By AMY FORLITI
The Associated Press
11/14/2003, 2:23 p.m. CT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Tejumola Ologboni can tell one heck of a lie.

"It happened in Kansas, 'cause that's where I was born," he begins. And before you know it, you're sucked in — willing yourself to believe he was once a bartender at a saloon where word of "Big John's" arrival scared all his customers away.

Whether he's spinning a tall tale or bringing a bit of African history to life, Ologboni uses his expressive eyes and ever-changing voice to entertain and to teach his audience a lesson.

He is one of dozens of storytellers converging in Providence for the 21st annual National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference. The event, which ends Sunday, features performances by award-winning storytellers as well as educational workshops on movement, rhythm and using the voice as an instrument.

The festival also features the ever-popular Liars Contest, where participants have three minutes to tell their most convincing tall tale. The 58-year-old Ologboni won the contest years ago with his fictional tale of Big John — a character who never appears in the story, but sends chills down the spine anyway thanks to Ologboni's dramatic, animated telling. [...]