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 the co-founder of The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS). She was the first president of NABS (1984-1991). She is a founding member of Keepers of the Culture, an affiliate of NABS. She is also a founding member of Patchwork: A Storytelling Guild.
She is co-author, along with her husband, Clay Goss, of The Baby Leopard book and cassette tape. They are also authors of It's Kwanzaa Time and Jump Up and Say, an anthology of African-American Storytelling. She is co-author of Talk that Talk which was selected by the Book of the Month Club's Quality Paper Back Division. Talk that Talk was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the best paperback of 1990. She is the author of The Frog Who Wanted to be a Singer and several stories, The Tree of Love, The Ghost Hunt, and Rabbit at the Waterhole.
Linda has performed throughout the United States and in Canada, including at The National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, 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 by the Mayor of Alcoa, Tennessee.
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has sponsored the "Linda Goss Program" throughout the Pittsburgh community. She is a recording artist on Folksways Records. She has created, directed, and produced "Unknown Ancestors", a Pan-African ritual that focuses on familiy unity and heritage, and "River Mama", an anthology of folk tales with music, song, and dance.
Linda has performed "River Mama" with the Shona Sharif African-American Dance Ensemble. She made her debut with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra in 1998. She developed Dreamstory for the New Jersey Chamber Music Society and has toured with them throughout the Delaware Valley. The NJ Chamber Music Society commissioned composer/jazz artist Paul Arslanian and Linda to develop her story, The Frog Who Wanted to be a Singer into a musical tale which will be performed in the 2000 and 2001 season. Linda and vocalist/composer Lynn Miller have created Wake Up Imagination, audience participation programs and workshops which involve all ages in song, storytelling, and movement. Together, they have performed throughout the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas.
Linda holds both an undergraduate and a Masters degree. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. She and her husband, playwright Clay Goss, have three children.