Linda Janet Holmes is an independent scholar, the former director of New Jersey's Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, and a women's health activist. Her writing--including articles in medical and feminist journals--has contributed to a resurgence of international recognition of the significance of African American midwifery practices. She is the coauthor (with Margaret Charles Smith) of Listen to Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife, author of A Joyous Revolt: Toni Cade Bambara, Writer and Activist, and coeditor (with Cheryl A. Wall) of Savoring the Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara. She lives in Hampton, Virginia.