Originally from New York, Erica Nicole is a Houston-based poet and adolescent psychiatric nurse. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in Psychology in 2015, became a Certified Child & Adolescent Trauma Professional in 2017, and completed her postgraduate certificate in LGBT Health Policy & Practice in 2018. Erica Nicole serves on the Board of Directors as Community Relations Director for Invisible Strings Bookshop-a bookstore and community space for queer youth in Oregon.

When she’s not working, Erica Nicole is “poeting” (as her teenage patients would say). Initially poetry was just a way for her to work through her own life experiences, but poetry has become a space to raise awareness and promote conversation and healing for others. Erica Nicole’s work addresses an array of topics including mental health, sexual & domestic violence & queerness. Erica Nicole hopes that by challenging the “what happens in this house, stays in this house” rule, others will have the courage to seek help and speak out.

Erica Nicole is the Program Manager & three-time member of the Houston VIP Slam team which placed 5th in the nation at the 2017 National Poetry Slam. She has co-coached one of the top ten teams in the South (APS-FreshFemmes) and individually has been a finalist in the 2017 Texas Grand Slam Poetry Festival, a semi-finalist in the 2016 Texas Grand Slam Poetry Festival, and placed 3rd in the 2017 Bayou City Poetry Slam Festival. Erica Nicole has been named one of Texas’ Best Emerging Poets by Z Publishing House and one of the Sixty Four Best Poets of 2018 by Black Mountain Press & The Halcyone Magazine. Erica Nicole has hosted writing and performance workshops for youth and adult audiences. 310 Brown Street published her first short length book of poetry, To The One Who Loves Her Next. Erica Nicole has self-published two chapbooks- The Book That Lived and From The Outside Looking In. Performance videos can be found on the Write About Now, The Shout Houston & Tedx Talks YouTube pages. Erica Nicole has been published in 310 Brown Street’s Texas Slamthology, Stonewall’s Legacy, Let’s Talk About It Poetry Anthology, and as a finalist of Button Poetry’s Short Form Contest.

Photos by Christopher Diaz Photography