In 1963, Neal was a professor for Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia for a brief period, before landing a job in New York as a copywriter in 1964 for Wiley and Sons.

Additionally, he became the arts editor of the Liberator magazine (1964–69), educational director of the Black Panther Party, and was a member of the Revolutionary Action Movement.

[3] The Glorious Monster was described by a critic as "lyric drama, a poetic interpretation of the hopes and aspirations of black artists and the middle class".

Neal's essays dealt with social issues, aesthetic theory, literary topics, while his poetry focused more on African-American mythology, history, and language.

One of Neal's most famous and defining works was the essay "The Black Arts Movement",[5] which addressed the need to be "radically opposed to any concept of the artist that alienates him from his community".

Information on his life and career can be found at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which is a section of the New York Public Library.