Chris L. Terry

Chris L. Terry is a novelist, screenwriter and creative writing instructor, living in Los Angeles. He especially likes pop culture-savvy stories, perspectives from marginalized communities, and first-person narratives with strong voices and sharp humor. Terry’s most recent novel Black Card is about a mixed-race punk bassist with a black imaginary friend. NPR called Black Card, "hilariously searing" and listed it as one of the best books of 2019. Terry's debut novel Zero Fade was on Best of 2013 lists by Slate and Kirkus Reviews, who called it, "Original, hilarious, thought-provoking, and wicked smart...not to be missed” in a starred review. Terry was born in 1979 to a black father and white mother, and grew up in Massachusetts and Virginia. His work has appeared in Stereogum, Catapult, theLAnd, Best Small Fictions 2015, PANK, Very Smart Brothas/The Root, Apogee, Razorcake, and more.

Charitable Organization: The Movement for Black Lives

Praise

"Chris L. Terry's Black Card is a novel about race in America that's serious and unflinching while remaining tender and funny. It's a novel about compassion and anger, hip hop and punk, cops and young black men. At its core, Black Card is a book driven by the search for identity. Since this is Razorcake, we believe the world needs more top-quality fiction that doesn't fetishize or force punk into too-neat nostalgic containers. It also needs stories that are told directly from working class punk perspectives, not from slumming squares. Chris L. Terry's Black Card succeeds on so many levels. Not only is it a truthful novel with weight and humanity, it's a compelling and fast read. I can't recommend Black Card enough." --Todd Taylor, Razorcake

"[A] darkly humorous coming-of-age novel . . . This memorable, deeply insightful work has echoes of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Terry's provocative and timely novel challenges readers to confront the racial stereotypes and injustices in America." --Publishers Weekly

"This is a funny novel with sharp insights [into the constructed nature of racial identity]." --Kirkus Reviews