversity in a nonthreatening way. 

Joan has a master’s degree in Communications from BYU. She is also the Co-Founder and President of JENAR Foundation, a nonprofit that provides critical aid and support in the fight against malaria and HIV/AIDS in Calabar, Nigeria. Joan’s passion and desire for helping people is not only contagious, but also inspiring to all who endeavor to change the world. It is Joan’s calling to empower human beings to reach their purpose and full potential in life. She accomplishes this in a quiet, captivating manner.