Teaching Artist – Creative Writing and Instructional Operations Manager
Erica Bradshaw is a working professional writer, actor, and teaching artist. She’s been writing poetry since she was 13 years old and has consistently hosted spoken word and poetry events. Erica began her theatrical career at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, from there she originated the role of Adele in Arthur Miller’s Mr. Peter’s Connections (off-Broadway) and has worked in various regional theaters including; Hartford Stage, Signature Theater (NYC), Actors Theater of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, City Theater, Delaware Theater Company, Seattle Shakespeare Theater, and the Actor’s Gang. Winter 2016 Erica appeared in This Wonderful Life, at Luna Stage, West Orange. Her television credits include over 20 episodes of Law & Order: SVU, The Good Wife, Rescue Me, Limitless, Orange is the New Black, and High Maintenance. Most recently she can be seen opposite John Cena in a Hefty commercial and in the series season finale of Elementary. Erica has been a senior teaching artist across the U.S. for over 20 years. She volunteers with the Newark YMCA homeless youth program. It has been a life long goal for Erica to bring the learning she acquired back to the students in her home town of Newark. She believes greatly in the saying, each one teach one.
In addition to her part time job as Creative Writing teacher, Erica leads an after-school spoken word group and serves as the school’s instructional operations manager (part time) and co-facilitator of Link’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. In June 2019, Erica received an ArtStart grant to publish a book of 7th and 8th grade creative writings.