Meet Erica Reid | Writer & Marketer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erica Reid and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Not to be flip, but I have no idea what else I would have done. For better or for worse, I have always followed the path that organically appeared ahead of me –after college a professor put me in contact with an ad agency that needed writers, which felt like a real gift, and a natural way to pay the rent. I have continued following wherever writing has led me, and today I work predominately in the world of arts & nonprofits. I have worn many hats — strategist, marketer, roles like that — but the backbone of my work has always been writing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
By day I work in marketing for arts organizations such as orchestras, theaters, and operas. By night I am a poet, and I strive to keep those two ideas balanced. I am both of these things. Today, for example, I spent my daylight hours working with my colleagues at the Colorado Music Festival, preparing to announce a new season of orchestral music concerts. After dinner I returned to my computer to write and edit my poetry, submit poems for potential publication to journals and contests, and continue to hone the manuscript that will hopefully become my first published book of poetry. Each piece of this work informs the other — I have many poems about classical music, for instance, and I bring all of my writing and craft skills to work with me each day. I think sometimes we struggle with allowing our jobs to be as complex and varied as we are, and even though I don’t always get the balance right, I love all the ways I am putting my writing skills to use every day.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If the friend who is visiting me is the hiking/skiing/rock climbing type, I’m afraid they’re out of luck. I’m not a natural Coloradoan in that way, unfortunately — but I’m always happy to drop you at the trailhead with a good lunch! A more realistic week-long trip to my Colorado would involve eating at the Mishawaka, sitting and reading by (or in) the Poudre River, and taking in arts experiences such as a show by The Catamounts in Boulder. If a visitor wants to see where I spend a regular day in Fort Collins, we’d have to bike to Wolverine Farm (a literary haven with the best poetry selection I’ve ever found), have brunch at Philippe French Bistro, and catch an indie film at The Lyric Cinema.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
15 years after my undergraduate studies, I had a dream of returning to school for my Master in Fine Arts degree, which I finished in July. Besides the school itself (Western Colorado University) and its incredible faculty, there are two people who were key in helping me realize this dream: first is (always) my husband Dan, whose support I cannot even begin to describe here, and second is Cindy Hohman, my employer at the Colorado Music Festival, whose flexibility and empathy made it possible for me to continue working alongside my full-time status as a student.

Website: https://ericareidpoet.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erica.n.reid/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamintonreid/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erica.minton.reid