Linda Goodman

email: happytales@aol.com
website: www.lindagoodmanstoryteller.com
phone: 804-778-7456
address: P.O. Box 1351
Chesterfield , VA 23832

Linda Goodman was born in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, where she 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 throughout the country with her original stories, traditional tales, and monologues ever since. She has appeared and taught workshops at the National Storytelling Conference, the Connecticut Storytelling Festival, the Storytelling Institute at Southern Connecticut State University, the Three Apples Festival in Harvard, Massachusetts, the Jonnycake Festival in Peacedale, Rhode Island, The New England Modern Storytelling Festival in Portland, Maine, the Corn Island Storytelling Festival in Kentucky, Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia, and Storyfest in Richmond, Virginia. Her works are known for their “Southern Appalachian” flavor, and her tape, Jessie and Other Stories, has been aired on The Story Tree, a Tennessee-based storytelling program heard on National Public Radio. The tape also received a glowing review in the August 1993 issue of the national newsletter, The Yarnspinner.

“I was born into a culture that is fading away. I feel an obligation to keep that culture alive in my stories,” she enthuses. “I also feel an obligation to people my stories with Southern Appalachian characters of intelligence and integrity. This country has a stereotype of a Southerner who is slow and unintelligent. My stories seek to dispel that stereotype.”

Linda is a member of the National Storytelling Association (NSA) and the Virginia Storytellers Alliance. She is also a past Program Coordinator of Boston’s Sharing the Fire, the largest and oldest regional storytelling conference in the country, and has served on the board of the Three Apples Storytelling Festival. She became a member of the Dramatists’ Guild in 1992, after her one act play, Empty Wells, was named a finalist in a national competition. Her stories have appeared in Storytelling World,a magazine published by Eastern Tennessee State University, Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul,Stories for the Family Heart, The Appalachian Quarterly, and in the Storytelling Youth Olympics 1997 Guidebook. Her monologue collection, Daughters of the Appalachians, was released by Overmountain Press in December 1999.

SPECIAL NOTICE: 2006 Jan 6 & 7 at 8:00 pm, Jan 8 at 5:00 pm, Jan 13 & 14 at 8:00 pm, and Jan 15 at 5:00 pm A series of monologues written by VASA storyteller Linda Goodman - Daughters of the Appalachians - Six Unique Women Directed by Marc Clopton and Arlene Barnard will be performed featuring the talent of The Actor's Studio at the Tannery, 50 Water St., Studio #5, Newburyport, MA 01950 $12.00 ($10.00 students and seniors) Call 978-465-1229 or email theatarl@earthlink.net for reservations or information.

Linda lived in New England from August, 1985 to August, 1998. While there, she was approved by the Massachusetts CulturalCouncil for inclusion on their PASS, Event and Residency, and Touring Rosters. She now resides in Richmond, Virginia. She is a certified lay speaker in the United Methodist Church, the 1995 recipient of the Excellence in Storytelling Award presented by the Storytelling Institute at Southern Connecticut State University, and a 1998 recipient of a Storytelling World Honor Award. She is a charter member of the Barter Storytellers of Abingdon, Virginia, the country’s first professional storytelling troupe associated with a professional theater.

Programs Offered
For High School through Adult Audiences:
• Daughters of the Appalachians (A series of monologues by Appalachian mountain women, all of whom give glimpses of the struggles and joys of a way of life that is fast disappearing)
• Scenes from the Dim, Smokey Past (Stories, both poignant and humorous, of growing up as seen through the dim, smoky haze of the mind's eye)
• Separate but Not Equal (Stories of segregation and the civil rights movement, with an emphasis on racial harmony)
• Rites of Passage (True stories of lessons learned and wisdom gained from life's mistakes and struggles)
• Christmas Remembered (A combination of family stories and favorite seasonal tales)
• Bible Stories (Stories from the Bible and modern-day stories with biblical themes)
• and many others!
Programs for Children and Family Audiences:
• Anna Wiggins - Mill Girl (A story of mill life in the Blackstone River Valley circa 1840)
• A little Bit of Kindness Goes a Long, Long Way
• Ordinary Heroes
• Why, Where, Who, and How: Nature's Mysteries
• Melting Pot: Tales from Around the World
• Myths, Fairy Tales, and Legends
• Tales of Mother Earth
• Shivers and Shrieks (Halloween and campfire stories)
• 'Tis the Season (Christmas stories)
• Do Unto Others (Bible stories and modern-day stories with biblical themes)
• and many others!

