About

A runner runs on the beach near the Santa Monica Pier. The footprints are mine. I believe in leaving only footprints to reduce my environmental impact — Terry

Terry is a freelance journalist and playwright whose passions for travel, scuba diving, the environment and history fuel her writing. In the next year or so, she hopes to stay on the surface long enough to rewrite her musical about Paul Revere.

Her travel articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, The Dallas Morning News, American Way, and the dive publication, Alert Diver.

Terry is a wimp when it comes to cold ocean water, so she has mainly dived in tropical places, such as Hawaii (Maui and the Big Island), Belize, Bonaire and Tonga. After falling in love with the diving in New Zealand at the Poor Knights Island (near Tutakaka on North Island), Terry is hopes to steel herself for diving in chillier waters, such as those found in California from Catalina Island to the Channel Islands.

At Poor Knight’s Island, one of Jacques Cousteau’s top 10 dive sites, Terry was surprised that entire schools of fish will hang out with you. Since it was summertime in New Zealand, she dove the Poor Knights when its waters are warmest and a wetsuit rather than a drysuit will do.

Although Terry finished her drysuit certification in 2009 to dive California’s chilly waters, she’s not yet adept with a drysuit. It’s likely the fish believe she’s a cross between a diver inside a giant baggy or a wounded yellow bird (with her left elbow contorted to release air via the left shoulder exhaust of her yellow and blue drysuit).

Terry took a circuitous route into travel journalism long after obtaining her MFA from UCLA in Playwriting. Prior to UCLA, Terry double majored in Theatre and English for a BA from Converse College (an all female college at the time).

Four years of study surrounded by many girls that aspired more to earning an “MRS” degree than a career made Terry appreciate co-ed study at UCLA. Just seeing men strolling around campus in shorts was a welcome change.

Prior to discovering journalism, Terry spent several years pursuing acting and stand up comedy. Hopefully, you’ll find humor in most of what she writes.