About
terri muuss

Terri holds a BA in Theatre from Kean University and an MSW from Hunter College, blending artistic practice with professional social work in a career fueled by empathy, creativity, and public service. She balances a full-time clinical practice with a prolific creative life: writing books, directing stage productions, speaking at colleges and conferences, leading workshops, and curating poetry events with her husband, award-nominated poet Matt Pasca.
 

Her work in poetry has appeared widely in journals and anthologies such as Atticus Review, Paterson Literary Review, Stirring, Luna Luna Magazine, Indiana Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion and Veils, Halos & Shackles: International Poetry on the Oppression and Empowerment of Women. Her first book, Over Exposed, a lyrical excavation of lived trauma and survival, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and garnered recognition for its emotional breadth and power.

Terri’s second poetry collection, godspine (Published by 3: A Taos Press, ISBN 0999484869), continues her uncompromising poetic journey into healing and spiritual alignment. Drawing on personal experience and bold imagery, godspine charts a course from fragmentation to wholeness: addressing the body, memory, and the relentless pursuit of self-reclamation.
 

Beyond the page, Terri is an accomplished performer. Her autobiographical one-woman show Anatomy of a Doll has toured colleges, theatres, and festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada since 1998, blending storytelling, theatre, and raw honesty. She also teaches creative writing and performance workshops, using her voice to uplift emerging artists and to foster community through artistic expression.
 

As a speaker and educator, Terri brings her lived insight on trauma, creativity, resilience, and social change to audiences across the nation. Her work invites readers and listeners alike into deeper engagement with themselves and the world, expanding empathy, igniting courage, and celebrating the transformative power of words.