Linda Boyden

Linda Boyden
Boyden with her book Powwow's Coming in 2020
Born (1948-07-06) July 6, 1948 (age 76)
Attleboro, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Poet
  • Children's books writer
Years active1970–present
Spouse
John P. Boyden
​
(m. 1988)​

Linda Boyden (born July 6, 1948)[1] is an American poet and children's books writer.

Background

Born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, Boyden is the daughter of Ray Simmons and Marie Dargis Simmons.[1] She is of French-Canadian and Cherokee descent and is a member of the United Lumbee Nation.[2] As a child, she told stories to her dolls and to younger children. Enjoyment of reading led her to wish that she could be a writer.[3][4] In 1970, she graduated from Framingham State College with a bachelor of science in education degree. She received a master's of education degree from the University of Virginia in 1992.

Career

Boyden began teaching first grade in a school in Baltimore in 1970 and taught "on and off" for 17 years.[3] Her career focus shifted to writing after she and her husband moved to Maui in 1997. The first acceptance of her work by a publisher came in 2000.[3]

Awards

Boyden received both the First Place Award and an Honorable Mention for her poems in the 5th Annual Pleasanton Poetry, Prose & Arts Festival. She was named Writer of the Year for Children's Books, 2002-2003 by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers.[citation needed] Wordcraft Circle also named The Blue Roses its Book of the Year for Children's Literature.[5] The Blue Roses has received the 2003 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, in the pre-K-3 division, sponsored by The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College. The book is also included in the University of Wisconsin, Madison's Cooperative Children's Books Center Choices 2003 list.[citation needed] In 2000, Boyden won the Lee & Low Books first New Voices Award for her book The Blue Roses. The award was accompanied by a contract for publication and a $1,000 cash grant.[2]

Personal life

In 1988, she married engineer John P. Boyden.[1]

Books by Linda Boyden or containing her work

Children's books

  • The Blue Roses, Lee and Low Books, 2002.
  • Powwow's Coming, University of New Mexico Press, 2007[5]

Anthologies

  • Woven on the Wind: Women Write about Friendship in the Sagebrush West, Linda Hasselstrom, Gaydell Collier, Nancy Curtis (Editors), Mariner Books, 2001.
  • Through the Eye of the Deer, Carolyn Dunn & Carol Comfort (Editors), Consortium Books, 1999.
  • Maui Muses, Vol. II, edited by Maui Live Poets, 1997.


Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c "Boyden, Linda 1948-". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "'Roses': Book's originality earns praise". The Honolulu Advertiser. Hawaii, Honolulu. May 4, 2002. p. E 6. Retrieved October 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Coming up 'Roses'". The Honolulu Advertiser. Hawaii, Honolulu. May 4, 2002. p. E 1. Retrieved October 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Book Talk: With Linda Boyden." Archived 2010-12-28 at the Wayback Machine Lee & Low Books. (retrieved 16 July 2011)
  5. ^ a b "New Children's Book". Albuquerque Journal. New Mexico, Albuquerque. December 16, 2007. p. 56. Retrieved October 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.