Poet

Terese Woll is a Southern California native, born in West Covina and raised near San Diego. She studied Creative Writing and Literature at San Diego State University under the mentorship of Harold Jaffe, founder of Fiction International, earning her Master of Arts degree in Rhetoric and Creative Writing. Captivated by the literary style of ancient Middle Eastern writing in the Hebrew Bible, she embarked on a thirty-year exploration of biblical scrolls and the New Testament.

In her collection, Bible Haiku, Terese draws inspiration from the ancient Japanese art form. "After decades of meditating on scripture, the words simply began tumbling out of my fingertips one day," she reflects.

In her companion volume, Bible Lyrics, Terese offers two movements to readers. Its entirety is a rich tapestry of ballads and free verse poems that resonate with her personal journey through faith and scripture. 

The first movement imagines the Bible in conversation with itself—sacred texts reflecting on their meanings, and biblical figures stepping forward to share their untold stories. 

The second movement shines a light on modern struggles and celebrations, illustrating how an ancient biblical foundation has informed her contemporary path, revealing how scripture continues to break through the noise of modern life, providing guidance, comfort, and profound insight.

Terese also writes non-biblical poetry about life, love and loss.  In her collection Side By Side,  Terese explores her fascination with the villanelle form. This collection presents pairs of poems side by side—the original free verse poems alongside their transformation into the structured form of the villanelle. 

Each pairing in this collection signifies a journey of transformation, much like children born of the same heart but expressing themselves in different voices; these companion poems share DNA yet reveal distinct personalities. They are living creations, nurtured with care and released into the world with love.

When she isn't writing, Terese can be found hiking the trails near her northern San Diego County home.  She is available for poetry readings as well as small group and book club discussions.