BIO/CV
A native of Louisville, Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of LOST GIRLS, a short story collection, and SURRENDER, a poetry chapbook.  LOST GIRLS is a finalist for the 2021 Clara Johnson Award for Literature and winner of the Pencraft Award for short stories. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from Queens University - Charlotte. Her short stories have appeared in Antioch Review, Shenandoah, South Carolina Review, Upstreet, and elsewhere.  

EDUCATION
M.F.A., Queens University - Charlotte, Fiction. 2014.
M.A., University of Cincinnati, Communications. 1990.
B.A., University of Louisville, English. 1988.
 
BOOK PUBLICATIONS 
Abide, Seven Kitchens Press, Poetry chapbook, 2021.
Lost Girls, TouchPoint Press, 2020.  
Surrender, Finishing Line Press, Poetry chapbook, 2012.
 
EDITORIAL
Columnist at Authorlink.com, interviews on the craft of writing with authors including Mark Doty, Dinty Moore, Clare Messud and Alice McDermott, 2005-Present.
Freelance Writer, contributor to publications including The Rumpus, Electric Literature, Cooking Light, 1994-Present.
Media Relations Consultant, press releases, media relations, newsletters, web content, for businesses including Kentucky Foundation for Women and Wellness 360, 2004-Present.
Craft Talk Columnist, Tishman Review, interviews, reviews, essays on craft, 2017-2018.
Editor, The Patton Saber, newsletter of the George S. Patton Museum, Fort Knox, 2002-2012.  
 
BOOK CONTRIBUTIONS
Once a City Said: An Anthology of Louisville Poets, Sarabande Books, Poetry, forthcoming.
Running Away, Alan Squire Publishing, Fiction, forthcoming.
Without a Doubt, New York Quarterly, Poetry, Forthcoming.
Running with Water, V Press LC, Poetry, 2019.
Boundless, Compass Flower Press, Fiction, 2018.
Celestial Musings: Poems Inspired by the Night Sky, Ball State, Poetry, 2018.
Microchondria III, Harvard Book Store, Fiction, 2016.
Joys of the Table, Richer Resources, Poetry, 2015.
Choose Wisely: 35 Women Up to No Good, Upper Rubber Boot, Fiction, 2015.   
Motif 4: Seeking Its Own Level, Motes Books, Poetry, 2014. Finalist, Next Generation Indie Book Award.
The Burden of Light: Poems on Illness and Loss, Smashwords, Poetry, 2014.
Novel and Short Story Writers Market, Writer’s Digest, Author Profile, 2008.
On Grandma’s Porch, Bellebooks, Children’s Story, 2007.
Rhyme and Reason, McAlister, Poetry, 2006.
Hidden Kitchens, Rodale, Essay, 2005.
For This I Am Grateful, Everyday Wisdom Press, Essay, 2004.
Nesting: It’s a Chick Thing, Workman Publishing, Humorous Essay, 2004.
The Writing Group Book, Chicago Review Press, Humorous Essay, 2003.
The Girls' Book of Love, Little Brown & Co., Essay for Children, 2002.
The Girls' Book of Friendship, Little Brown & Co., Essay for Children, 2001.
 
JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Fiction
“Lockdown,” Fiction Southeast, 2021.
“Lincoln, Maw and Shorty,” Sequestrum, 2020
“Psychology 101,” Fjords Review, 2020.
“Truckin,” Conclave, 2020.
“Ecosystems,” Flights, 2020.
“Gant & Son,” Hong Kong Review, 2020.
 “Rough Road,” Qwerty, 2019.
 “Life After,” The Tishman Review, 2019.
“Like I Miss Not Being a Ballerina,” Sou’wester, 2019.
“Kodachrome,” NEBO, 2019.
“Neverland,” Richmond Independent Press, 2019.
“A Trip to the Museum,” Fiction Southeast, 2019.
 “The Breach,” Aftermath, 2018.
“I’m Here,” The New Southern Fugitives, 2018.
“Fear of Heights,” Inscape, 2018.
“Lincoln, Maw and Shorty,” 2017. Honorable Mention, Saturday Evening Post Fiction Contest.
“Like I Miss Not Being a Ballerina,” 2017. Honorable Mention, Glimmer Train Press Family Matters.
“Emoticon,” Lunch Ticket, 2016.
"Religion," Great Jones Street, 2016. 
"I See You," Great Jones Street, 2016. Named a Notable Story.  
"Kodachrome," Great Jones Street, 2016. Named a Notable Story.
"May Apples," Great Jones Street, 2016. 
"Harvest," Sliver of Stone, 2016.
“Landing Zone Albany,” Upstreet, 2016.
“After the Fall,” Ky Story, 2016. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize.  
“A Rumor of Fire,” Pioneer Town, 2016.
“May Apples,” Shenandoah, 2015. Winner of Bevel Summers Prize.
“Happiness,” Nano Fiction, 2014.
“A Kiss is Just a Kiss,” Popcorn Farm, 2014.
“Bottle Tree Blues,” Sawmill Magazine, 2013.
“Religion,” Antioch Review, 2013. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
“I See You,” wigleaf, 2012.
“Kodachrome,” Notre Dame Review, 2012.
“Swimming,” South Carolina Review, 2011. 
“Heavy Metal,” Santa Fe Literary Review, 2011.
“Helter Skelter,” Paradigm, 2010.
“Fresh Paint,” Turtle Quarterly, 2009.
“Drowning,” Salt River Review, 2008.
“Wednesday Night in Dayton,” Salt River Review, 2008.
“Man without a Country,” Juked, 2008.
“After the Fall,” Alimentum, 2007.
“Sugar,” Mindprints: A Literary Review, 2005.
“Lost Girls,” www.thepedestalmagazine.com, 2004.
 


