Terry McMillan
Terry McMillan became one of the most
popular U.S. writers of
the 1990s. Critics associate her with an emergent genre in
American literature--black feminist fiction--and her three best-
selling books, Mama, Disappearing Acts, and Waiting to Exhale, generated
public enthusiasm beyond anything her publishers
expected. As the 21st century began, her literary output slowd but
received wider scholarly attention.
"At fifteen years old, all I was concerned about was what I
was
going to do with that thirty-two dollars I was getting as my
paycheck. I had no fantasies about being a writer. First of
all, back then I don't know that I even had any role models. I
didn't know about any black writers when I was fifteen-- none. I
didn't even know what it was I wanted to do with my life. All I
knew is that I was going to college--by hook or by crook, I was
going."
Terry McMillan
Click here to hear an excerpt on
Terry McMillan from Writing the
Southwest.
Listen to the half-hour documentary on Terry McMillan by David Dunaway below: