Erica Dawson is an American poet and professor. She is the author of three poetry collections.

Biography

Dawson grew up in Columbia, Maryland. After earning a B.A. degree at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

and a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

degree in Poetry at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, she earned a PhD at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

as the Elliston Fellow in Poetry. Dawson's first poetry collection, ''Big-Eyed Afraid'' (Waywiser Press, 2007), was selected for the 2006

Anthony Hecht Anthony Evan Hecht (January 16, 1923 – October 20, 2004) was an American poet. His work combined a deep interest in form with a passionate desire to confront the horrors of 20th century history, with the Second World War, in which he fought, an ...

Poetry Prize by Mary Jo Salter and was named Best Debut of 2007 by the '' Contemporary Poetry Review''. Her second collection, ''The Small Blades Hurt'' (Measure Press, 2014), won the 2016

Poets' Prize The Poets' Prize is awarded annually for the best book of verse published by a living American poet two years prior to the award year. The $3000 annual prize is donated by a committee of about 20 American poets, who each nominate two books and who ...

. A third collection, ''When Rap Spoke Straight to God'', was published by Tin House Books in 2018. Dawson's poems have appeared in many literary journals and anthologies, including '' Barrow Street'', '' Blackbird'', and '' The Best American Poetry'' 2008, 2012, and 2015. Dawson is known for her innovative use of traditional forms. In 2010 she was alleged by A.E. Stallings to have achieved "something like rock star status" among fellow New Formalist poets and poetry fans. She lives in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, where she directs the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UTampa, UT or Tampa U) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UTampa offers more than 200 programs of study, including 19 master's degrees and a br ...

's Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing and serves as poetry editor of the '' Tampa Review''.

References

1979 births Poets from Maryland People from Columbia, Maryland Writers from Tampa, Florida Johns Hopkins University alumni Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Cincinnati alumni Living people American women poets 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American translators 21st-century American women writers African-American poets Formalist poets 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American writers