Mr. Chris L. Terry
Assistant Professor
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
He/Him/His/Himself
About
Chris L. Terry is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Before joining UMBC in 2025, he taught in the Department of Literature at University of California San Diego, and online in the Popular Fiction MFA program at Emerson College. He has a Creative Writing MFA from Columbia College Chicago (2012) and a BA in English from Virginia Commonwealth University (2003).Terry is author of the novels Black Card (Catapult, 2019) and Zero Fade (Curbside Splendor, 2013). With AfroPunk founder James Spooner, he co-edited the literary anthology Black Punk Now (Softskull, 2023). His nonfiction has appeared in Razorcake, The Root, and Stereogum. His writing often explores punk counterculture, multiracial Black identity, and ideas of home and nostalgia; and his books have received accolades from NPR, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Kirkus Reviews, and more. His recent fiction reflects his growing interest in horror and crime fiction, and has appeared in 120 Murders and Rejection Letters.
Terry was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979 to a Black father and white mother, and spent his youth touring the world as the vocalist for different Richmond, Virginia-based punk bands. He is married to the filmmaker Sharon A. Mooney, and they have a preteen child. His other interests include running, cooking, and collecting records.
Research interests
Punk counterculture, multiracial identity, horror fictionTeaching interests
Creative writing, speculative fiction, creative nonfiction, noir fictionEducation
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MFA, Creative Writing, Fiction
— Columbia College Chicago (2012) Zero Fade
- BA, English — Virginia Commonwealth University (2003)