Linda Goss facts for kids

Linda Yvonne Goss, also known as Mama Linda, is a famous American storyteller. She was born in 1947. She shares stories from the African oral tradition, which means stories passed down by speaking and listening. Linda Goss also helped start the National Association of Black Storytellers. This group works to keep old folk stories and traditions alive.

Early Life and Learning

Linda Yvonne McNear was born in Alcoa, Tennessee. Her parents were Willie and Junior McNear. Her mom was a teacher, and her dad worked at a company called Alcoa. Linda grew up in a big family where storytelling was very important.

Family Stories and Inspiration

She often talks about the tales she heard from her Granddaddy Murphy and Uncle Buster. These stories were her first big influences. Linda's mother often spoke in public at churches and events. Linda learned how to speak well by watching her mom. From her dad, she learned to love music, especially jazz. She also learned how music can tell a story. Her teachers sometimes wrote on her report cards that she "talks too much."

Discovering the Power of Stories

Linda's interest in old stories began in high school. She had an assignment to interview the oldest person she knew. After talking to her grandfather, she realized something important. Old stories, like the ones he shared, could be lost forever. She understood that these stories needed to be passed on and collected.

College and Early Performances

Linda graduated from high school in 1965. She then studied drama at Howard University and earned her degree in 1969. While at Howard, she acted in a play with famous actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. She also joined a theater group called Theater Black. For her final project, she told stories from her childhood in Alcoa. She mixed folk storytelling with formal acting. This was new and exciting at the time. Later, she earned a master's degree in education from Antioch University.

Storytelling Career

Linda Goss was a leader in bringing storytelling back to life in America. This happened in the 1970s. Her first professional show was in Washington, D.C., in 1973.

Signature Style and Performance

She was a special storyteller at the 1975 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. There, she created her unique way of starting a show. She would cry out, "Well, Oh Well, Oh Well. It’s Storytelling Time!" while ringing bells. This helped gather the crowd and get their attention. Linda says this call comes from her grandfather. He used to play a bugle call to wake workers on a plantation. She calls her special opening "waking up the people." It honors this family history.

Storytelling as a Tool for Change

Linda Goss's storytelling is shaped by many things. These include folk tales, poetry, history, and music like jazz, gospel, and country. She believes storytelling is a "tool for social change." She sees it as an art form that can change and adapt. It can fit the moment and the audience.

Mentors and Community

One of her teachers was Gladys-Marie Fry, a professor who studied folklore and art. Other storytellers and scholars also helped and encouraged her. These included Brother Blue, Sonia Sanchez, and Mary Carter Smith. Linda worked in Philadelphia for over 30 years. The mayor named her the city's official storyteller in 1984.

Media Appearances

On February 1, 1984, Linda Goss was on the NPR radio show Horizons. The episode was about "Storytelling in the Tradition." She showed how African storytelling works. She shared tales, chants, and games. She also explained her storytelling techniques. She appeared on The Today Show and was featured in major newspapers. These included The New York Times and The Washington Post. She was also in Essence magazine.

She has performed at many storytelling events. These include the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. She has also taught storytelling classes at East Tennessee State University. Linda Goss has written or edited six books. She has recorded several albums. Her stories are also in many collections and children's reading books.

National Association of Black Storytellers

In 1982, Linda Goss went to a national storytelling conference. She was one of only two Black storytellers there. She realized there was a need for groups focused on Black storytelling. So, she and Mary Carter Smith started the "In The Tradition..." Annual National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference in 1982. Then, in 1984, they created the National Association of Black Storytellers.

Linda Goss was the first president of the Association, from 1984 to 1991. When the group started, only five African American storytellers were invited to national festivals. Through these organizations, they helped storytellers connect. They also gave them a platform to be seen and heard more. Their goal was to save the oral tradition and make sure stories were not lost. Linda Goss also helped start Keepers of the Culture. This is a storytelling group in Philadelphia linked to the National Association of Black Storytellers. She also helped start Patchwork, a storytelling group in Delaware.

Personal Life

Linda Goss lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, Clay. Clay is a journalist and playwright. They have written several books together. They got married in 1969 and have three children: Aisha, Uhuru, and Jamal.

Works

Linda Goss has created many works, including books and sound recordings.

Books

• The Baby Leopard: A "How" and "Why" Story by Linda Goss and Clay Goss (1989)
• Talk That Talk: an Anthology of African-American Storytelling edited by Linda Goss and Marian E. Barnes (1989)
• Jump Up and Say! A Collection of Black Storytelling edited by Linda Goss and Clay Goss (1995)
• It's Kwanzaa Time! by Linda Goss and Clay Goss (1995)
• The Frog Who Wanted to Be a Singer by Linda Goss (1995)
• Sayin' Somethin': Stories from the National Association of Black Storytellers edited by Linda Goss, Dylan Pritchett and Caroliese Frink Reed (2006)

Stories in Other Collections

• "The Traveling Storyteller" is in On the Horizon (1989), a third-grade reading book.
• Her most famous story, "The Frog Who Wanted to Be a Singer," is in Elements of Literature (1989), an eighth-grade reading book.
• Her version of "The Ghost Hunt" is in The Ghost & I: Scary Stories for Participatory Telling (1992).
• Her "Storytelling Rap" is in the audio collection A Storytelling Treasury (1993).
• Her story "The Tree of Love" is in I Hear a Symphony: African Americans Celebrate Love (1994).
• "Rabbit at the Waterhole" is in Joining In: An Anthology of Audience Participation Stories & How to Tell Them (1995).

Sound Recordings

• Afro-American Folktales and Playsongs by Linda Goss (1980), re-released in 2003
• It's Story Telling Time by Linda Goss (1983), re-released in 2001
• The Baby Leopard by Linda Goss and Clay Goss (1989)
• African Tales and Games by Linda Goss (1993)

Awards and Honors

Linda Goss has received many awards for her work.

• In 2019, she received a National Heritage Fellowship. This is the highest honor for folk and traditional arts from the U.S. government. She was the first African-American storyteller to receive this award.
• In October 2019, the American Folklore Society held an event in Baltimore. It was called Black Storytelling and Cultural Preservation: The Legacy of Mama Linda Goss.
• In 2018, she received the Legacy of Excellence Award from the Alcoa City Schools Foundation.
• In 2017, Linda Goss became the storyteller-in-residence at the Peale Center in Baltimore. She is also the storyteller-ambassador for the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum. She has also been a storyteller-in-residence at the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia.
• In 2016, she was honored with the American Women's Heritage Society "Movers and Shakers" award.
• In 2013, she received the Kathryn Morgan Award for Folk Arts & Social Justice. Kathryn Morgan was one of Linda's mentors.
• In 2006, she received the Benjamin A. Botkin Scholar Lecturer Award from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
• She also received the 2006 Leeway Transformation Award for women artists.
• In 2005, she earned the Fellowship in Folk and Traditional Art from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
• In 2003, Linda Goss received the National Storytelling Network's Oracle lifetime achievement award.
• In 1995, her book Jump Up and Say! was chosen by the Literary Guild.
• In 1990, her book Talk That Talk was chosen by the Book-of-the-Month Club.
• She became the official storyteller for Philadelphia in 1984. Her image is on a mural in that city, called "The Traveling Storyteller."
• Both Alcoa, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., have celebrated "Linda Goss Day."