Linda Goodman, a Virginia Appalachian Mountain native of Melungeon descent, learned the art of storytelling from her father, a former coal miner who was himself a master yarnspinner. She began writing her own stories while she was in elementary school and continues to be a prolific writer to this day. In November 1988, while she was living in Enfield, Connecticut, she rediscovered the “oral tradition” while attending the first annual Tellabration!™. She has been entertaining audiences of all ages throughout the country with her original stories, traditional tales, and monologues ever since.

Her works are known for their “Southern Appalachian” flavor, and her CDs, “Jessie and Other Stories” and “Bobby Pins,” have received glowing reviews and have been aired on several NPR programs. Her one-woman show, “Daughters of the Appalachians,” was published as a book in 1999 and has been performed as a play by theater in five states.

Linda lived in New England from August, 1985 to August, 1998. While there, she served on the boards of the Connecticut Storytelling Center, LANES, and the Three Apples Storytelling Festival. She has lived in Waxhaw, North Carolina since January 2013. She is the 1995 recipient of the Excellence in Storytelling Award, presented by the Storytelling Institute at Southern Connecticut State University, as well as the recipient of 6 Storytelling World Awards. Linda has appeared on the Exchange Place Stage at the National Storytelling Festival and as Teller In Residence of the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN.