About Erin...
Photo by Linda Townsend
Erin is of the Northwest. She was born and raised in Washington State and grew up exploring its forests, lakes, beaches and mountains. At age 22, and entering her last year of college, she followed a childhood friend to Alaska and began her 15-year stint as a professional deckhand on commercial fishing and research vessels.
Commercial fishing afforded Erin many benefits, including long periods of down time to study abroad, write, and begin teaching. She became serious about her writing and teaching and earned a Master of Fine Arts from Goddard College. Eventually, her writing and fishing worlds crossed and she became a founding member in a community of writers connected by commercial fishing and the maritime industry. She continues to be a regular reader at their annual festival, The FisherPoets Gathering, which has been covered by The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine and in the award-winning documentary film, FISHER POETS.
In what sounds like a strange turn of events, but made perfect sense at the time, Erin began working for Goddard College as an administrator establishing their first west coast residency site hosting the college’s two masters of fine arts programs. In her eight years at Goddard, the breadth of her responsibilities grew tremendously and Erin went from the college’s part-time community liaison to their senior-most west coast administrator overseeing two residency sites and hosting multiple academic programs. Erin worked both in the internal functions of a college and as their representative developing community partnerships and promoting strategic growth.
Commercial fishing afforded Erin many benefits, including long periods of down time to study abroad, write, and begin teaching. She became serious about her writing and teaching and earned a Master of Fine Arts from Goddard College. Eventually, her writing and fishing worlds crossed and she became a founding member in a community of writers connected by commercial fishing and the maritime industry. She continues to be a regular reader at their annual festival, The FisherPoets Gathering, which has been covered by The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine and in the award-winning documentary film, FISHER POETS.
In what sounds like a strange turn of events, but made perfect sense at the time, Erin began working for Goddard College as an administrator establishing their first west coast residency site hosting the college’s two masters of fine arts programs. In her eight years at Goddard, the breadth of her responsibilities grew tremendously and Erin went from the college’s part-time community liaison to their senior-most west coast administrator overseeing two residency sites and hosting multiple academic programs. Erin worked both in the internal functions of a college and as their representative developing community partnerships and promoting strategic growth.
Photo by Pat Dixon
Erin now combines her skills and passions developed from a diverse career path in her work as a writer, educator and facilitator for non-profits and academic institutions.
To learn more about the specifics of Erin’s career and publication history, please see her complete curriculum vitae.
To learn more about the specifics of Erin’s career and publication history, please see her complete curriculum vitae.