Terry E. Carter is the celebrated, renowned poet and writer of the Brown Skin Books series. Carter began his literary journey around 16 years old, inspired by a collection of poetry by Langston Hughes, given to him by an English teacher. His interest led him to pursue a better understanding of the way people communicate with each other, earning a bachelor’s degree in English at Fisk University, and attending Boston University for a graduate fellowship in Mass Communications.
In 2010, Carter released Brown Skin and the Bread of Life: A Poet’s Journey. A collection of poetry, this initial release led to a collection of now six Brown Skin Books. Regarding his latest release, 2023’s Brown Skin and the Brilliant Sun: A Poet’s Opus, Carter stated the collection, “…picked up where the book before it, Brown Skin and the Brave New World: A Poet’s Anthem, left off.” With his fifth book involving an anthology, including selections from his first four releases, Carter chose to continue the collection in the 2023 addition. “I had a lot more that I had written that didn’t go into (Brown Skin and the Brave New World: A Poet’s Anthem)… I knew I had another book in me,” he explained.
In 2021, Carter was named the inaugural Poet Laureate of Medford, Massachusetts. When asked about his experience, he described the books that inspired this accomplishment as a legacy piece, something to leave behind for his family someday. With his latest work, Brown Skin and the Brilliant Sun: A Poet’s Opus, Carter stated, “I want people to hear stories that resonate with them from a universal place.” No matter where we come from, art and poetry are ways for people to connect, and Terry E. Carter is a modern leader of that connection.