Born on August 9th, 1983 in Norfolk, Virginia, Erika Renee Land is an American 21st-century war poet, known for her numerous essays, fiction novels, various poetry collections, and being a civil rights activist. As a War Poet, Erika channels her experiences of being deployed to Mosul, Iraq to help with Operation Iraqi Freedom into dynamic poetry that takes the reader on a journey emotionally and physically.

As a civil rights activist, she travels giving the opening speeches at marches, for the prison systems and corporations. She is a member of the NAACP and the National Organization for Women.

She has published five books. The first was Residual Affects, with fellow veteran KaTisha Smittick that juxtaposes their similar experiences by meshing poetry and photography, and the second book Georgia’s Dam embodies Erika’s struggles with Post-traumatic stress disorder, that takes you to the very spots where she created most of her poetry.

Check out the site for more of her work.