Click on the video above to hear about Ellis’s experience with Writer’s Relief!

With thirty-five years of experience as a dance teacher, Ellis Elliott knows a lot about how to be poetry in motion. And her written poetry has had a full dance card as well: Ellis has been published a staggering eighteen times over the course of one year! Her poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Literary Mama, Evening Street Review, and Belle Ombre—just to name a few.

Read on and watch the video to hear how Writer’s Relief helped Ellis achieve such a strong breakout year in the publishing world.

In Ellis’s Own Words

I was a dance teacher for thirty-five years, with a brief stint as a high school English teacher, when I decided to seriously pursue the craft of poetry. I began with lots of classes, both online and in-person, then ended up in graduate school, which I finish in May. Along the way, I realized that if I was going to truly sharpen my writing chops, I needed to gather the courage to put myself out there. This is difficult enough for many of us, but on top of that, I realized how complicated the submission process was. It felt like a giant, tangled ball of yarn; choosing from hundreds of journals, each with a different slant, specific rules, and a myriad of deadlines. This was particularly overwhelming given that I was working, in school, and going back and forth to care for my elderly mom.

This is when Writer’s Relief came galloping in. At first, I was skeptical and thought it sounded too good to be true. But after reviewing the website, and websites about the website, I decided to jump in. I have never regretted it.

It feels like I have a team of personal assistants guiding me through each step of the process. From choosing the appropriate places to submit, to helping with my initial cover letter, to gently prodding me to meet deadlines, I have always felt supported. The folks at Writer’s Relief are easy to talk to, always willing to answer questions, and understand the ins and outs of the writing world. Since I began with Writer’s Relief just over a year ago, I have had eighteen acceptances. I’ve gained a lot of confidence, started my own writing groups based on freewriting (bewildernesswriting.com), and have learned so much along the way. I’m really glad I overcame my initial skepticism, and I continue to reap the benefits of that decision.

More About Ellis

Ellis Elliott is a contributing writer for the Southern Review of Books, and her poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Perceptions Magazine, Signal Mountain Review, and elsewhere.

She likes to split her time as much as possible between her home in Juno Beach, Florida, and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Ellis and her husband have a blended family of six adult sons. Ellis will graduate in May 2021 with an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University.

Ellis leads online writing groups based on freewriting at bewildernesswriting.com.