Linda Back McKay grew up writing stories and poetry, but was well into adulthood before she reached a major conclusion: that she could, and should, be a writer.
The odds were stacked against the single mother of three children, who lacked any formal training or job connections. But she figured that a volunteer gig with the Minneapolis community radio station KFAI might help boost her résumé and secure a reference letter for a future writing job. She was right.
McKay parlayed her volunteer work into a series of advertising jobs, the creation of her own copywriting business, and a long career as a writer and teacher at the Loft Literary Center. She authored several books, including one — about female motorcyclists of the 1930s and 40s — that will be released posthumously.
McKay died Sept. 17 of brain cancer at her home in Minneapolis. She was 72.
David McKay, her husband of 35 years, said his wife's talent and grit were evident from the earliest days of her writing life. He met Linda McKay while working alongside her at KFAI — and eventually was the person she asked to serve as a reference when she applied for her first copywriting jobs.
"She pursued that with her usual determination and vigor," he said. "And she did get a letter of reference from me."
Raised in St. Paul and West St. Paul, McKay spent her adult life in Minneapolis. There, she raised her children, developed wide-ranging connections in the city's literary community and developed a lifelong hobby of motorcycling — always riding on the back of her husband's bike.
Daughter Michele Back said her mother was dedicated to the craft of writing, but also realistic about the economic realities of being an artist. She remembers listening to McKay cold-calling potential clients as she worked to build her copywriting business and then building up a résumé as a writing teacher, step by step.
