Erica Dawson is the author of two collections of poetry: The Small Blades Hurt (Measure Press, 2014), winner of the 2016 Poets’ Prize; and, Big-Eyed Afraid (Waywiser Pess, 2007), winner of the 2006 Anthony Hecht Prize. Her work has appeared in three editions of Best American Poetry; the Pushcart Prize XLI: Best of the Small Presses, Resistance, Rebellion, Life: 50 Poems Now, Barrow Street, Bennington Review, Crazyhorse, Harvard Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and numerous other journals and anthologies. She lives in Tampa, FL and is an Associate Professor at University of Tampa, where she also directs the low-residency MFA program.