Erika Renee Land

Erika Renee Land (born August 9, 1983) is an American 21st-century war poet, 2021 MacDowell Fellow,[2] author, spoken word performer and motivational speaker. She performs music under the stage name Lyrical Lunatic. She has published two poetry collections that chronicle her experiences as a pharmacy technician while helping the Global War on Terrorism efforts, several lesbian fiction novels, and academic articles.

Erika Renee Land
Born (1983-08-09) August 9, 1983
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Other namesLyrical Lunatic
Alma materUniversity of Georgia
OccupationWriter
Years active2012–present
Known foractress, poetry, public speaking, rapper, songwriter, writer
StyleAfrican-American culture, American politics, current events, everyday life, pop culture, race relation,s racism, the Internet, the future, existentialism
Height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
SpouseCorrissa Land
ParentRenee Rhodes
RelativesShelton Land[1]
Websiteerikarland.com

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 in multiple states because of her stepfather's military service, then Azalea Middle School and Granby High School, both located in Norfolk.

Army

After graduating high school, Land joined the United States Army, where she earned a Pharmacy Technician technical degree – MOS classification 68Q. She was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood for basic training, Fort Sam Houston for Advanced Individual Training (AIT), and Fort Lewis, before being deployed with the 47th Combat Support Hospital to FOB Diamondback in Mosul, Iraq, and finally Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Her decorations include two Army Achievement medals, the Army Superior Unit award, the National Defense Service medal, the Global War on Terrorism service medal, the 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 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 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. In 2023 she graduated from the University of Georgia.

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 by way 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, for Word of Mouth. She self-published her first collection, Residual Affects, with fellow veteran and photographer Katisha Smittick in 2013. With hopes of winning the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, Land republished a few of her war-related poems along with new pieces as the solo project Georgia's Dam

Spoken word poet Erika Renee Land performing at the Newberry Library in Chicago during the Surviving The Long Wars Triennial

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2018 Going RV Herself – Buyer Season 7 Episode 10

Music
Year Title Notes
2018 A Trip to Walmart Spoken Word EP released under Erika Renee Land
2018 Squared L^2 Hip-Hop EP
2019 Energy Hip-Hop Single

Writings

Poetry
  • Residual Affects (November 2013), co-authored with photographer KaTisha Smittick
  • Georgia's DAM (October 2015)

Commentary
  • of an Artist (April 2018)

It's Complicated series
  • Misconceptions, (October 2012)
  • Scorned (November 2017)

Articles

Out in San Antonio Magazine

  • "The Real Power Couples"
  • "Mujer Power"
  • "Huddle Up with the San Antonio Regulators"

Stop the Debate for the now defunct Yahoo Voices.

  • "Marijuana WILL BE legalized soon!" (April 13, 2014)
  • "We are all Welfare beneficiaries!" (May 2, 2014)
  • "We are all prejudiced!" (May 24, 2014)

Additional information

She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, Lambda Delta chapter.

References
  1. Dr. Shelton Land
  2. https://www.macdowell.org/artists/erika-land
  • MacDowell Fellowship
  • Official website
  • Larson, Susan (December 12, 2013). "Searching for Support for PTSD". Gwinnett Daily Post.
  • Richter, B. Kay (August 3, 2015). "Vet Erika Land pulls poetry from her PTSD". OUTinSA. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  • Mathis, Don. "Veteran Erika Land explores repercussions of war in local performance of ‘PTSD and Me’" OUTinSa. Retrieved November 5, 2015
  • Texas Public Radio, Worth Repeating
  • Interview by Shine Out Loud
  • Borne the Battle
  • Instagram
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