Workshops
• Young Yarnspinners (A how-to workshop for children)
• The Play's the Thing (An eight-week workshop that takes students through playwriting to performance)
• Storytelling in the Ministry
• Teaching Children to Tell Stories
• Patchwork Tales (making stories from fragments)
• Family and Personal Stories
• Storytelling in a Business Setting
• Maintaining Cultural Integrity
• Owning Your Tale (adapting tales and making them your own)
• Record-keeping for the Professional Artist
• Marketing for the Beginning Storyteller
• A Storytelling Journey (an intensive weekend workshop for the serious teller)

Clients
• Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington , D.C.
• Connecticut Storytelling Festival
• Three Apples Storytelling Festival , Harvard, MA
• Storyfest , Richmond, VA
• Storyfest , House of Seven Gables, Salem MA
• Jonnycake Storytelling Festival , Peace Dale, RI
• New England Modern Storytelling Festival , Windsor, ME
• Bread and Roses Heritage Festival , Lawrence, MA
• The Joseph Campbell Festival of Myth, Folklore, and Story , Milford, NH
• Sharing the Fire , Boston, MA
• Storytelling Institute at Southern Connecticut State University
• HistoricBarter Theatre, Abingdon, VA
• New England Consortium of Family and Youth (NECFY) Annual Retreat , Fairlee, VT
• DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park , Lincoln, MA
• Boston Children's Museum
• Puppet Showplace Theater , Brookline MA
• First Night Worcester
• Williamsburg Regional Library , Williamsburg, VA
• University of Connecticut
• New York University
• Emerson College
• Framingham State College
• Open U, Inc. , Minneapolis, MN
• Melungeon First Union , Wise, VA
• Schools, libraries, churches and conferences throughout the East Coast

Testimonials
I just finished reading Pearl in the Summer/Fall issue of Storytelling World....It is a powerful story and I wanted to thank you for sharing it."
--Carol Huebner, Producer, The Story Tree
"You have captured the dialect, the intonations, the unique expressions, and the imagery of the colloquial speech and culture unique to this section of Appalachia, but also connect with emotions and characters that are universal. It is a rare talent that can accomplish both."
--Rev. Ashley M. Calhoun, Appalachia, VA
"Imagination and heartfelt expression make the tales of Hudson-based storyteller Linda Goodman unforgettable."
--Craig Harris, The Boston Globe
"On a rating from 1 to 10, I give you a 10."
--Ryan Mancini, 6th grader at Hale School, Stow, MA
"We have many excellent storytellers coming to my institutes, but it seems quite apparent that you are the highlight. You are the storyteller that sweeps listeners off their feet. You strike a chord in every listener's heart."
--Gwendolyn Nowlan, Artistic Director, Storytelling Institute, S. Connecticut State University
"She sang about Sody Sallyraytus, imitated a bear sticking his derriere into ice water, and told a somewhat different version of Jack and the Beanstalk....all to the delight of her young audience."
--Karen Nugent, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
"I received many compliments on your performance, and was thrilled to see that the children who attended were so entranced by your tales."
--Maria Lockheardt, Director of Member Services, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park
"I felt strongly that we could offer no better service than to bring you to the Twin Cities."
--Bob Walling, President, Open U, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
"More than just a writer and teller of tales, Goodman has the uncanny ability to become her characters. A vengeful girl, a bigoted father, a store owner who nightly gave milk to a haint (ghost) -- Goodman showed us all these people by changing her voice and body language."
--Beth Surdut, The Harvard Spirit
On Workshops:
"Linda Goodman's workshop was the best storytelling workshop that I have attended. Her material and presentation was healing and uplifting, and I learned new techniques that I can use in the classroom."
--Danielle Daniel, actress/storyteller/playwright, Saint Paul, Minnesota
"Linda 's workshop was excellent. Get her back for more classes. I can't say enough about her."
--Terry McDaniel, Minneapolis, MN
"The exercises Linda offered were perfect for developing our skills. Her sharing of her own stories gave us a wonderful example to aspire to. Linda Goodman is a treasure!"
--Richard Schooley, Minneapolis, MN
"The storytelling workshop you led at Richer School was well received by both students and teachers."
--Melanie Gathers, Cultural Art Series Coordinator, Richer School, Marlborough, MA
"You were terrific! Everyone loved your session."
--Phyllis Trincia, Northborough/Southborough Regional School District ,Teacher's Workshop