Linda Gorham, Storyteller

Multicultural Folktales & Trickster Tales

Fun, meaningful, and incredibly interactive. (all ages)

Twisted Fairy Tales

Linda’s twists on familiar stories are full of surprises. (all ages)

Halloween Tales: Creepy and Funny

You’ll laugh and jump! (all ages)

Jumping on Grandma’s Plastic Covered Couch

Linda’s humorously heartfelt and poignant stories about family, love and self-identity. (adult)

African American Heroes and Sheroes

As a backdrop to her own family’s dreams and goals, Linda reveals the stories of African American men and women who, over the past 100 years, broke color barriers and had noteworthy accomplishments – often despite difficult circumstances. Gorham incorporates her family’s stories, music, personal narrative, quotes, and interesting facts to commemorate their achievements.

This program includes Scott Joplin, Carter G. Woodson, Janet Collins, Misty Copeland, Marshall “Major” Taylor, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Usher, Jesse Owens, Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson, Ruby Bridges, The Little Rock Nine, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Beyonce, A. Philip Randolph, and more. (middle school and up)

Every Song Has a Story: Black Music’s Impact on America

Can you hear them? Can you hear the notes, the beats, the unique musical rhythms, and messages of the African American experience? Linda will take you on a musical journey over the past 100 years as she tells the stories behind influential songs by Black artists that shaped American music and American attitudes.

Songs include Black & Blue (Louis Armstrong), Lift Every Voice (James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson), My Country Tis of Thee (Marion Anderson), Strange Fruit (Billie Holiday), The Twist (Chubby Checker), Happy Birthday (Stevie Wonder), What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye), Respect (Aretha Franklin), and Say It Loud (James Brown). (adult)

Wilma Rudolph & Andy Stanfield, Olympic Heroes

Wilma and Andy (Linda’s uncle) won gold medals –  Olympians who overcame adversity to become national heroes. (all ages)

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

In 1955, in a simple act of defiance, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Linda tells the story from the point of view of Rosa Parks, the bus driver, and 15-year-old teenager Claudette Colvin, who also did not give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. (4th grade – adults)

The Little Rock Nine & School Integration

In the fall of 1957 nine African American teenagers became known as The Little Rock Nine when they volunteered to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Linda tells this story from four points of view to create a compelling and accurate experience. (middle school and up)

Loving vs. Virginia

In 1958 Richard and Mildred Loving left Virginia to marry in Washington, D.C. They hoped to evade Virginia’s anti-miscegenation law. Linda’s performance brings Mildred to life. It was inspired by the book Loving vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell, and told with permission. (middle school and up)

The Story of Ruby Bridges

In 1960 African American six-year-old Ruby Bridges was legally assigned to attend first grade at a formerly all-white elementary school in New Orleans. In protest, the entire school boycotted. Ruby sat in a classroom with no other students, only her teacher, for the entire school year. (all ages)

Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King was highly influenced by experiences growing up in the south.
Linda tells the story of King’s youth and teenaged years. (4th grade and up)