Linda Joy Burke

About the Artist

Performance Poet, Writer, Percussionist, Storyteller, Picture Maker, Workshop Facilitator Linda Joy Burke is a 2002 Distinguished Black Marylander Award recipient for Art from Towson University’s Office of Diversity, a 2004 Poetry for the People Baltimore Legacy Award recipient, a 2013 Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame inductee and a 2018 Women’s Giving Circle Young Women Journey Camp Leadership program, “Stand Up” award recipient and a 2021 Howard County Women’s Giving Circle (S)hero nominee. While a ward of the District Court at 15, her first poems were published in the city newspaper and she received a scholarship to a college level poetry workshop with Judson Jerome that helped to change the trajectory of her life. Some of her influences include a variety of poets, writers, and cultural critics such as: Bell Hooks, Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, Ntozake Shange, Nikki Giovanni, June Jordan, Octavia Butler, Sapphire, Toi Derricotte, Edwidge Danticat, Lucille Clifton, Zaidie Smith, the memoirs of Maya Angelou and many others. Her poetry, fiction, op-ed columns, reviews, profiles and feature stories have appeared in numerous publications or recordings. including: 2020-2021 season of the Poet and The Poem with Maryland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri,  Fledgling Rag, featured author chosen by Maryland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri on the Poetry/Photography site: http://danmurano.com/featured-poet/linda-joy, Beltway  Magazine; (www.WashingtonArts.Org)  and more. She has performed and given readings or talks sponsored by: The Howard County Poetry and Literature Society, Columbia Festival of the Arts, The Baltimore Book Festival, The Little Patuxent Review, The Howard County and Enoch Pratt Free Libraries, Baltimore’s Artscape, and a wide variety of venues that are too numerous to mention. She conducts workshops and residency programs for diverse audiences using a multi-disciplined approach for women’s groups, festivals, conferences, and is co-host of the Wilde Readings Series based in Columbia MD. You can experience her varied views at the following links. I Grew Up to Be the Neighborhood Nosy Lady  on Tumblr, Moods Minds & Multitudes  on Blogspot, and The Bird Talks Blog  on Blogspot.