AUTHOR’S STATEMENT:
I believe in the connective, unifying nature of storytelling, the power of words and their intentions, and the magic of moments captured by a good story. I write and work for accessibility, for humor and laughter, to poke fun at life’s ironies, and to show how I’ve learned to survive them so far.
BIO:
Erica Saffer is a writer, educator, storyteller, and literary arts advocate based in Jacksonville, Florida, where she lives with her three children, two dogs, two cats, four chickens, and one amazing husband. Her experimental short fiction uses form and structure to reveal hidden narratives, while her longer‑form work blends unforgettable characters with a distinctive, voice‑driven style. Her writing appears in anthologies, chapbooks, and online publications, and her debut novel, "Love and Loss on the Lido Deck," is currently on submission with Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group. She is busy at work on her follow-up novel, "Dear Writers of My Life, You’re Fired!"
A seasoned performer, Erica has appeared on the Florida Theatre stage for Untold Stories: Out of the Swamp and is a regular at local community storytelling theaters and open mics. She has served as Assistant Director of the JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival and now sits on the board of the Duval Comics and Zines Fest (DCAZ). Her professional work spans writing, training, grant consulting, and curriculum development.
Erica has received grants from the American Federation of Teachers, Alternate ROOTS, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Ford Foundation to support community‑centered literary programming, including the Last Sunday Sessions at Cork Arts Studios. She has collaborated with organizations such as 904ward, MomsRising, Women Writing for (a) Change, and the St. Augustine PoetFest. Erica is currently completing Conscious Feminine Leadership Training through Women Writing for (a) Change.
When she isn’t writing, she’s tending her hobby farm, renovating her 1940s bungalow, cooking for her family, or waiting for her librarian husband to walk through the door with her latest stack of library holds.
