Terry McMillan(born October 18, 1951) is a celebrated American novelist known for her vivid portrayals of African American women’s lives, relationships, and journeys of self-discovery. Her best-selling works, includingWaiting to ExhaleandHow Stella Got Her Groove Back,have resonated widely for their humor, authenticity, and emotional insight. McMillan’s contributions have influenced contemporary fiction and continue to shape the representation of Black women in literature and film.
Terry McMillan | |
|---|---|
 McMillan at the 2008Brooklyn Book Festival | |
| Born | October 18, 1951 Port Huron, Michigan,U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley(BA) |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Notable works | Waiting to Exhale(1992) How Stella Got Her Groove Back(1996) A Day Late and a Dollar Short(2001) The Interruption of Everything(2006) Getting to Happy(2010) |
| Spouse |
Jonathan Plummer
(m.1998;div.2005) |
| Children | 1 (son) |
Early life and education
editThe oldest of five children, McMillan was born inPort Huron, Michigan.[1]Her father died when she was a teenager, and McMillan was raised by her single mother, who worked forFord Motor Co.and who stressed the importance of education.[2][3][4]McMillan was introduced to literature while working at the localPort Huron libraryat age 16. After high school, she moved to Los Angeles where she stayed with a cousin who lived across the street fromLos Angeles City College.[1][2]Upon learning that she could attend for free, McMillan enrolled and began taking writing classes there while working as a secretary forPrudential Insurance Company.[2]She is the first in her family to attend college.[1]
After transferring to theUniversity of California at Berkeleywith a scholarship, McMillan considered majoring in sociology because she "care[d] about the human race"; however, an advisor, who had read her articles inThe Daily Californian,the school newspaper, encouraged her to consider a major related to writing.[5][2]Initially skeptical that she could make money as a writer, McMillan did go on to receive aB.A.degree in journalism in 1977.[5]She later realized that journalism was not the best pathway either as one has to "tell the truth," and she wanted to tell stories.[1]McMillan attended the Master of Fine Arts program in film atColumbia University.[6]
Career
editMcMillan's first book,Mama,was published in 1987.[7]Unsatisfied with her publisher's limited promotion ofMama,McMillan promoted her own debut novel by writing to thousands of booksellers, particularlyAfrican-American bookstores,and the book soon sold out of its initial first hardcover printing of 5,000 copies.[3]
McMillan achieved national attention in 1992 with her third novel,Waiting to Exhale.At the time, it was the second largest paperback book deal in publishing history.[8]The book remained onThe New York Timesbestsellerlist for many months and by 1995 it had sold more than three million copies. The novel contributed to a shift in Black popular cultural consciousness and the visibility of a female Black middle-class identity in popular culture. McMillan was credited with having introduced the interior world of Black women professionals in their thirties who are successful, alone, available, and unhappy.[9]In 1995, the novel was adapted into afilm of the same title,directed byForest Whitakerand starringWhitney Houston,Angela Bassett,Loretta Devine,andLela Rochon.
In 1998, another of McMillan's novels,How Stella Got Her Groove Back,was adapted into afilm by the same namestarringAngela BassettandTaye Diggs.
McMillan's novelDisappearing Actswas subsequently produced as a direct-to-cable featureby the same namein 2000, starringWesley SnipesandSanaa Lathanand directed byGina Prince-Bythewood.In 2014,Lifetimebrought McMillan'sA Day Late and a Dollar Shortto television audiences, starringWhoopi Goldbergand an ensemble cast featuringVing Rhames,Tichina Arnold,Mekhi Phifer,Anika Noni Rose,andKimberly Elise.McMillan also wroteThe Interruption of Everything(2006) andGetting to Happy(2010), the sequel toWaiting to Exhale.In 2024, McMillian signed a partnership withLifetimeto executive produce a series of movies which would appear under the banner of “Terry McMillan Presents.”[10]
Personal life
editMcMillan married Jonathan Plummer in 1998, who came out as gay during their marriage. In March 2005, she filed for divorce.[11]
On July 13, 2012, she sold her 7,000 square feet home inDanville, California,before moving to Los Angeles, California.
