| awards = [[Susan Smith Blackburn Prize]]

Originally from [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], Dickerson-Despenza graduated from the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English education from the School of Education.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2022-08-17 |title=Dickerson-Despenza is recipient of Forward Award from Wisconsin Alumni Foundation |url=https://education.wisc.edu/news/dickerson-despenza-is-recipient-of-forward-award-from-wisconsin-alumni-foundation/ |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-02 |title=Meet 2022 Forward Award Recipient Erika Dickerson-Despenza ’14 |url=https://www.uwalumni.com/news/erika-dickerson-despenza/ |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=Wisconsin Alumni Association |language=en}}</ref> While at UW[[University of Wisconsin–Madison|–]]Madison, she started a theater company, The For Colored Girls Project.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Adhiambo |first=Charlene |date=2020-08-14 |title=Interview with Erika Dickerson-Despenza: ‘Write the Thing that Changes the World’ |url=https://www.playco.org/community/interview-with-erika-dickerson-despenza |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=PlayCo |language=en-us}}</ref>

After graduating, Dickerson-Despenza took on teaching jobs. She moved to New York and took a position with People’s Theatre Project.<ref name=":2" /> In 2019, Dickerson-Despenza quit her non-theatre job to pursue playwriting full time.<ref name=":0" /> She was [[The Public Theater]]'s 2019-2020 Tow Foundation playwright-in-residence.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=2023-05-04 |title=Erika Dickerson-Despenza's Shadow/Land Opens Off-Broadway at The Public May 4 |url=https://playbill.com/article/erika-dickerson-despenzas-shadow-land-opens-off-broadway-at-the-public-may-4 |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=Playbill}}</ref>

Dickerson-Despenza's play, ''cullud wattah,'' received its first staged reading at Jackalope Theatre in Chicago in 2018.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Ingenthron |first=Blair |title=Actor's Express to Present CULLUD WATTAH by Erika Dickerson-Despenza Beginning Next Month |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/atlanta/article/Actors-Express-to-Present-CULLUD-WATTAH-by-Erika-Dickerson-Despenza-Beginning-Next-Month-20230820 |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |language=en}}</ref> The play follows three generations of Black women living through the [[Flint water crisis|Flint, Michigan water crisis]]. It was featured on the 2019 [[The Kilroys' List|Kilroys' List]], as was Dickerson-Despenza's play, ''[hieroglyph]''.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Meyer |first=Dan |date=2021-03-13 |title=Erika Dickerson-Despenza and Margo Hall Offer a Sneak Peek at [Hieroglyph] |url=https://playbill.com/article/erika-dickerson-despenza-and-margo-hall-offer-a-sneak-peek-at-hieroglyph |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=Playbill}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Clement |first=Olivia |date=2019-06-18 |title=The Kilroys Releases Fifth Annual ’The List’ |url=https://playbill.com/article/the-kilroys-releases-fifth-annual-the-list |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=Playbill}}</ref> The Public Theatre had slated ''cullud wattah'' to be staged in the summer of 2020, which would have been Dickerson-Despenza's first professional production. However, the production was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=2021-04-07 |title=Erika Dickerson-Despenza Wins Blackburn Prize for ‘cullud wattah’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/theater/erika-dickerson-despenza-blackburn-prize-cullud-wattah.html |access-date=2024-04-02 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Despite the suspension of all performances of the play, ''cullud wattah'' won the 2021 [[Susan Smith Blackburn Prize]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Sophie |date=2021-04-08 |title=Erika Dickerson-Despenza wins 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize |url=https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/erika-dickerson-despenza-wins-2021-susan-smith-blackburn-prize |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=New York Theatre Guide |language=en}}</ref> ''cullud wattah'' opened at The Public Theatre in NYC in November 2021, under the direction of Candis C. Jones.<ref name=":1" />

''shadow/land'' had its off-Broadway debut in 2023.<ref name=":3" />

|L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award ([[Williamstown Theatre Festival|Williamstown Theatre Festiva]]<nowiki/>l)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickerson-Despenza, Erika}}

[[Category:American LGBT dramatists and playwrights‎]]

[[Category:American women dramatists and playwrights‎]]

[[Category:Queer dramatists and playwrights‎]]

[[Category:Writers from Chicago‎]]