Rina Terry

After leaving a position as Assistant to the Dean of General Studies at a New Jersey state college, Rina Terry attended seminary and became an ordained United Methodist Minister. She has served as pastor of several New Jersey churches and spent many years as Supervisor of Religious Services at a state prison. She holds an MA in English: Creative Writing from Temple University and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Rina has published poetry, short fiction, book reviews, academic articles and frequently writes columns on jazz and literature.

She contributed three poems to Poems for the Writing (Texture 2013) and the "Spirit of Names" prompt (in PFTW) was influenced by her work.

Rina wrote “How Layered Experience Becomes Art” at the time of the release of Cardboard Piano (2014) from Texture Press. In it she discusses her poetics and some influences on the writing of Cardboard Piano: http://poemsforthewriting.com/2013/07/06/how-experience-becomes-art-by-rina-terry/

More Links:

Hear "Eleven Times A Loser, he said" from Cardboard Piano: http://qarrtsiluni.com/2011/06/20/eleven-times-a-loser-he-said/

Read Shinelle L. Espaillat’s review of Cardboard Piano: http://www.cleavermagazine.com/cardboard-piano-by-rina-terry-reviewed-by-shinelle-l-espaillat/

Read an article from Press of Atlantic City: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/life/cape-may-pastor-writes-poetry-inspired-by-working-with-inmates/article_5aa347b5-05ba-5f98-817d-817949036bfc.html?

Read a few of Rina's jazz inspired works (essay, review, memoir) here in our wiki:

Looking and Listening (essay on William Matthew)

Oh, Play That Thing (review of Roddy Doyle's novel)

An Evening with Billie Holiday (memoir)

(Art by Marjorie Grigonis)