Franklyn Seales: Unveiling the Hidden Power of Voice in Black Storytelling

In a world where stories shape identity and influence culture, Franklyn Seales stands as a pioneering force in bringing Black oral traditions into the heart of academic and artistic discourse. His work transcends conventional scholarship, fusing performance, history, and cultural critique to reveal how voice—spoken, silent, and embodied—has long been central to African American expression. Seales does more than analyze texts; he breathes life into them, demonstrating how rhythm, cadence, and intonation carry ancestral memory and resistance.

Seales’ expertise lies at the intersection of literature, performance studies, and African American studies, where he challenges dominant narratives about Black communication. He argues that the spoken word—whether in the speeches of Hallie Quinn Nolen, the sermons of Black clergy, or the rhythmic storytelling of elders—functions as both weapon and refuge. As he notes in an interview, “Voice isn’t just how we say things—it’s who we are.

In Black culture, voice carries history, justice, and survival.” This insight underpins his critically acclaimed work, particularly through his development of “Black Voices Performance,” a method that interprets texts not as static words on a page but as living performances embedded in context.

The Rhythm and Resistance of Black Oral Tradition

Central to Seales’ scholarship is the recognition that African American storytelling is inherently performative. His research unearths how Black writers and speakers have used vocal inflection, repetition, and call-and-response structures long before these techniques were formally acknowledged in literary canon.

Take, for example, his analysis of sojourner narratives: rather than treating them as passive documents, Seales highlights how narrators manipulated tone to subvert white skepticism and assert authenticity. He demonstrates how oral techniques evolved as tools of resistance. As Seales explains, “When written discourse marginalizes, the spoken word reclaims power.

Black voices don’t just speak—they command space.” This is evident in the dynamic delivery of figures like Frederick Douglass, whose reenactment of speeches transformed abolitionist rhetoric into visceral, unforgettable performances. Seales’ approach invites audiences to listen not only to content, but to pause, rhythm, and emphasis—elements crucial to understanding nuance.

Benjamin built on Seales’ foundation with a living archive

Seales’ vision inspired emerging scholars to turn theory into community practice.

Among them, historian and performer Benjamin Taylor developed “Voice Mapping,” a project inspired by Seales’ methodology. Using interdisciplinary fieldwork, Taylor captures oral histories from Black elders in Mississippi, Kchnik, and urban centers, preserving inflection and storytelling style through audio recordings combined with contextual narration. “Every whisper, every pause tells a story,” Taylor says.

“Adopting Seales’ framework lets us honor those voices not just as history, but as living tradition.”

The classroom as stage: teaching voice as legacy

As a professor, Seales transformed pedagogy by treating literature not as legacy—but as performance. His courses challenge students to read poetry and prose with attention to vocal dynamics, encouraging them to embody the text’s original auditory environment. “When you read Langston Hughes with inflection—when you let the jazz rhythm pulse through your voice—you’re not just interpreting; you’re continuing a tradition,” he explains.

His students often describe the shift as profound—transforming passive analysis into embodied understanding.

1. Voice as Archive: Seales’ approach treats spoken word as a living archive, preserving context and emotion beyond text.
2. Performance as Interpretation: He pioneered techniques to analyze and perform historical texts, making Black expression dynamic and immediate.
3. Community Engagement: His influence extends beyond academia, fostering public storytelling events and workshops that validate oral heritage.

Seales’ lasting impact lies in redefining how audiences engage with Black narratives. By centering voice—its timbre, its strength, its rhythm—he reminds us that stories are felt as much as they are heard. In his words, “To understand Black literature, you don’t just read it—you listen to it, feel it, breathe it.” This philosophy continues to inspire scholars, performers, and communities committed to honoring the voice as both art and legacy.

The power of voice, as Franklyn Seales demonstrates, is not confined to pages or stages—it echoes in generations, shaping identity, memory, and resistance. Through his work, he ensures that the spoken word remains not just preserved, but powerfully alive.