Awards

Linq was awarded "OUTstanding OUTMusician" at the 7th Annual OUTMusic Awards Show in May, 2011 !

The OUTstanding OUTMusician category is voted on based upon both the artist’s music and accompanying activism. Linq was one of the nominees in this category in 2009 for her song “Change the Picture,” and this year she took home the title for her latest release, “Oh Bully.”

Linq phased out her career as a pharmacist and independent pharmacy owner to pursue a music career at the age of 55. Ignoring the “Are you crazy?” comments from customers and friends alike, she boldly struck forth on a new path without looking back.

In between writing the typical love/loss tunes, she found herself focusing upon the issues of the day in an attempt to somehow make the world a better place through her music. This burgeoned into activism in several areas, especially around issues of LGBT equality. Her stories are thought-provoking political rallying cries for change, both by exposing injustice and by inviting the listener to participate.

Linq turned the former pharmacy space into a bookstore to remain active in her community, and she hosts events there which also encompass her vision, including an Annual 4-Part LGBT Pride Series she hosts with Allen Young that encourages open discussion with a diverse audience.

“Oh Bully” was written to address the newly coined term ‘bullycide’ as the media has finally brought more nationwide visibility to the ongoing tragedy of teen suicide, disproportionately prevalent in LGBT youth.

Massachusetts signed one of the most comprehensive school bullying prevention programs in the country into law in 2010, and Linq provided input at the local level as the school system worked out their nuts-and-bolts plan to be approved and implemented in 2011. This input brought her to the attention of Quabbin Mediation.

Quabbin Mediation’s innovative “Training Active Bystanders” program (TAB) is being used at local schools to facilitate students, teachers, and counselors to be proactive on the spot in a nonviolent way to diffuse situations involving bullying. They invited Linq to become involved, and she is currently part of a committee putting together a songwriting contest for TAB-trained musicians using TAB elements in their lyrics.

Quabbin Mediation provides TAB training programs to interested schools in the Massachusetts area, with services available at different levels.
http://quabbinmediation.org/html/tab.html

Thanks to an opportunity presented through Linq’s Songsalive! (www.songsalive.org) membership, she was chosen as one of the artists to be depicted on the cover of the 2012 edition of the Indie Bible (www.indiebible.com), a great source of information for independent musicians. And kudos to her friend, graphic design artist, and photographer Lisa Hoag (www.lisahoag.com) for capturing the shot that made the grade.