
Erika Lynne Jones has always known her life purpose involved working for and with children. Before becoming a homeschool teacher, she worked as non-profit Executive Director of an after school literacy program. Erika enjoys creating whimsical characters and uplifting stories that allow everyone to view themselves as worthy of good. Growing up Erika didn’t see art or media featuring women of color enjoying themselves, practicing self care, or just living their lives. She loves drawing inclusive images to remind everyone that women of color desire and deserve the basic pleasures of life too. Similarly, she aims to create stories where black children are allowed to express and process a wide range of emotions from joy to anger around their life experiences (that go well beyond the issue of race). She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and currently lives in the Dallas, Texas area with her husband and three daughters.
Awards / Honors
- 2020 Honors Award for SCBWI North Texas Portfolio Competition
- 2020 Grand Prize Winner Beans Around the World Illustration Competition
- 2020 Kweli Journal Color of Children’s Literature Illustrator Scholarship Winner
- 2020 Make Art That Sells Illustrating Children’s Books Competition