Erica Dawson is the author of three books of poetry: When Rap Spoke Straight to God (Tin House, 2018), The Small Blades Hurt (Measure Press, 2014), and Big-Eyed Afraid (Waywiser Press, 2007). She holds an MFA from Ohio State University and a PhD from University of Cincinnati’s Department of English. She has won numerous prizes, including the 2018 Florida Book Award, the 2016 Poets’ Prize, the 2006 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize, and a Pushcart Prize. Her poems have appeared in Best American Poetry, Orion, The Believer, Virginia Quarterly Review, and other journals and anthologies. She lives in the Baltimore-DC area.
