Linda Lee Harper is an American writer, who taught at University of Tennessee and University of South Carolina-Aiken for 24 years.
Background
Linda was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. She grew up in Cincinnati and southern Indiana, technically, Yankeeland. But she also spent much time with her mother’s mom, Ethel, born in Nashville, raised in Florence, Alabama. She spoke often and lovingly of the south, its heritage as one Linda shared, and that all things were more civilized, less harsh and people kinder there. In short, she left a residual certainty in Linda that being Southern was a blessing and one Linda should nurture.
Education
Linda received B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1982; M.F.A. in 1985.
Career
After graduation, Linda Lee Harper taught at the University of Tennessee over Knoxville’s Continuing Education program, and at the University of South Carolina-Aiken. Her published works include A Failure of Loveliness (1994), Toward Desire (1996), The Wide View (1998) and others.
Her work has appeared most recently in The Georgia Review, Nimrod, The Seneca Review, Rattle, and 85 other journals. She currently is working on a collection of short stories and a third poetry collection at her home on Lake Murray, South Carolina.
Views
Quotations:
"Humor is what keeps us all from taking ourselves so dreadfully seriously. The universe certainly does not, so why should we? When we cease to be able to laugh at ourselves, we truly capitulate, maybe irreversibly, to the dark side. So, I welcome humor in when it knocks on my door.''