LINDA KASS
Meet the Author
Thank you for visiting my website!
I am a writer living in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, the city where my parents, both immigrants, met, married, and settled soon after World War II. My first novel, Tasa’s Song (2016) was informed and inspired by my mother’s early life in eastern Poland. My second novel, A Ritchie Boy, released in September 2020, was sparked by my father’s role as one of thousands of young, mostly Jewish, immigrants who, with their understanding of German language and culture, were recruited to serve our country on the European front as Intelligence officers in World War II. I am so excited to bring Bessie into the world in September of 2023. Drawing on biographical and historical sources, Bessie reimagines the early life of Bess Myerson, the talented daughter of poor Russian Jewish immigrants, who, in the bigoted milieu of 1945, remarkably rises to become Miss America.
A little background: I attended Columbus public schools, and that seeded my life-long advocacy of public education. I graduated from University of Pennsylvania and have an MA degree in Journalism from The Ohio State University. I’ve worked as a magazine reporter and correspondent for regional and national publications, a magazine writing instructor at Wayne State University while briefly living in Detroit, and a corporate communications and public affairs executive within the cable television and broadcasting industries in New York City. I co-authored a book about nutrition a long time ago (The Real Life Nutrition Book; Penguin, 1992). For many years, I authored guest columns focused on education for Columbus Business First. Presently, I am an assistant editor for Narrative, an online literary magazine, and I am a member of the Editorial Board of Trillium, a regional imprint of The Ohio State University Press.
I am also a bookseller! I am the founder and owner of Gramercy Books, an independently-minded, carefully curated neighborhood bookstore located in the heart of a first-ring suburb of Columbus, Ohio called Bexley. Three years in the making, Gramercy Books opened its doors on December 12, 2016. Along with overseeing the overall direction for my bookstore, I run its active book-related events programming and, in the past six years, have produced nearly five hundred programs bringing community around books and authors! For a decade previous to founding Gramercy Books, I founded and led a visiting author program. This experience has served me well in my role leading Gramercy’s robust event schedule.
Most people in my city know me as a strong advocate of education, literacy and the arts because I’ve also led a number of civic and community organizations and served on their boards over the past several decades, including Bexley Board of Education, Bexley Education Foundation, Capital University, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Kidsohio.org, The Ohio State University, and United Way of Central Ohio. I currently serve on the boards of Kenyon Review and Ohio State University Foundation.
When I’m not working on my bookstore or writing or volunteering, I often attend concerts in both large and small venues to hear a variety of musical genres, from rock to blues, R&B, classical, and country. I am a learner at heart, so my interests extend from books and music to film, theatre, restaurants, and travel. I’ve been in a book club for over thirty years. And I am a road cyclist, with several thousand miles under my belt (or saddle) each year.
Since 2009, I’ve combined my love of cycling with a deep commitment to support cancer research by participating in an annual grass roots cycling event called Pelotonia. I completed five 100-mile rides and have personally raised more than $200,000 since I began. I’m grateful to be able to give back and honor all the family and friends for whom I ride. All of us taking part in Pelotonia have been touched by cancer and I am no different.
I am most grateful to lead a very full life, nourished by an extraordinary family, and a family of friends, both near and far.