Whitney Terrell (born October 3, 1967) is an American writer and educator from Kansas City, Missouri. Terrell has published three novels and his writing has appeared in '' Harper's Magazine'', '' Slate'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', '' The Washington Post Magazine'', and others outlets.

Early life, education, personal life

Whitney Terrell was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended high school at

The Pembroke Hill School The Pembroke Hill School (usually referred to as Pembroke Hill) is a progressive, inclusive, secular, coeducational, independent preparatory school for about 1,200 students in early years (age 2 years) through high school, separated into four sec ...

, where he was captain of the soccer team and lead guitarist of a band called The Caste. He earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1991. In 1992, Terrell moved to Iowa City, where he completed his MFA at the

Iowa Writers' Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a celebrated graduate-level creative writing program in the United States. The writer Lan Samantha Chang is its director. Graduates earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative W ...

. During his time at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

, Terrell studied with

James Alan McPherson James Alan McPherson (September 16, 1943 – July 27, 2016) was an American essayist and short-story writer. He was the first African-American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and was included among the first group of artists who re ...

who sparked his interest in writing about race in Kansas City, which is the focus of Terrell's first two novels. Terrell lives in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife and two children. He has taught at The

University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and one of only two member universities with a medical school. As of 2020, the university ...

since 2004.

Professional life

After earning his master's degree, Terrell worked as a fact checker for ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...

''. From 1996 to 2001, Terrell taught at

Rockhurst University Rockhurst University is a private Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It enrolled 2,980 students in 2019. History In 1909, ...

in Kansas City and became the Writer in Residence from 2000 to 2003. His first novel, ''The Huntsman'', was published in 2001. The novel centers on a young African American who elbows his way into Kansas City's white, upper-class society while searching for answers about his family's past. The ''New York Times'' chose it as a notable book and ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'' and the ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-De ...

'' selected it as a best book of 2001. In 2005, Terrell published his second novel, ''The King of Kings County''. This book elaborated on the relationship between real estate and race in Kansas City, tracing the life of an ambitious developer who uses racial covenants to build a segregated suburban empire. The book won the William Rockhill Nelson award and was named a best book of 2005 by ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...

''. In 2006, Terrell was named to a list of best writers under 40 by a panel of

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

for 2008–2009 and a visiting lecturer in 2011. He was the

New Letters ''New Letters'', the name it has been published under since 1970, is one of the oldest literary magazines in the United States and continues to publish award-winning poems and fiction. The magazine is based in Kansas City, Missouri. History and ...

Writer-in-Residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2004 to 2014. In 2014, he became an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at UMKC. In 2018, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Creative Writing at UMKC. Terrell's third book, ''The Good Lieutenant: A Novel'', was published in June 2016 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The novel is told in reverse order, following Lieutenant Emma Fowler as she leads a platoon of male soldiers through tragedy and suspicious circumstances during America's war in Iraq. ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' selected the novel as a best book of 2016. Since 2017, he has co-hosted the Fiction/Non/Fiction podcast with novelist V.V. Ganeshananthan. The podcast is presented by

Literary Hub Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter. Conte ...

and covers the intersection of literature and the news.

Selected bibliography

Books

*''The Good Lieutenant: A Novel,''

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

, June 2016 *''The King of Kings County'',

Viking Penguin Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

, August 2005 *''The Huntsman'',

, August 2001

References

External links

A Writer's Room: Whitney Terrell
Jason F. Harper, April 4, 2012.
Best Correspondent: Whitney Terrell
''The Pitch Magazine'', 2008.
Embedded at Princeton
''Princeton Alumni Weekly'', Princeton University, February 11, 2009.
Kansas City Inspires a Hometown Writer
''National Public Radio'', September 20, 2007.
Redux: Whitney Terrell and Nate Rawlings
''National Public Radio'', March 2, 2009.

''The Kansas City Star'', September 5, 2015.

''The Kansas City Star'', September 18, 2005.
The 2012 Publitzer Prize: Whitney Terrell Trumpets Eugenides
Kansas City Public Library, April 25, 2012.
Visiting Writers Series brings author Whitney Terrell to PSU
''Pittsburg State University'', November 21, 2013.
Whitney Terrell
Penguin Books USA. *
Author Website

Department of English
''University of Missouri-Kansas City''
Examining the roots of the Ukraine Crisis
''Yale News'', February 3, 2022.
This year in books; Claire Messud on creative nonfiction
''Bookforum'', December 31, 2020.
Episode 237: A Fiction/Non/Fiction Festival with V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell
''Home of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast''
13 of The Best Podcasts for Writers
''Writing Workshops'', 2021
John Freeman and Tahmima Anam Visit ''Fiction/Non/Fiction Podcast''
''Poetry Foundation'', May 22, 2020
Idra Novey and Esmé Wang Talk Mental Health and Writing
''The Oklahoman'', October 18, 2018
Love Books? Listen Up.
''Bello Collective'', August 23, 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Terrell, Whitney Living people 1967 births Princeton University alumni University of Missouri–Kansas City faculty Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni Writers from Kansas City, Missouri Novelists from Missouri American male novelists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers Rockhurst University alumni Pembroke Hill School alumni