About the Director
Erika E. Wade, a writer, producer, and actor from Birmingham, Alabama, is committed to fostering diversity in the arts. She published her poetry book eyestodewhurld as a teenager and has headlined Off-Broadway in New York City, in Los Angeles festivals, and other stages and screens across the country. An MFA graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Erika was deemed one of the top 22 playwrights in the nation by the 2016 Kennedy Center MFA Playwright’s Workshop. She is the founder of Glenda’s Baby Productions, a Southeast EMMY award-winning voice actress, and Workshop Consultant for PEN America programs in Birmingham. Erika is our special Poet and Filmmaking Fellow for 2025. She is joining Southern Exposure as part of the Alabama Poetry Delegation, a partnership between Alabama Poetry Laureate Ashley M. Jones, and the Alabama Writers Forum. It is supported by the Academy of American Poets and the Mellon Foundation.
Learn more about the Southern Exposure fellowship program ››