Erika R Land

Born on August 9th, 1983 in Norfolk, Virginia, Erika Renee Land is an American 21st-century war poet and 2021 MacDowell Fellow. She studied English with a focus in creative writing at the University of Georgia but left in her last semester because of her battle with PTSD. Posttraumatic stress disorder has been Erika’s nemesis since 2005, when she was deployed to Mosul, Iraq with the Army. She served 6.5 years before being honorably discharged.

Currently she has published poetry books, fiction novels, music and poetry albums, and the off-Broadway stage play PTSD and ME. Her struggle with PTSD has been featured on the Texas Public Radio program Worth Repeating, Veteran Affairs Borne the Battle and numerous other podcasts. Currently, she travels the country in a RV, performs spoken word wherever she can, educates about PTSD and gives out hugs.