Erica Rivera is a writer and editor with 17 years of storytelling experience.
Rivera is a meticulous yet efficient editor and a respected team leader. As the first female Managing Editor for lifestyle site Mandatory, Rivera ended a decade-long practice of publishing sexist content and replaced it with dynamic, humorous, and interactive content for young men. She was promoted multiple times at Evolve Media, Mandatory's parent company, where she curated content across several sites including ComingSoon, CatTime, DogTime, and Momtastic. Her superiors described her as a "badass," a "speed demon," and a "human metronome."
As a journalist, Rivera has written myriad cover stories for publications like the Star Tribune newspaper, former alt-weekly City Pages, and Minnesota Business magazine. Her byline has also appeared in USA Today, the Growler magazine, Minnesota Meetings + Events magazine, the Riveter magazine, and on sites such as Crave Online, Mandatory, Metromix, New York magazine, The Daily Meal, and Vita.mn. She is a versatile writer, covering beats as diverse as business, arts and entertainment, food and drink, health, parenting, pets, politics, and sex and relationships.
Rivera has interviewed hundreds of artists, authors, entrepreneurs, and politicians over the course of her career. She particularly enjoys profiling the underdogs, rebels, and change-makers of the world. She also believes that as a journalist, it is her responsibility to use her privilege to elevate marginalized voices.
Whether traveling to a food desert on White Earth Reservation with "The Sioux Chef" Sean Sherman to learn about indigenous food systems, following congressional candidate Dean Phillips on the campaign trail in suburban Minnesota, or detailing how Charlie Parr's depression makes daily life a struggle, Rivera prides herself on creating a safe space for her subjects to share their sincere, heartfelt, and often outrageous insights on the record.
Constantly on the hunt for quotables, Rivera thrives on uncovering the hidden aspects of people’s personalities and telling their stories in fresh, entertaining ways. The most common feedback she receives from her interviewees? "That’s a good question!" and "Thank you for getting it right."
Rivera initially made a name for herself in publishing. Her first book, the memoir Insatiable: A Young Mother's Struggle with Anorexia, was published by Penguin Group in 2009. Come Again, her novel about dating in the
digital age, was released in 2015 by Thought Catalog Books. She is also an award-winning poet.
Rivera has appeared on ABC, NBC, and Fox affiliates to discuss her work. In addition to multiple radio and online interviews, she has participated in readings at Bryant Lake Bowl, Storefront-in-a-Box, and Hamline University. She has lectured about the psychology of eating disorders to students at her alma mater, Macalester College, as a guest lecturer. She also holds a certificate in Addiction Studies from Bethel University.
Rivera is a lifelong Minnesotan and the mother of four children.