Well-known African-American storyteller and author Linda Goss is a Geier Foundation Visiting Professor and Artist-in-Residence at ETSU this semester.
The position of Visiting Geier Professor was designed to increase awareness among African-American scholars across the country of Tennessee’s universities and the opportunities that exist in the state.
The program allows Tennessee institutions of higher learning to recruit established and respected African-Americans as visiting professors.
Goss, who co-founded the National Association of Black Storytellers in 1982 and served as its president from 1984-91, is the author of numerous children’s books and anthologies of African-American folklore, including Talk That Talk, Jump Up and Say, The Frog Who Wanted to be a Singer and It’s Kwanzaa Time.
She has performed throughout the United States and Canada at various universities, colleges, organizations, and private, public and parochial schools.
She has been a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, and has appeared on The Today Show and at the Lincoln Center, Wolftrap Farm Park, Philadelphia Museum of Art, National Archives and Newark Art Museum.
Goss is a recording artist on Folkways Records. She 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 Day” has been proclaimed by the mayors of Washington, D.C., and her hometown of Alcoa.
During her time at ETSU, Goss will teach a three-hour course, “Talk That Talk: A Journey Through African-American Storytelling Traditions.” This course, an upper-level undergraduate/graduate special topics seminar (READ 4957/5957-002, call number 15572), will meet Thursdays and Fridays from 7-9:30 p.m. with two additional Saturday classes (9 a.m.-2 p.m.) over six different weeks in the spring semester: Jan. 27-28, Feb. 3-4, March 17-18, March 31-April 2, April 14-16, and April 28-29.
The course is offered by the ETSU Master’s Degree Program in Storytelling in the Claudius G. Clemmer College of Education, but interested students from any academic department are encouraged to participate.
Currently enrolled ETSU students may sign up for the course through the university’s normal GoldLink registration process.
For more information, call 439-7863.

Author