Erika Reich Giles was born in post-WWII Hungary and came to the U.S. as a child with her refugee parents. She grew up in Billings, Montana. Her BA in psychology from Macalester College and MSW from the University of Washington led to a social work career helping children move out of the foster care system by facilitating their return home or placing them for adoption.
She began writing essays after a writing class exercise reminded her of a traumatic incident in her childhood, not unlike those of some of her clients. Her understanding of family dynamics and trauma’s effects helped her unravel her own past for her memoir, Becoming Hungarian. The essay on which her memoir is based won the 2011 John Guyon Literary Nonfiction Prize at Crab Orchard Review. Her essays also have been published in The Seattle Times, Clackamas Literary Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Ascent, Clockhouse Review, Tahoma Literary Review, Under the Sun and in two anthologies.
Erika’s refugee background has made her passionate about helping immigrants and refugees learn English. She has led conversation groups for English learners for over a decade. She also enjoys reading and solving crossword puzzles and cryptograms. Seattle-area residents for more than forty years, she and her husband now live in Portland, Oregon.
