Erica Goss

Biography        Bibliography      Selected Poems      Connect on Facebook

Events

Born in Germany and raised in California, Erica Goss has been writing poetry since she was a child. As a writer, she is interested in the juxtaposition between nature and human beings, finding inspiration in that tenuous intersection of the wild and the domesticated. Her poems often deal with how far people can encroach upon nature, where the boundaries are, and how we project our own hopes and fantasies upon the natural world.

 Erica is a former editor of Caesura, the journal of literature and art put out by Poetry Center San Jose. She taught high school poetry for five years, has lead art and writing camps for young people, and currently teaches poetry workshops for adults. She is also a contributing editor for Cerise Press, and regularly reviews books of poetry. 

In 2012, she began writing a column on video poetry for Connotation Press. Her poems, reviews and essays have appeared in many literary journals, most recently Pearl, Ekphrasis, Main Street Rag, Café Review, Perigee, Dash Literary Journal, Eclectica, Up the Staircase, Lake Effect, Stirrings, Passager, Caveat Lector, Rattle, Zoland Poetry, Comstock Review and Innisfree Poetry Journal. 

She received the Many Mountains Moving Prize for poetry in 2011. She was nominated for a 2010 Pushcart Prize and received the first Edwin Markham Prize for poetry, judged by California Poet Laureate Al Young. Wild Place was also a finalist in the 2010 White Eagle Coffee Store Press Chapbook Contest, and received a special mention from Jacar Press’s 2010 Chapbook Contest.

Bibliography:

Books
Wild Place (2012)

Poetry

Blood Lotus: “Cotyledon,” “Scraps” 

Stirring: “Omens, “Cover” 

Lake Effect: “Night Court,” “In Front of the Reichstag” 

Connotation Press: “Darkroom,” “Feverfew,” “Love in a Mist,” “As If In a Fire” 

Miller’s Pond: “Camellia Garden in October,” “ Conception,” “Colorblind” 

Bone Bouquet: “Fire Season” 

Café Review: “Mouth,” “This is a Wild Place” 

Dash Literary Journal: “Cotyledon” 

Innisfree: “Scraps” 

Perigee: “Autumnal,” “Answer the Phone” 

Eclectica: “Strange Land” 

Zoland Poetry: “Easter Sunday” 

Comstock Review: “Back to Empty” 

Passager, "Phase" 

Lilipoh, "Dust of an Ordinary Star" 

The Bohemian, "The White Bear" 

Recent Guest Blog Posts
 
Guest Blog Post at Savvy Verse & Wit
 
Letter to Myself at Sixteen

Articles
 
Prescription Pets
 
Why Can’t Johnny Write?
 
Fostering Success
 
He Works For Food
 
Sustainable Landscapes
 
Bug Off
 
Easy Home Energy Efficiency
 
See the World, Save the Planet
 
It’s a Keeper
 
Art Goes Green
 
A Gift From the Sky
 
Buyer, Be Fair
 
Thank the Bees
 
Biodynamic Farming

Essays
 
Make Something Happen: Museums as Inspiration

Reviews
 
Glory and Dissolution – "Invisible Strings" by Jim Moore
 
Dark Matter Camera: "Here Be Monsters" by Colin Cheney
 
A Change of Worlds: "If I Were Another" by Mahmoud Darwish
 
Arrangements of the Line: Ellen Bryant Voigt’s "The Art of Syntax: Rhythm of Thought, Rhythm of Song"
 
"The Darkened Temple" by Mari L’Esperance
 
"How to Make a Bird With Two Hands" by Mike White
 
"Chinoiserie" by Karen Rigby

Selected Poems:

Four poems in Connotation Press
 
One poem at Wild Violet
 
Three poems at Miller’s Pond Poetry Magazine
 
One poem at Eclectica Literary Magazine
 
Two poems at Stirring: A Literary Collection
 
One poem in Up the Staircase Quarterly


Events:

March

Brown Bag Poetry
Bring your lunch for this informal workshop with Erica Goss
Los Gatos Library, 100 Villa Ave., Los Gatos 95030
Meeting Room upstairs
Thursday, March 7 at Noon

An evening of poetry to celebrate the publication of the anthology
al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here
Dr. Martin Luther King Library, 150 E. San Fernando, San Jose
Thursday, March 14 at 7:00 pm

St. Patrick's Day Poetry Crawl: "A Pint of Poetry"
Meet at the Los Gatos Library, 100 Villa Ave, Los Gatos
for an afternoon of Irish poetry
We'll start at the library and end at CB Hannegan's
Sunday, March 17 at 4:00 pm

Saratoga Blossom Festival
Celebrating the Agricultural Heritage of Saratoga
13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga Civic Center
Poetry Reading with Erica Goss & Special Guests
Saturday, March 23

Monday Poetry Workshop
Adult Recreation Center, 208 East Main, Los Gatos 95030
Monday, March 25, at 6:00 pm

April: National Poetry Month

Brown Bag Poetry
Bring your lunch for this informal workshop with Erica Goss
Los Gatos Library, 100 Villa Ave., Los Gatos 95030
Meeting Room upstairs
Thursday, April 4 at Noon

Poem in Your Pocket Day
Pick up a poem at the Los Gatos Library
Volunteers will be handing them out around town
Thursday, April 18 ALL DAY

Erica Goss & Friends National Poetry Month Reading & Open Mic
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
3600 Stevens Creek, San Jose 95117
Sunday, April 21 at 2:00 pm

Poetry Los Gatos Presents: NPM Poetry Reading & Open Mic
Great Bear Coffee
19 N. Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos 95030
Thursday, April 25 at 6:30 pm

Monday Poetry Workshop
Adult Recreation Center, 208 East Main, Los Gatos 95030
Monday, April 29, at 6:00 pm