Erik Forrest Jackson

Raised in Texas and now living in Harlem, Erik’s a playwright, musical bookwriter and novelist. He’s the recipient of residency grants/fellowships at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, Monson Arts, the Chulitna Lodge Research Institute, and the Johnny Mercer Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals.

Erik's adaptation of the Warner Bros. holiday classic Christmas in Connecticut (with co-bookwriter Patrick Pacheco, composer Jason Howland, and lyricist Amanda Yesnowitz) premieres at Goodspeed Musicals in November 2022. His darkly comic drama Like a Billion Likes premiered at Stage West Theatre. It is the winner of the Robert Chesley/Victor Bumbalo Playwriting Award; the winner of the Southwest Playwriting Contest; and a top 10 finalist for the Woodward/ Newman Drama Award.

A Tony voter and member of the American Theatre Wing’s Advisory Board and the Clive Barnes Foundation awards selection committee, Erik was also part of the writers’ group at the Musical Theatre Factory, where he developed a musical adaptation of Like A Billion Likes titled Misty Makes It Better with composer Brad Alexander and lyricist Jill Abramovitz.

His musical Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, co-written with Ben H. Winters and featuring the songs of Neil Sedaka (arranged by Tom Kitt), was developed at New York’s Capital Rep and the Actors’ Playhouse in Miami; it has since been licensed by Theatrical Rights Worldwide and performed in cities across the globe, from London to Seoul. He also adapted the beloved TV comedy Cheers for a live stage event, which premiered in Boston.

Erik was the Playwright in Residence for the acclaimed troupe Theatre Couture. Their comic adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie premiered Off Broadway at New York’s P.S. 122, as did Doll, a twisted take on Ibsen’s A Doll’s House; the comic thriller Tell-Tale (transfer to the Cherry Lane Theater, GLAAD nominee for Best Play); and the comedy Charlie!

He is the author of a critically acclaimed humor series for middle-grade readers and adults firmly in touch with their inner kids. Muppets Meet the Classics, published by Penguin Workshop, includes The Phantom of the Opera and Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm.

In the publishing world, Erik spent more than a decade as an executive editor at Entertainment Weekly and InStyle. Erik was the editor-in-chief of Show People magazine, published by Time Inc., and an editor and critic at Us Weekly and Time Out New York. His articles as a freelance writer have appeared in Glamour, W, Real Simple, Town & Country, People, LIFE and Out, among others.