About

Hi! My name is Erica “ERN” Rivera (she/they) and I'm a performance writer, editor, and collage artist.

I'm the author of The Ecology of Art, Strike! (tRaum Books, 2025), my forthcoming debut collection of essays. The book doubles as an “anti-publishing manifesto,” and a speculative memoir loosely tracing the first year of my medical transition, as well as my experiences serving as co-editor for Art, Strike!, an online art/literary publication.

I'm currently at work on my first novel, Artist, and an epistolary memoir tentatively titled The Trans Girl's Guide to Modern Television (you can read the first chapter, “The Trans Girl's Guide to Grey's Anatomy,” here).

Finally, I'm also working on a short hybrid book of poetry and prose, the((hi)st)ories, and a collection of short stories, The Girls from Pasadena. Early versions of some of my short stories are available to read on this site.

I'm a 2025 Periplus Fellow, and in 2024, I received support for my work from Tin House, Kolaj Institute, Brooklyn Poets, Off Assignment, and California's Center for Cultural Innovation. In 2025, I will be teaching workshops with fifth wheel press and Abode Press, and continuing to serve as a co-facilitator for Relatively Queer. You can learn more about this work on my Teaching page.

If you'd like to learn more about me and my approach to art and writing, you can read my essay titled “Parables,” available on this site.

Please note that the essay above references my history of being violent and abusive. Being publicly open about this is part of my ongoing accountability work and one way in which I remain accountable to those who I am in community with.

I am unsure whether this is the right thing to do or say here, but if it turns out not to be, I will change this note accordingly: if you have any questions about my ongoing accountability work, especially if you have a history of being violent and abusive and are unsure how to begin your own accountability work, please feel free to contact me at [Work AT RiveraErica DOT com]. I am not a professional, but I am willing to share what I have learned, or at least point you towards other kinds of resources.

One resource is “learning good consent,” which is available as a free PDF online, but which is also available for purchase from multiple presses and distros. If you want help finding it, or would like to me to assist you with purchasing it, please let me know and I will help as best I can.

“learning good consent” is only one resource of many, and although not all abuse or violence is inherently sexual in nature, much of it is, and the text offers important information to anyone who has harmed others in any way.

Also, please feel free to reach out to me for any reason at [Work AT RiveraErica DOT com].

Finally, please note that my public-facing online presence is comprised of:

I have somewhat anonymous accounts on a few other social media sites (you can pretty much tell it's me if you look at who I follow and what I post/boost) but I do not use them to send or respond to direct messages. If you're messaged by someone claiming to be me through a social channel not listed above (including Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Telegram, Signal, and Substack), please note that it is most definitely not me.