Erika Catiz, a native of Chicago, says "For me, poetry has become more than a hobby, it is 'Medicine for the Soul.' My poetry is very passionate because my poems are an outlet for my deepest feelings; things that I I can not always express. Poetry is a true part our black culture and I embrace it whole-heartedly. When I was a small child I was impressed and astonished by the styles of certain poets such as: Langston Hughes, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and Gwendolyn Brooks. As I have grown older my admiration has grown for them as well as many others. Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Amari Baraka (Leroy Jones), Jessica Care Moore and Saul Williams have been added to my list of greats."