Upcoming Lyceum Poetry Event with Indigo Eriksen, April 17

In honor of National Poetry Month, Woodbridge English Professor Indigo Eriksen will share a selection of her published and unpublished poetry and storytelling in her Lyceum talk, “Dystopian Love Stories.” Professor Eriksen’s work blends the political and the personal from the perspective of a flawed narrator. Her recent work juxtaposes the ongoing genocide in Gaza with anxieties surrounding land stewardship in the U.S. Her previous work examines connections between land, conflict and colonialism. In stark contrast to these themes are Indigo’s poems about dating, which earned her the nickname “T. Swift of the family.” This event will be held Wednesday, April 17, from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. on the Annandale Campus (CA-302).

Raised in Colorado and Virginia, J. Indigo Eriksen earned her B.A. in environmental studies from Lewis & Clark College before moving to Guatemala and Mexico. She received her M.F.A. from Mills College and M.A. in comparative literature from San Francisco State University. A doctoral candidate at George Mason University, Indigo’s research looks at strategies for dismantling white supremacy in college composition. At NOVA, her unofficial work includes leading hiking trips and teaching students and staff how to backpack.

Indigo previously served on the TYCA-SE (Two-Year College English Association-Southeast) REC as the Membership Chair for 2016 to 2019. Her creative work has appeared in the Texas Review Press (forthcoming, 2024); District Fray (July 2020); Northern Virginia Review; Scratching Against the Fabric; Endlessly Rocking; and TYCA-SE Journal. In addition to being a 2023 Writing the Land poet with the Piney Grove Preserve, Indigo was the 2021 Inner Loop Writer-in-Residence at the Woodlawn Pope-Leighey House and recipient of the 2019 Mary Roberts Rinehart Award in Nonfiction from George Mason University.

If you need any accommodations to attend this event, please contact Steve Lessner at SLessner@nvcc.edu by Wednesday, April 10.

For more information about this and other Lyceum events, please see here. 

Submitted by:
Steve Lessner, AN-English, SLessner@nvcc.edu