Erika Renee Land
| Erika Renee Land | |
|---|---|
 2015 International Women’s Day march and rally | |
| Born | August 9, 1983 |
| Nationality |
American  |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation | Author |
| Home town | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Parent(s) |
Renee Rhodes Step-Father Gary Rhodes |
| Relatives | Dr. Shelton Land |
| Website | http://www.erikarland.com |
Erika Renee Land (born August 9, 1983) is an American author. Her poetry books chronicle her experiences as a pharmacy technician while helping the Global War on Terrorism efforts. She wrote several lesbian fiction novels, academic articles for social equality and an autobiographical blog.
Early life
Land was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 9, 1983. She grew up on the corner of Tidewater Drive and Wall Street in the Barraud Park neighborhood. She attended 6-7 elementary schools. She attended Azalea Middle School and Granby High School.
Army
After graduating high school, she entered The United States Army, where she earned a Pharmacy Technician technical degree MOS classification 68Q10. While in the Army, she was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood for basic training, Fort Sam Houston for Advanced Individual Training (AIT), Fort Lewis, FOB Diamondback in Iraq, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Her decorations include Two Army Achievement medals, The Army Superior Unit award, The National Defense Service medal, Global War on Terrorism service medal, Iraq Campaign medal with campaign star, The Army Service Ribbon and The Overseas service ribbon.
Post Army
After returning from Mosul, Iraq in 2006, Land was diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. In February 2009, she was honorably discharged from the Army and moved to Athens, Georgia to pursue a career in Pharmacy. Land lost her passion for pharmacy as she searched for ways to heal her PTSD.
Poetry
Land attempted suicide multiple times, but was saved by what she describes as a "divine intervention". After her last attempt, she embarked on a quest to educate the general public about PTSD byway of poetry. She stumbled upon poetry after she hearing a song that reduced her to tears, prompting her to write her first poem, War Song. After publishing it and a few others, she pursued a degree in English from the University of Georgia. Her first poetry performance was at The Globe, a local pub in Athens, Georgia for Word of Mouth.
Additional Information
She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Lambda Delta Chapter.
Bibliography
Poetry
- Residual Affects (Nov 2013) Co-authored with photographer KaTisha Smittick.
- Georgia's Dam (Oct 2015) Pulitzer Entrant
It's Complicated Series
- Misconceptions (Oct 2012)
- Scorned (Dec 2015)
Articles
Stop the Debate
- Marijuana WILL BE legalized soon! (April 13, 2014)
- We are all Welfare beneficiaries! (May 2, 2014)
- We are all prejudiced! (May 24, 2014)
References
External links
- Larson, Susan (Dec 12, 2013). "Searching for Support for PTSD". Gwinnett Daily Post.
- Richter, B. Kay. "Vet Erika Land pulls poetry from her PTSD". OUTinSA. Retrieved Aug 3, 2015.
- Official website