Kelly Norman Ellis

Raised in the heart of WOKJ, pan trout fish fries, and the Sonic Boom of the South, Kelly Norman Ellis is a poet and the author of Tougaloo Blues (2003) and Offerings of Desire (2012) Her poetry has appeared in Sisterfire: Black Womanist Fiction and Poetry, Boomer Girls, Essence Magazine, Obsidian, Cornbread Nation, and most recently Teaching Black: The Craft of Teaching on Black Life and Literature, Wherever I'm At: An Anthology of Chicago Poetry, and What Things Cost: an anthology for the people. Ellis received her PhD from the University of Kentucky and is a founding member of Affrilachian Poets. She is a recipient of a Kentucky Foundation for Women Writer's grant and is a Cave Canem Fellow. Dr. Ellis spent her early years in Forest and Hattiesburg. Ellis is visiting from Chicago State University where she serves as director of creative writing. Currently, she is a Visiting Professor of English at Jackson State University. Jackson is her hometown.