Robert Eric Shoemaker

About Robert Eric Shoemaker

Robert Eric Shoemaker (he/him) is a poet, translator, and interdisciplinary artist. His book, Magical Poetics: The Magic of Language and Real-World Effect Poetry, is forthcoming from Bloomsbury. He is the author of Ca’Venezia (Partial Press, 2021), an artist’s book of hybrid writing and visual art; We Knew No Mortality (Acta Publications, 2018), poetry and memoir; and the poetry chapbook 30 Days Dry (Thought Collection Publishing 2015).Eric’s work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best New Translation, and he has won honorable mention in Spoon River Poetry Review’s Editor’s Prize. He is a 2025 30/30 participant with Tupelo Press. His writing is published with Rain Taxi, Zone 3, Tupelo Quarterly, Spoon River Poetry Review, Jacket2, ANMLY, the Poetry Foundation, Rattle, Asymptote, Exchanges, Signs and Society, Entropy, Call Me [Out], Miracle Monocle, Gender Forum, Columbia Journal, Plath Profiles, the Louisville Review, Transom, Tiny Spoon, Call Me [Stranger], Analogies & Allegories, Bombay Gin, Barely South Review, and others. Eric earned a PhD in humanities from the University of Louisville, an MFA in creative writing and poetics from Naropa University, and a BA in theatre and performance studies from the University of Chicago. Eric has been a featured speaker on PBS’s Remember Them as well as the podcasts PoemTalk, Perks of Being a Book Lover, and Business Boss. He has performed and lectured at venues including Speed Art Museum and the Frazier Museum in Louisville, Kentucky; the Fox Theater in Boulder, Colorado; Remy Bumppo Theater; the Chicago Public Library’s Poetry Day; and many others. His installations and artwork have been exhibited at East Window gallery and Naropa University, as well as other venues. Eric’s award-winning plays, including translations of The House of Bernarda Alba and Barrens by Federico García Lorca and his musical PLATH/HUGHES, have been produced in Chicago and New York.Follow Eric at r••••••••@robert.e.shoe on Instagram and T••••••@rob.e.shoemaker on TikTok@reshoemaker on LinkedInFacebook.com/Robert.Eric.ShoemakerGoodreads.com/shoemaker_robert

Experience

1. Instructor

   City Colleges Of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College

   Sep 2025 — Present

   English courses including 101, 102, and African American Literature

Education

• University of Louisville

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Comparative Humanities

• Naropa University

  Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Creative Writing and Poetics

  2016 — 2018

• University of Chicago

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), Theater and Performance Studies

  2010 — 2014

Skills

• Writing
• Social Media
• Web Content
• Arts Administration
• Performing Arts
• Editing
• Journalism
• Nonprofits