Unwrapping E: Exploring Emotional Excursions from Emptiness to Euphoria (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780692765647)

Erica Alyse (Bridgers) Holton, affectionately known as "E," grew up in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina and had an amazing childhood of 18 years there until her family later relocated to Raleigh. She attended North Carolina A&T State University where she earned a degree in Accounting and later North Carolina Central University where she earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and has been in the field of Contract Administration for 25 years. E really is a lover of all things art. When she was in the 6th grade her English teacher had all students take a few minutes at the start of class to write in a journal. The only requirement was that the pen not stop moving for five straight minutes. At the end of the semester the teacher, who periodically checked the journals, pulled her to the side and said "Young lady there is a rhythm to your writing, this is poetry". The pen has not stopped. The pen did not stop moving when she traveled to work as a civil servant in Liberia, West Africa for a summer. Neither did it stop through a diagnosis of breast cancer and subsequent treatment in 2012. E often says these things, among others, made her legs stronger, smile broader and pen move faster. When not sifting through contracts, Erica can be found in the gym, many times with a basketball in her hand, playing the piano, drawing, making pieces of art, cooking, watching sports, spending time with her loved ones and in the late night hours, writing. E has been actively sharing her gift across the North Carolina's Triangle area. She has worked with Durham based Black Poetry Theater Company on several occasions. She was a featured artist at Durham Under Development - A Rooftop Poetry Gala presented by Pleades Gallery and Clarion Content Magazine. She also was featured at the 2016 Art of Cool Festival as a spoken word artist and pianist in a tribute to Jazz greats Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane entitled "Conversations on Cool: Poems, Monk, and Trane" at the Blue Note Grill in Durham. She has shared her poetry at North Carolina Central University as part of programming presented by the Women's Center. On Wednesdays she can be found in Raleigh, NC at City Soul Café, a weekly open mic she helps to coordinate. As long as there is breath and ability, her pen will continue to move.