Author Spotlight: Nathaniel Terrell

 

Poet Nathaniel Terrell 

Is There Not a Cause? by Nathaniel Terrell 

Available at Atmosphere Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

About the Poet

Nathaniel Terrell is an author, poet, writer and artist. He is currently promoting a collection of poems titled,  Is there not a cause, published by Atmosphere Press.  Other of his work has been in publications and online platforms including New Plains Review, Maudlin House, Nine Cloud Journal, Havik, Finding The Birds, Connecting Perspectives, Lifewriting.com, The Inside Interviews, Open Mic Night Poetry Podcast and more. He resides in Western, NY.

Poet Nathaniel Terrell is the author of Is There Not a Cause? Check out my interview with this poet!

Congratulations on your new book! Tell me about your latest work? What inspired it? 

NT: Thank you. Is there not a cause is a collection of poems that speak from time and experience, pain, loss, hope, calls for change, reflection and a creative voice within. This powerful manuscript was written over a span of six years. I incorporated much of what I was going through during that period. My imagination along with the social and political climates in this country and around the world were big inspirations as well

How did you get started as an author/ poet? 

NT: Putting lyrics together and writing songs and stories are things I could do as far back as my teens. But I didn't get serious and commit to becoming an author and poet until the end 2008.

Who are your favorite authors? Poets?

NT: Gil Scott Heron, Tupac Shakur, Edgar Allen Poe, King David, Erica LaShei

What has your writing life been like during the pandemic? Do you have a writing schedule? If yes, please explain. 

NT: It seems like during the pandemic I've noticed more opportunities for writers to be published. I really don't have a schedule, most of my time lately has been promoting, entering and competing for various book awards. And I am putting together drafts for my next collection.

What themes are most present in your work and why?

NT: Growth, dealing with pain, regret, faith, love, injustice and scenes of life.

These themes are most present in my work because at some point in many of our lives these are the things we endure. Many times the weight of these occurrences can make life difficult. My goal as a writer is to encourage anyone who reads my book to not give up and that oftentimes life can be unpleasant but you are not alone.

How do you connect with readers and your overall audience/ fan base? 

NT: I think it's a combination of passion, creativity and that I bare my soul through words, songs and stories. Also I feel like people connect because I ask questions and try to present my words in a way that causes the reader/listener to think and feel.

What are a few tips you have for new poets or authors?

NT: Sign up or use Submittable. This platform has connected me with the majority of the presses/publications/journals and online platforms that have published my work. Don't allow the rejections to break your spirit or discourage you. Understand rejection is part of the process!

Believe in yourself and your abilities. Maintain the commitment to perfect your craft

Where else has your writing been featured?

NT: Maudlin House, New Plain Review, Finding The Birds, Connecting Perspectives, Havik, Nine Cloud Journal, Open Mic Night Poetry Podcast, Lifewriting.com, UHyped Radio and more.

What’s next for you?

NT: I plan to continue to promote and sell my book. Also create more content for my social media pages. I have more interviews lined up and several book reviews that will be published soon.

Where can we find your work? Where can we follow or “fan” you?

NT: Follow me on Instagram @life.mid. Also follow me on Facebook, YouTube, and Reverbnation. You can find my book at Atmosphere Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

ARTICLE: Are Teen Novels Dark and Depraved?



My answer to this, after taking a very thorough young adult lit class and participating in many in depth discussions during my MFA studies is - "no" with a hint of "yes."  The darkness and depravity is what so many readers love.  If there's no conflict, where is the journey for the reader?  I say "no" to the question understanding that, just because there is "dark matter" in a story, doesn't make it harmful.  The story line can provoke a reader to research the subject, feel validated about what he/she is going through and share what they're learning.  Other than that most of these epic, series novels are pretty darned entertaining.  What teen who's living a dull, routine life wouldn't want to get lost in the life drama of Bella (Twilight) or Katniss (Hunger Games)?

