About

I’m Ellis Elliott, creator of Bewilderness Writing, which was inspired by my mentor, Laurie Wagner. I started my creative journey as a high-school English teacher, founded Dance Arts Iowa, have taught ballet for over thirty years, and yoga for fifteen.

I reclaimed my love of words in the last 15 years and received my MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University in 2021. I discovered the best place to begin was by making a “mess on the page”, which for me is done through freewriting. From there, your options are unlimited as to where you can go. It might be a poem, an essay, your next project idea, or a journal entry.

I’m a writer and online writing group guide. I teach ballet in an after-school program, Faith’s Place, and adult ballet online, called Silver Swans. I live in Juno Beach with my husband and we have six sons in our blended family.

I was on the editorial staff of QU literary magazine at Queens University, and was a contributing writer for the Southern Review of Books. I am on the editorial staff, and offer Bewilderness Writing through The Dewdrop online digest. My first poetry book, Break in the Field, came out in Summer 2023 from Old Scratch Press, an imprint of Devil’s Party Press.

In movement, writing, and all of my creative endeavors I’ve been fascinated with the creative process and the many ways we express ourselves.

I began offering a freewriting group online after the pandemic hit, and it has proven to be an intimate and powerful practice. It might lead someone to their next writing idea, help discover inner truths, or simply help commit to a writing practice. Group members have submitted their work for publication, used them for their blogs or social media, and gained confidence in their voice, on the page and in life.

Our group members have the opportunity to have their work published and featured in the Bewilderness Writing monthly newsletter.