McMillan has one child, a son, Solomon.
Works
edit- Mama.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1987.ISBN978-0-547-52404-7.
- Disappearing Acts.Penguin Group US. 1989.ISBN978-1-101-65772-0.
- (Editor)Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction.Penguin Books. October 1990.ISBN978-0140116977.
- Waiting to Exhale.Viking. May 1992.ISBN978-0-670-83980-3.
- Waiting to Exhaleplayed an instrumental part in promoting a more honest, reflective representation of contemporary black womanhood and played an instrumental role in creating a dialogue in R&B music that was relatable to black women. Her book discussed the everyday needs as well as the sexual desires and pleasures of women that had largely been missing to that point. Daphne A. Brooks argues in her piece "Its not right but its okay" that McMillan's work informed and influenced the woman-centered R&B movement that has become very popular today. In today's R&B, artists such asSZA,Summer Walker,Jazmine Sullivan,among many others, articulate the experiences of black women, a trend that was jumpstarted by the work of McMillan and the R&B artists who innovated the genre.[12]
- How Stella Got Her Groove Back.Viking. 1996.ISBN978-0451209146.
- A Day Late and a Dollar Short.Penguin Group US. 2001.ISBN978-1-101-20938-7.
- It's OK if You're Clueless: and 23 More Tips for the College Bound.Viking Adult. March 2006.ISBN978-1419397332.
- The Interruption of Everything.Penguin Group US. 2005.ISBN978-1-101-20981-3.
- Getting to Happy.Penguin Group US. 2010.ISBN978-1-101-44294-4.
- Who Asked You?Viking, September 2013.ISBN978-0670-78569-8
- I Almost Forgot About You.Crown, New York. 2016.ISBN978-1101-9025-78.
- It's Not All Downhill From Here.Ballantine Books. 2020.ISBN978-1984-8237-48.
References
edit- ^abcdCollege, Bunker Hill Community."Reading Allowed with Terry McMillan".BHCC News.RetrievedOctober 27,2024.
- ^abcdCronley, Connie (January 31, 2024)."The write stuff: Author Terry McMillan is this year's recipient of the Sankofa Freedom Award".TulsaPeople Magazine.RetrievedOctober 27,2024.
- ^abMax, Daniel (August 9, 1992)."McMillan's Millions".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedFebruary 22,2017.
- ^"Editing Terry McMillan - Wikipedia".en.wikipedia.org.RetrievedOctober 27,2024.
- ^abTelvick, Marlena (September 10, 2020)."Alumni Portrait: Bestselling Author Terry McMillan".UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.RetrievedOctober 27,2024.
- ^Williams, Andrea (September 17, 2013)."SO WHAT DO YOU DO, TERRY MCMILLAN, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR?".Mediabistro.RetrievedOctober 15,2014.
- ^Mama,Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
- ^"In Black America; Terry McMillan".In Black America.Terry McMillan. KUT Radio.RetrievedMarch 24,2023.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: others (link) - ^Brooks, Daphne A. (2003). "It's Not Right But It's Okay".Souls.5(1): 32–45.doi:10.1080/1099940390217331.S2CID219695107.
- ^Brew, Caroline (February 6, 2024)."Terry McMillan Partners With Lifetime for Slate of New Original Movies".Variety.RetrievedAugust 25,2024.
- ^"ABC News: 'Stella' Inspiration Breaks Silence".ABC News. July 12, 2005.RetrievedMay 14,2008.
- ^""It's Not Right But It's Okay"".Souls.5(1): 32–45. March 2003.doi:10.1080/1099940390217331.ISSN1099-9949.S2CID219695107.
Sources
edit- Nishikawa, Kinohi. "Romance Novel." Hans Ostrom and J. David Macey Jr. (eds),The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature.Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. pp. 1411–15.
External links
edit- Official Web Site
- Interview with Terry McMillanon theTavis Smiley Show.
- Terry McMillanatIMDb
- Terry McMillanat the African American Literature Book Club