[5] She grew up in a large storytelling family, and often cites tales heard from her Granddaddy Murphy and Uncle Buster as her earliest influences.
[7] Goss's interest in the oral tradition began when she was in high school, working on an assignment to interview the oldest person she knew.
[2] She graduated from Charles M. Hall High School in 1965, and went on to study drama at Howard University,[2] earning her bachelor's degree in 1969.
[8] While at Howard, she acted in a play opposite Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, and participated in the experimental Theater Black troupe, performing the works of Leroi Jones and Norman Jordan.
[9] Goss's storytelling is influenced by folk tales, poetry, history, and musical forms including jazz, gospel, and country.
[2] She sees storytelling as a "tool for social change": a responsive and flexible art form that can be adapted and transformed to fit the immediate context of the teller and the audience.
[2] Other storytellers, artists, and scholars of folklore were sources of encouragement and community, including Brother Blue, Stephen Henderson, Sonia Sanchez,[6][9] Ella Jenkins, Jackie Torrence, and Mary Carter Smith.
[11] She also appeared on The Today Show and was profiled in several major newspapers including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, as well as in Essence magazine.