YA novels like other genres of literature represent the ups and down of human experience.  Kids are certainly not immune to ups and downs.  YA fiction is here to tell the story of the sometimes forgotten segments of our society: teens.  These stories remind us with both fun and heart wrenching details, about all the embarrassments, love sickness,  fantasy, neverending phases, betrayal, denial, psycho-drama, witchery, bitchery, and trickery that can occur in the life (real or imagined) of any teen. 

I read Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I don't think it's any more dark or violent than say, Lord of the Flies by William Golding which is considered a classic.  Every generation has their batch of popular books filled with vengeance, violence, food addiction, prejudice, sexual activity and other themes that we (adults) say has no place in the life or mind of a teen. 

Like violent, mindless video games and rated "R" movies, it's a parent's job to know and manage what their teen is viewing, reading and absorbing.  And it's the author's job to keep the stories coming.  Many adults read and enjoy YA books, so they're definitely not just for kids.  Some of my favorite movies from my teen years were all about teens and their angst.  Who could forget "Pretty In Pink", "The Breakfast Club," "Weird Science," "Lost Boys," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and other teen cult classics.  There's not much difference in these films and the YA books/films that we have today.

Karen Springen's article definitely poses a question that has been tossed around, I'm sure, for years.

From Publishers Weekly
Are Teen Novels Dark and Depraved — or Saving Lives?

By Karen Springen
Jun 09, 2011

It’s been an interesting week in the teen-lit world. On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal published a story that said modern YA novels were “rife with depravity” and “so dark that kidnapping and pederasty and incest and brutal beatings are now just part of the run of things.” The piece immediately set off an Internet frenzy. That night, 13 Little Blue Envelopes author Maureen Johnson started the #YAsaves hashtag with this tweet: “Did YA help you? Let the world know how! Tell your story with a #YAsaves tag. And copy the @wsj for good measure.” Within hours, #YAsaves got 15,000 responses from regular readers and from such big-name writers as Judy Blume and Neil Gaiman. Bloggers — but also writers at major news outlets such as National Public Radio and New York magazine — weighed in.
 The brouhaha is likely to heat up again soon when, according to Meghan Cox Gurdon, author of the story, the Wall Street Journal will “probably” publish a Part Two.  CLICK TO CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE

EVENT: NCTE CCCC Convention Writing Reclaimed & Revisited

Friday, March 19, 2010 12noon
Featured Panel: Writing Reclaimed and Remixed: The Melding of Activism and Art

Panelists: DuEwa Frazier, Sophia Quintero, and JLove Calderon
Chair: Elisa Marie Norris

Panel Description:

This session features novelists and poets who are also activists. The panel focuses on what it means to remix the creative and bring activism into popular realms.

Bios:

DuEwa Frazier

DuEwa Frazier is a writer, poet, author, performer, speaker and educator from St. Louis. She is the author of two volumes of poetry: Shedding Light From My Journeys and Stardust Tracks on a Road. DuEwa is the editor and publisher of the 2007 NAACP Image Award nominated publication, Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets & Emcees. She earned the B.A. in English at Hampton University and the M.S.Ed. in Curriculum & Teaching – Literacy at Fordham University. DuEwa is now pursuing the M.F.A. in Creative Writing degree at The New School. She is a Contributing Writer for MahoganyButterfly.com and founder of two blogs: Rhymes, Views & News and Mocha Beauty Goes Green.

DuEwa has been a featured poet, author and speaker at numerous programs and institutions including: University of Pennsylvania Kelly Writers House, Temple University Sisters Defining Sisters Conference, The Harlem Book Fair, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Indianapolis Book Festival, Howard University Bookstore, Read Out Loud! Family Literacy Festival, and many others. In 2002, she founded Lit Noire Publishing, a creative arts and publishing organization. Since then, DuEwa has produced and hosted numerous community based poetry and literature talks in the Tri-State area and other locations including bookstores in Baltimore, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Atlanta. She has given professional consultation for writers and entrepreneurs in the areas of self publishing and public relations. DuEwa is the host of an internet radio show titled, Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio. She resides in New York.

