Jervey Tervalon is an award-winning, best-selling novelist based in Los Angeles, United States. He was born in New Orleans and raised in Los Angeles, and received his MFA in Creative Writing from UC Irvine where he worked with Thomas Keneally. Jervey Tervalon is a writer of six novels, two anthologies, a collection of stories and numerous essays on a wide range of publications including the Quality Paper Book Club's New Voices Award, and the Los Angeles Times bestseller?Dead Above Ground.?His new novel,?Monster's Chef?will be published June 2014.
In addition to writing, Tervalon has been teaching creative writing at universities such as UCSB, UCLA and USC since 1992. As a well-known African American writer and as a respected voice in American literature, Tervalon frequently appears on major American TV and radio networks, such as CNN, CBS, and NPR. His essays are frequently published in national newspapers and magazines on issues related to diversity, race, the literary arts and modern American life. He is often quoted by academics, journalists and peer writers. His writing is oftentimes compared to that of Ralph Ellison, Amy Tan and Junot Diaz. His work has greatly influenced a new generation of writers, particularly writers of color.
Currently he is the Executive Director of "Literature for Life," a literary magazine and educational advocacy organization, and Literary Director of The Pasadena LitFest.??An award-winning poet, screenwriter, dramatist and Disney Screen Writing Fellow, Tervalon focuses on race, class and culture, and teaches literature and writing at the College of Creative Studies at UCSB. ?He splits time between Los Angeles and Shanghai with his wife, Jinghuan Liu Tervalon, and their kids.