More about me…

I’m Erin, equity reporter for hyper-local nonprofit newsroom Charlottesville Tomorrow, and a freelance arts and culture reporter based in Charlottesville, Virginia. I write about peoples and cultures typically left out of mainstream narratives, including independent and DIY music scenes (like punk and hip-hop), Black female muralists, seed savers, low-profile jazz legends, Aboriginal Australian photographers, Native American tribes fighting for federal recognition, night-shift workers, the clergy’s role in anti-racist activism, bizarre guerilla art, and more.

Long-form features are my strong suit.

Until recently, I was the on-staff culture reporter for C-VILLE Weekly, a hyper-local alt-weekly newspaper in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the five years I wrote for C-VILLE, I worked hard to earn the trust and respect of my neighbors, and enjoyed reporting on and for my community. I also won seven Virginia Press Association Awards, including three first-place awards in 2020 for feature story writing. I also received first place in the arts feature writing category in the 2020 Association of Alternative Newsmedia awards for a story on jazz legend Roland Wiggins.

I have some serious news reporting experience too: I was on the ground in Charlottesville during the Unite the Right Rally (August 11 and 12, 2017), and I contributed to C-VILLE Weekly’s coverage of that weekend's events.

Previously, I worked as a magazine editor, in media acquisition for an online encyclopedia, as a website copy editor, a writing tutor, at a library circulation desk, and, throughout college, as a sales associate at a Gap store (that was something).

When I’m not writing, I co-host “Ye Olde Tuesday Afternoon Rocke Show” on WTJU 91.1. FM, and I spin frequently at various bars and breweries around town. I collect vinyl records, go to lots of shows, bake pies from scratch, and make a damn good sour cream and green onion biscuit. I grew up in the Boston area and have lived in Virginia for 11 years. I love visiting new places—most recently, I ate, looked, and listened my way through New Orleans. Someday, I’d like to write a book…probably a music-related one.

I’m based in Charlottesville but will gladly travel for a good story.