糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumna Erin Wood Finds Her Calling in Writing, Editing, and Publishing
Erin Wood didn鈥檛 plan on becoming a publisher. But when a family loss pushed her to rethink everything, she followed a creative calling 鈥� one that led her back to Arkansas and into a career she shapes on her own terms.
Originally from Hot Springs, Wood lives in Little Rock where she has built a multifaceted career around words, stories, and helping other writers find their voices.
鈥淚鈥檓 a creative nonfiction writer,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am the author of Women Make Arkansas: Conversations with 50 Creatives (winner of Best Nonfiction South from the Independent Publisher Book Awards) and editor of, and a contributor to, Scars: An Anthology.鈥�
Her recent work has appeared in The Sun, HuffPost Personal, The Rumpus, and on the Article Club podcast. Her essays have been named notable in The Best American Essays and nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Wood is the owner and publisher of Et Alia Press, 鈥渁 small press for big voices,鈥� where she publishes nonfiction and children鈥檚 books by Arkansas authors. She also does freelance editing of essays, nonfiction manuscripts, and children鈥檚 books, and advises writers about the publishing process.
Wood earned an English degree from Duke University and a juris doctor from the Georgia State University College of Law. She was working as a lawyer when her father died, a moment that forced her to reevaluate what she truly wanted.
鈥淚 was practicing law in Atlanta, and my dad passed away at 58, so it sent me into some existential questioning,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had always loved to write and edit, and I decided I wanted to move back to Arkansas.鈥�
Once home, Wood began researching writing programs and discovered the professional and technical writing program at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.
鈥淚 found a program that I thought would give me both creative skills and practical skills,鈥� she said.
Shortly after graduate school, she began piecing together a varied workload.
鈥淚 was cobbling together a bunch of different jobs. I had learned grant writing and editing, which I could do to pay the bills while I did more creative writing,鈥� she said. 鈥淒uring grad school, I taught composition, and I continued to do that after I graduated. I was an adjunct professor. I was also a managing editor for an academic journal that is published by Johns Hopkins University Press called Literature and Medicine.鈥�
She credits 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock faculty with opening doors. One of those mentors was Chuck Anderson, now retired, whose Writing and Healing class led her to work with the academic journal, where he was editor.
鈥淚 also worked with him as a grad student on Quills and Pixels, the literary magazine at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, which I edited,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd my thesis chair and former department head, George Jensen, asked if I would be interested in joining him in starting a small press. We started Et Alia in 2010, and I鈥檝e been running it by myself for about eight years.鈥�
Wood said much of her career growth has come from building relationships and showing up.
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e just really stayed busy by word of mouth,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never really had to seek out work. I think the connections I made helped me put down roots in a new city and develop a new community around writing.鈥�
For years after graduate school, she and several classmates continued to meet every few months to catch up 鈥� a reflection of how meaningful the experience had been.
Wood said she is grateful she chose to pursue her graduate studies at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.
鈥淚t reinforced the major career change that I had made, and I never looked back,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t grounded me in this new direction and made me realize I was doing exactly what I intended to do.鈥�
One class that deeply influenced her was Writing for Adolescents and Families, taught by retired professor Toran Isom.
鈥淚t was pivotal for me,鈥� Wood recalled. 鈥淪he was such a positive mentor. I now edit and publish children鈥檚 books, and that class really helped me understand the serious types of children鈥檚 books I could take on. When I think about the books I want to publish for children, they are books about health or mental health issues that children deal with.鈥�
Wood was recently selected as a 2025 Catalyze Fellow and awarded a $10,000 artist grant.
When asked for two words to describe 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Wood said 鈥減ractical鈥� and 鈥渇ormative.鈥�
鈥淧ractical because I was able to get right to work after grad school using the skills I鈥檇 gained and the relationships I鈥檇 built. And formative because the insight, methods, and teaching and editing experience I gained prepared me to lead a career that is entrepreneurial and creative, and work alongside authors to bring their stories to the page.鈥�
She has had an impact on the state鈥檚 literary landscape, and her contributions reach beyond the books she creates.
鈥淓rin has built an incredible and vibrant independent press in Arkansas,鈥� 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock professor Barb L’Eplattenier said. 鈥淪he has produced a wide variety of gorgeous books that highlight the beauty, culture, and people of Arkansas. She is a fabulous mentor to authors and others involved in the Arkansas publishing industry.鈥�
Wood鈥檚 advice to students is: connect and participate.
鈥淏e sure to connect with your professors because they are experts in their field and you can learn so much from them beyond the classroom,鈥� she said. 鈥淭ake the opportunity to get involved in activities on campus that are related to your program. For me, that was Quills and Pixels, and it gave me a lot of practical experience in editing and writing. That鈥檚 what I needed to use in my everyday publishing career.鈥