ABOUT TERRY
Biography
Terry A. O'Neal is a bestselling author, poet, and educator whose work has been featured in magazines, journals, and newspapers worldwide. Recognized as one of the most influential African American female writers of our time, O'Neal was named among the Top 100+ Most Admired African American Women in Literature in the book Literary Divas—a distinction given to women who have left a lasting impact on literature and culture.
O'Neal’s body of work spans across multiple genres, including three poetry collections—Motion Sickness, The Poet Speaks in Black, and Good Mornin’ Glory—as well as two children's books, Ev’ry Little Soul and My Jazz Shoes. Her award-winning Southern fiction novel Sweet Lavender garnered critical acclaim, and her 2014 release, The Sparrow’s Plight: Woes of a 21st Century Black Poet, includes an introduction by renowned writer Rudolph Lewis.
Drawing inspiration from the powerful voices of the Harlem Renaissance, O’Neal’s work is shaped by poets like Langston Hughes, Carolyn M. Rodgers, and Gwendolyn Brooks. Their honest reflections of Black life, identity, and social reality continue to echo through her writing. Like Hughes, she leans into the rhythm and cadence of everyday Black life, while Brooks’ quiet, observant lens informs the emotional depth of her work. Rodgers’ focus on identity and resistance also finds its way into her voice. Written in what Terry A. O’Neal calls Sepia Modernism, her work carries these influences forward, bringing the past into the present without dressing it up, just truth, as it is, making her writing both a continuation and an evolution of that literary tradition.
Her poetry has resonated across borders, earning international recognition in countries such as Africa, Iran, Jamaica, Australia, Canada, Bermuda, and throughout the U.S. In 2004, her work was translated into Persian and featured in Golestaneh, a respected Persian magazine. Her creative voice has also been spotlighted on PBS, CNN, KVIE, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, FOX, and many other media platforms.
Beyond her literary achievements, O'Neal is deeply committed to mentoring young people. Through her independent publication, Make Some Noise! A Youth Poetry Anthology, she encourages adolescents aged 12–18 to find their voices and share their stories. In 2017, she released Make Some Noise IV: A Baton Rouge Youth Poetry Anthology, which includes works by local teens reflecting on the Baton Rouge police shootings, the 2016 Louisiana flood, social justice, and the personal challenges youth face in today's world.
O’Neal is also the founder of the Chloe African American Cemetery Preservation Association, a grassroots initiative devoted to restoring and protecting historic burial grounds, preserving ancestral memory, and honoring the lives and legacies rooted in the land. She is also the founder of the National Black History Bee, a trivia competition designed to engage students in African American history.
A passionate advocate for educational initiatives, O'Neal has also made her mark as a screenwriter, contributing to the writing team for the second season of the ABC daytime docu-series Home Sweet Home Hampton Roads.
Her upcoming projects include the novel Unloving, the documentary Hope of Finding Son: The Maurice Red Jefferson Story, and a stage play adaptation of her novel Sweet Lavender.
O'Neal continues to use her writing as a powerful tool for change, advocating for youth empowerment and cultural awareness while sharing stories that inspire and provoke thought.
