Erik Jackson

Raised in Texas and now living in Harlem, Erik’s an award-winning playwright, musical bookwriter and novelist.  

In the publishing world, he spent more than a decade as an executive editor at magazines including Entertainment Weekly and InStyle. He was an on-air reporter for the BBC America TV program "Talking Movies"; a host of ABC’s Us "Weekly Report"; and a correspondent for ABC’s News One radio show. He regularly appeared on CNN, Entertainment Tonight, The View, Access Hollywood, and, in a moment of shining glory, on MTV’s "How to Live Like a Celebrity Pet."

His plays and musicals have been produced Off Broadway and internationally. A Tony voter and a member of the Dramatists Guild, he proudly serves on the American Theatre Wing’s Advisory Board and the Clive Barnes Foundation awards selection committee.  

As a novelist, he is the author of "Muppets Meet the Classics" (Disney/Penguin), a critically acclaimed humor series for middle-grade readers. He is currently working on his original fiction debut, a horror tale. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and a voter for the Bram Stoker Awards. To his surprise, he was once commissioned by Showtime to write original poems for "The Escape," a film starring Patrick Dempsey. 

Erik is the grateful recipient of residency grants/fellowships at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, Monson Arts, the Chulitna Lodge Research Institute and the Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals. He invites you to visit erikforrestjackson.com.