Linda Murphy Marshall

Linda Murphy Marshall is a multi-linguist and writer with a Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literature and an MFA in Creative Writing. Her writing has been published or is forthcoming in The Los Angeles Review, The Catamaran Literary Reader, The Ocotillo Review, Maryland Literary Review, Under the Gum Tree, Critical Read, American Writers Review, Bacopa Literary Review, Adelaide Literary Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, Sip Cup, Hobo Camp Review, and elsewhere. She was runner-up in the 2021 Blue Earth Review Flash Creative Nonfiction Contest. In addition, she is a docent at the Library of Congress, served as Translation Editor at the Los Angeles Review, and is a Trustee at the National Museum of Language.

In her work as an African language specialist, she co-authored a book on Xhosa, a South African “click” language, and acted as a consultant on another book on another South African “click” language, Sotho. In addition, she made over a dozen work trips to the continent of Africa and has been to every continent but Antarctica.

She is currently a reader for Fourth Genre, and her memoir: Ivy Lodge: A Memoir of Translation and Discovery will be published in 2022. A second memoir, Through the Windows of Words: A Memoir is in the final stages of editing.

An amateur artist, her paintings have been featured in shows at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Loudoun Academy of the Arts Foundation (Virginia), and the Columbia Art Center (Maryland). Her painting “Mirror Mirror” was featured on the cover of Adanna Literary Journal.

In addition, Dr. Marshall is a lifelong award-winning classical pianist, and, as an adolescent, played on the local public radio station in her hometown, St. Louis.

Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?

Music has always played a major role in my life, beginning when I started playing the piano at seven. It’s soothing and allows me to ease into my writing, get into “the zone,” for lack of a better phrase. I like to listen to the guitar music of Andrés Segovia and to classical piano when I write. When I’m not writing I listen to more upbeat music, especially Brazilian (Gal Costa, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil) and South African (Miriam Makeba, Soweto Gospel Choir, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo).

Have you ever experienced Imposter Syndrome?

Yes. I’ve experienced Imposter Syndrome.  I think part of the reason is that, growing up, my parents believed that the worst thing a parent could do was to raise a spoiled child. I think that, in guarding against doing that, they rarely complimented any of us, their children. Unfortunately, I interpreted their behavior to mean that I needed to try harder, do better, be better, especially when my accomplishments were downplayed or compared to those of other friends or family members. Gradually, I didn’t need my parents to point out how I had fallen short; I did it myself, even after receiving a significant accolade. Over the years, though, I’ve become better at allowing myself to enjoy achievements — big and small — to stay in the moment and feel happy about them; that has marked a significant improvement in my life.

Do you collect anything?

I come from a family of collectors (if you’ve read or plan to read Ivy Lodge, this will be apparent), and I’m no different. I used to collect foreign dolls, stamps, and dollhouse furnishings when I was growing up. When I began my career as a linguist I began collecting foreign dictionaries and now own volumes in more than 50 languages. I also collect masks I’ve picked up from my trips all over the world, primarily Africa, and have over a hundred displayed in my home. In addition, I have a large collection of nesting dolls - matryoshka dolls — and inherited many from my mother, who also collected them.

Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing?

Yes. I’ve played classical piano since I was seven years old, and even played on the public radio station back in St. Louis when I was eleven or twelve. I’m also an artist; I often carry a sketchbook with me and do little sketches. I find that I remember details better if I’ve sketched something, as opposed to taking a photograph, even if the sketch isn’t particularly accurate.

Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?

I’m a translator and multi-linguist, so languages have played an enormous role in my life. To date, I have formally studied twelve languages, but I worked with an additional half dozen or so when an assignment required it.

I do think differently in those languages; to a certain extent I feel like a different person when immersed in cultures where, for example, Spanish or Portuguese or Xhosa or Swahili are spoken. I think by definition this has to happen because the pool of word choices differs, as well as the context in which they are spoken and written.

Being a linguist and translator definitely influences my writing. Because of my translating work I’ve learned how meticulous you have to be in selecting -just- the right word, both when writing and when translating. Foreign languages have made me look carefully at what has been written, and also at my own words when I write a book or essay; the words I choose have to exactly reflect my intent.