BIOGRAPHY

Terrie Leigh Relf is an award-winning poet, the Poet's Workshop columnist for Writers Monthly, and an assistant poetry editor for NGF, an international print magazine.  She also pens the Mistress of Rhetoric column for the Espresso, San Diego's Newspaper for Coffee and Cafe Culture.  She teaches English part-time at San Diego City College, where she serves on the editorial board of City Works, a literary arts journal. Relf hosts an open mic at Santos Cafe in South Park, and has judged local poetry competitions.  Her first collection, Lap Danced by the Muse, was released by Writers Monthly.  Her second collection, Metro Madness, was released by Lucy Westenra ebooks. Recent work appears in Sol Magazine, Side Reality, Freaky Frights, Aoife's Kiss, Star*Line, Fifth Dimension, and Lunatic Chameleon.  Terrie lives with two children in San Diego, CA. 

Websites:  http://www.writersmonthly.us and http://www.NFG.ca

Favorite Quote:  "I wrote a Personals ad:  MUSE WANTED:  INQUIRE WITHIN, and in small print, I listed the general duties, responsibilities and such."  —Terrie Leigh Relf, "In Search of a Kinder Muse," Lap Danced by the Muse.  

Terrie Leigh Relf's imaginative writing is clear and engaging, insightful and satisfying, with an outstanding grasp of the creative force and its effects on human consciousness.  Each word has been chosen for maximum impact, while metaphor gives this poet's work a smooth flow and breadth.  Unpatterned echoes, whether off rhyme or true provide an overall harmony.  Well-crafted narrative of simple events and the touching aspects of life engender an instant intimacy, drawing the reader into each scene, creating an atmosphere of relaxed friendliness, with an inviting Frostian connection of sorts.  In "Confessions of an Insomniac," the Pantoum makes an excellent choice of form, for its repetitive, interwoven structure matches the obsessive nature of insomnia as distracting thoughts circle through a tired brain, and lends to the feeling of middle-of-night hazy half-asleep confusion.  Amusing contrast between the causes of sleeplessness, with a darkly humorous expose of what it’s really like to be a writer.  Rollicking fun with an undeniable undercurrent of seriousness.