Ericka Lutz writes fiction (short and long), non-fiction (creative and commercial), and performance pieces. She's the author of many short stories, columns, personal essays, and advice books. With a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Creative Arts, she learned at an early age to suit the genre to the content, not the reverse.

Ericka Lutz's personal column "Red Diaper Dharma" appears monthly at Literary Mama. She is the author of seven non-fiction books including On the Go with Baby and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Stepparenting, as well as The Complete Idiot's Guide to a Looking Great for Teens (translated into Polish) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Friendship for Teens (translated into Portuguese). Her award-winning short stories and personal essays appear in books, anthologies, and journals.

Ericka is a two-time recipient of a fiction fellowship at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. She has been interviewed on over 40 radio shows including "The Parent's Journal" on NPR and has been a featured guest on KRON-TV and KGO (ABC) in San Francisco. In 2007, she and her daughter Annie were featured on the American Public Media show, "The Story with Dick Gordon."

Ericka's early background was in the theater. She performed in the SF Bay Area, New York and Tokyo, and studied at the A.C.T Young Conservatory, the Lee Strasberg Institute, and the Center for Experimental and Interdisciplinary Art at San Francisco State University. Recently she has performed solo at the Jean Shelton Theater under the direction of W. Kamau Bell, and was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle for her work at SoloHouse.

Ericka teaches fiction writing and public speaking for U.C. Berkeley Extension, and is the Writing Consultant for the Evening & Weekend MBA program at U.C. Berkeley. Since 1992, she's provided private coaching on writing and writing process as well as editorial services to writers and organizations.