Vicki Lindner

Biography

Vicki Lindner is a non-fiction and fiction writer and teacher who came to Surel’s Place from Denver. While in residence, Lindner revised her book, Baby, It’s You, a memoir about her romance with the only African-American in her New Jersey High School. Lindner’s compelling story and exceptional talent capture the tumult of the civil rights movement from the personal perspective of a white, liberal young woman: ”In 1960, before the Civil Rights Bill was signed, falling in love with the black track star was more than daring; it was dangerous. The place was suburban New Jersey, known to blacks as ‘The Georgia of the North.’ … Here, an interracial relationship, unlike in James Baldwin’s New York, was unthinkable. But brash and historically naïve, raised by liberal parents to believe all people were equal, I was ready to invoke controversy and drama, and imagined my rebellious idealism could conquer all.”

Lindner has been an instructor at Denver’s Lighthouse Writers program since 2009.  Before that Ms. Lindner was an assistant and associate professor for twenty years at the University of Wyoming who taught undergraduates, MFA students, and community members in a variety of settings. While at Surel’s Place, Lindner lead a three-session workshop designed to help writers embark on a rewarding journey–telling a vivid, focused story about their lives.