Paper title: Finding the Warrior Within: Truth Telling and Writing Yourself Into Being


Sofia Quintero

After graduating from Columbia University with a BA in history-sociology and an MPA from its School of International and Public Affairs, Sofia Quintero began her first career as a policy analyst and advocate. She worked for various nonprofit organizations and government agencies including the Vera Institute of Justice, Hispanic AIDS Forum, and the New York City Independent Budget Office. After years of working on diverse policy issues, however, Sofia heeded her muse to pursue an entertainment career.

Determined to write edgy yet intelligent novels for women who love hip hop even when hip hop fails to love them in return, Sofía wrote her debut novel Explicit Content under the pen name “Black Artemis.” Since then Sofia has penned two more Black Artemis novels (Picture Me Rollin’ and Burn) and has been by critics of all stripes for creating stories that are both intelligent and entertaining.

Sofia also writes contemporary women’s fiction under her real name. Her debut novella “The More Things Change” appears in Friday Night Chicas the first chick-lit anthology by and about Latinas. Her novel Divas Don’t Yield was published in March 2006 by One World/Random House.

Sofia co-founded Chica Luna Productions to identify, develop and support other women of color seeking to make socially conscious entertainment. Sofia Quintero is a socially conscious entrepreneur and cultural activist devoted to elevating the quality of entertainment both through her personal initiatives and business ventures. With her business partner Elisha Miranda, she founded Sister Outsider Entertainment, a multimedia production company that is developing several projects for television, film and stage including the upcoming Internet series Sangria Street. SOE also co-created “Conscious Women Rock The Page” with Marcella Runell Hall and Jennifer Jlove Calderon. Conscious Women is a cutting-edge multidisciplinary curriculum that enables socially conscious educators to introduce feminist hip hop fiction into their learning environments and use it to incite social change among their students.

This fall Knopf will publish Sofia’s first young adult novel Efrain’s Secret about a Latino boy in the South Bronx who goes to questionable extremes to realize his dream of going to an Ivy League college.

Paper title: Beyond Keepin’ It Real: Writing The Feminist Hip-Hop Novel



JLove Calderon

As an author, educator, activist, and Certified Empowerment Facilitator, JLove Calderon has worked passionately on social justice, race, and gender issues for over 15 years. In settings that range from hip hop ciphers to the college classroom, JLove is widely respected for her advocacy of “truth, love, and freedom” for everyday people, especially young people, women and girls, and lovers of hip hop culture.

JLove has authored three books: We Got Issues!; That White Girl; and Conscious Women Rock the Page! Using Hip-Hop Fiction to Incite Social Change. Her articles on hip hop culture, white privilege, and social justice have appeared in The New York Times, Self Magazine, The Source Magazine, among other traditional and new media outlets. She has also contributed to two anthologies: Who’s Your Mama? The Unsung Voices of Women and Mothers (edited by Yvonne Bynoe), and The Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Literature (edited by Tarshia L. Stanley).

As an activist and personal life coach, JLove has helped create practical models for living that are designed to empower people of all backgrounds. Her knowledge is informed by her years of working as a counselor in teen shelters. She has also taught at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice for over a decade. When she is not writing, JLove serves as the Project Director of 1+1+1=ONE, an arts and social transformation not-for-profit where she focuses on two programs: the We Got Issues! Leadership Institute for Young Women, and the Eradicating Racism program. For her consistent dedication, JLove has received numerous awards, including the Union Square Award for her activism, and Self Magazine’s Self Starter of the Year Award.

JLove graduated Cum Laude from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Africana Studies and received her Master’s Degree in Education from Long Island University. Currently, she lives in New York with her husband Hector Calderon and their two sons.

Paper title: No Matter What!: Turning Your Passion and Pipedreams into Becoming an Award Winning Author & Beyond





Copyright © 1998-2010 National Council of Teachers of English. All rights reserved in all media.

A New Year to Create, Live & Learn!!!

So thankful for another year! This year had many twists and turns for me, creatively and otherwise. I started an M.F.A. in Creative Writing program, I left some things behind, I finished a few creative projects and started new ones! Through it all, I learned that change is good and it is always inevitable. I'm so looking forward to where the ever growing surge of creativity will lead to.

Cheers to the New Year!

DuEwa