Born Linda McNear, near the Smoky Mountains in Alcoa, Tennessee, she lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she is the "Official Storyteller of the city."

A pioneer and one of the leading experts in contemporary storytelling, Linda and Mary Carter-Smith are the founders of "In the Tradition..." National Black Storytelling Festival and Conference. She was the Director for the festival when it came to Philadelphia in 1984. Linda Goss is also a co-founder of The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS). She was the first president of NABS (1984-1991). She is a founding members of Keepers of the Culture, an affiliate of NABS. She is also a founding member of Patchwork: A storytelling Guild. In 2003 was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Storytelling Nbetwork.

She is co-author along with her husband, Clay Goss, of The Baby Legend book and cassette tape (Bantam). They are also authors of It's Kwanzaa Time (Putnam), Jump Up and Say, an anthology of African-American Storytelling, which was selected by the Book of the Month Club's-Quality Paper Back Division. And Talk that Talk was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the best paperbacks of 1990. She is the author of The Frog Wanted to be a Singer (Orchard Books), her story, "The Tree of Love", is in I Hear a Symphony, Woods and Liddle (Anchor/Doubleday Books). He Story, "The Ghost Hunt" is in the anthology, The Ghost and I (Yellow Moon Press), and her story, "Rabbit at the Waterhole" is featured in Joining In, an anthology of audience participation stories (Yellow Moon Press).

Linda has performed throughout the United States and in Canada, at various Universities, Colleges, Private, Public and Parochial Schools and Organizations. She has performed at The National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, Lincoln Center, Wolftrap Farm Park, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution (Discovery Theater), Walt Whitman Cultural Art Center, Anacostia Museum, National Archives, Baltimore Museum of Art and Newark Art Museum. She has appeared on The Today Show, and has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Essence Magazine and also on the covers of Learning Magazine and American Visions. "Linda Goss Day" has been proclaimed by the Mayor of Washington D.C. and the Mayor of Alcoa, TN. She is the author of "The Traveling Storyteller", featured in On the Horizon, Silver Burdett-Ginn Reader Series, for elementary schools third grade level.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has sponsored the "Linda Goss Program" throughout the Pittsburgh community. She is a recording artist on Folkways Records. Linda has created, directed, and produced "Unknown Ancestors", a Pan-African ritual that focuses on family unity and heritage, and "River Mama", an anthology of folktales with music, song, and dance.

Linda Goss has performed River Mama with Shona Sharif African-American Dance Ensemble. She made her debut with Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra in 1998. She developed Dreamstory for the New Jersey Chamber Music Society and she has toured with them throughout the Delaware Valley. The N.J. Chamber Music Society commissioned composer/jazz artist Paul Arslanian and Linda to develop her story, The Frog Who Wanted to become a Singer into a musical tale which was performed in the 2000 and 2001 season. Linda and Vocalist/Composer Lynn Miller have created Wake Up Imagination, audience participation programs and workshops, which involves all ages in song, storytelling and movement. Together, they have performed throughout the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas.

Linda and Clay Goss' book, The Baby Leopard, was the inspiration foe the African-like fabric patterns designed by Fine Arts Illustrator, Gretchen Shannon, which was developed by Hi-Fashion.

Linda holds an undergraduate degree from Howard University, Washington, D.C. and a Masters degree from Antioch University, Athens, Yellow Springs, OHIO. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. She is married to playwright, Clay Goss. They have three children. It's Storytelling Time!

Linda Goss
6653 Sprague Street
Philadelphia, PA 19119
(215)844-5017
e-mail: lindagoss84@hotmail.com