Poetry Education
BA, English and Creative Writing, Bennington College, Vermont, USA, 1963
MA with Distinction, The Writing School, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2001
Between 1990 and 2000, Linda attended a residential Arvon course each year. She also attended many Poetry School courses in London and Manchester.

Poetry Teaching
Linda taught poetry writing and performance at the Arden School of Theatre for several years, as well as poetry workshops for undergraduates at MMU. For many years she taught on the MA at MMU. She also taught weekly courses for The Poetry School in Manchester of which she was Programme Co-ordinator. Linda led workshops for high school teachers on how to teach creative writing and also taught high school students. She regularly led weeklong residential poetry writing courses in Spain and Greece.

Other Poetry Roles
Coordinator, The Poetry School Manchester
Linda developed the Manchester branch of the Poetry School, which offered a programme of full day workshops, weekly evening courses, lectures and readings by well-known guest poets.

Originator, Poets and Players
Poets and Players is a continuing platform for new poets to perform alongside established poets and musicians in Manchester. Events take place at the Whitworth Art Gallery and other venues in Manchester.

Prizes
Surrey Open Competition, judge Pauline Stainer, 1994, First Prize
Kent and Sussex Open Competition, 1994, Runner Up
Lancaster Literary Festival Competition, 1993, Winner
Exeter Poetry Prize, judged by Lawrence Sail, 1998, Commended
Dulwich Poetry Competition, judge, Maura Dooley, 1998, First Prize
Cardiff International Competition, judge, Dannie Abse, 1999, Second Prize
Peterloo Competition 2001 and Davoren Hanna competition 2002, Commended
Poetry London Competition 2007, Commended
The National Poetry Competition 2007, Commended

Collections
Young Men Dancing, pamphlet, published in 1993 by Smith/Doorstop (the title poem of the pamphlet was included in The Forward Book of Poetry 1994)
These Goodbyes, collection, published in 1995 by Fatchance
The Wedding Spy, collection, published in 2001 by Carcanet
Younger Men Have Birthdays Too, a sequence of 44 poems in PN Review, 2004
Extended Family, collection, published in 2006 by Carcanet
Not Many Love Poems, collection, published in 2011 by Carcanet

Publication in Periodicals and Anthologies
Linda published poems in many journals and magazines in the UK. These include Poetry Review, PN Review, Orbis, Ambit, Scratch, Tears in the Fence, The North, Iron, Verse, The Rialto, Blue Cage, Spectrum, Fire, Iota, Rustic Rub, Fatchance, Poetry Nottingham, Odyssey, Frogmore Papers, Ramraid Extraordinaire, the Wide Skirt, Envoi, Smiths Knoll, Terrible Work, Staple, Spokes and Riding the Meridian (Internet).

Linda contributed to three anthologies edited by Carol Ann Duffy, another by Phil Bowen and another by Caroline Roberts and also New Poetries by Carcanet.

Readings
Linda read at the Exeter Poetry Festival, the Manchester Poetry Festival, Ripchester Musical Festival, the Royal Exchange Studio, The Friends Meeting House for the Dechen Buddhists, The Portico Library, The Central Library, Waterstones, Blackwells, The European Congress of Tai Chi in Hungary, Poetry at the Albert in Huddersfield, Torriano Poets in London, The Poetry School London, the Poetry Café in London, The Artsmill in Hebden Bridge, No Point in Not Being Friends, Manchester, For Folk’s Sake, The Manchester Art Gallery, The Octagon Theatre, Bolton University and many readings in conjunction with her teaching at Arden School of Theatre and Manchester Metropolitan University, as well as readings connected with prizes. She also read each year in Northern California.

Commission
In 2008 Linda was commissioned to write poems inspired by works of art in the Contemporary and Modern Collection of Manchester Art Gallery for the Manchester Literature Festival. She also led a weekend writing workshop and gave a public reading.

General Background
Theatre designer and costume maker, San Francisco, 1963-1968
Community Artist, theatre design and costume, 1968-1980
Tour Administrator, Suitcase Circus, Edinburgh, 1970’s
Adventure Playground volunteer organiser, Edinburgh 1974-1978
Principal Instructor, Village Hall Tai Chi School, Manchester, 1980-1998
Founding Editor, Cahoots magazine, North West Guide to Alternatives 1982-1987
Founding member of the Tai Chi Union for Great Britain, 1983
Founding Chairperson of the Tai Chi Forum for Health, 2000-2003
Course Director for the Tai Chi Forum for Health, 2003 to 2005