Linda Boyden (born July 6, 1948) is an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

and

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

s writer.

Background

Born in

Attleboro, Massachusetts Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, Attleboro had a population ...

, Boyden is the daughter of Ray Simmons and Marie Dargis Simmons. She claims French-Canadian and Cherokee descent and is a member of the United Lumbee Nation, a non-profit organization that self-identifies as a Native American tribe of

Lumbee The Lumbee are a Native American people primarily centered in Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland and Scotland counties in North Carolina. They also live in surrounding states and Baltimore, Maryland. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-rec ...

descendants. 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."Book Talk: With Linda Boyden."
''Lee & Low Books.'' (retrieved 16 July 2011) In 1970, she graduated from

Framingham State College Framingham State University (Framingham State or FSU) is a public university in Framingham, Massachusetts. It offers undergraduate programs as well as graduate programs, including MBA, MEd, and MS. History As the first secretary of the newly ...

with a bachelor of science in education degree. She received a master's of education degree from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

in 1992.

Career

Boyden began teaching first grade in a school in Baltimore in 1970 and taught "on and off" for 17 years. 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.

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''. Wordcraft Circle also named ''The Blue Roses'' its Book of the Year for Children's Literature. ''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 Passaic County Community College (PCCC) is a public community college in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Campuses PCCC has four campuses located throughout the county it serves. The main campus is located in Paterson, New Jersey, and ...

. The book is also included in the

University of Wisconsin, Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

's ''Cooperative Children's Books Center Choices 2003'' list. In 2000, Boyden won the

Lee & Low Books Lee & Low Books is an independent children's book publisher focusing on diversity. History Lee & Low was founded in 1991 by Chinese Americans Tom Low and Philip Lee as a children's book publisher specializing in books featuring people of color a ...

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.

Personal life

In 1988, she married engineer John P. Boyden.

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

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

External links

Linda Boyden: Author & Storyteller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyden, Linda Living people Writers from Hawaii American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent American people of French-Canadian descent American people who self-identify as being of Lumbee descent 1948 births 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets American women children's writers American children's writers American women poets