Poetry
“Castaway,” OpenDoor Magazine, 2021
“Abide,” Running with Water, 2019. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
“Broken Vessels,” The Binnacle, 2018.
“One Woman’s Yard Sale,” 3Elements Review, 2017.
“What Broke My Heart,” Kentucky Monthly, 2017.
“Company,” The Binnacle, 2015.
“What Broke My Heart,” The Revivalist, 2017.
“Perfect Cakes,” The Binnacle, 2014.
“Hopper’s Nun,” Blast Furnace, 2013.
“Sixteen,” Cease Cows, 2013.
“Down by the Lake,” Zócalo Public Square, 2013.
“Last Words,” Thin Air, 2013.
“Butterfly Maneuvers,” The Binnacle, 2013. 
“Surveillance,” Qarrtsiluni, 2013.
“Corner Lot,” Zócalo Public Square, 2012.
“Two Fathers,” with Lois Barr, Mixtini Matrix, 2012.
“Home,” The Bark, 2012.
“Louisville, KY, USA,” Clackamas Literary Review, 2011.
“Measurements,” Gastronomica, 2011.
“Blind Weaver,” Clapboard House, 2010.
“Back Streets/New Orleans,” Clapboard House, 2010.
“The Divide,” Inscape, 2010.
“August Leaves,” South Loop Review, 2010.
“Paper Children,” The University of Iowa's Daily Palette, 2009.
“These are the Final Days of Years of Sweetness,” The Binnacle, 2009.    
“The Look,” The Rambler, 2009. 
“Pom,” Centrifugal Eye, 2008. 
“Authenticity,” Centrifugal Eye, 2008. 
“The Big Oak in the Front Yard,” The Binnacle, 2008.
“Down by the River,” Ruminate, 2008. 
“Lindbergh’s Lunch,” Alimentum, 2008.
“Adagio in Wood,” The Centrifugal Eye, 2007.
“A Case of Mistaken Identity,” The Binnacle, 2007.  
“Spilt Milk,” The Rambler, 2006.  
“Origins,” Mindprints: A Literary Journal, 2006. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
“When Jackson Pollock Met Julia Child,” The Heartland Review, 2004.
“Nature Lover,” The Heartland Review, 2004.
“Dark of the Moon,” The Binnacle, 2004.
  
Essay
​"Past as Prelude: Influences Echo in Our Writing, Oh Reader, 2021. 
“If My Book,” Monkeybicycle, 2020
“Five Ways to Create Memorable Characters,” Big Indie Books, 2020.
“How to be a Writer in 5 Steps,” Brevity Blog, 2018.
“My Year of Living Quietly,” Brevity Blog, 2017.
“Nobody’s Home,” The Common, 2017
“The Nine,” The Butter, 2015 and The Fem, 2016.  
“John Birkett,” South Loop Review, 2010.
   
Drama      
“The Nine,” Eve Theatre Company, Women’s Words: Sharing Herstories, 2020.
“Everybody to Their Own Thing,” The Coachella Review Blog, 2019.   
 “The Last Minute,” Mud City Journal, 2017.
“Lost Girls,” ATL Heideman Award finalist, Monologue Bank, 2017
“Fool Me Once,” Plays, The Drama Magazine for Young People, 2007.
 
Photography
“Red Room,” The New Southern Fugitives, 2019.
“White Horse,” The New Southern Fugitives, 2018.
 
PUBLIC RADIO COMMENTARY  
“What Would Scarlett Do?” KISU Idaho State Public Radio, 2017.
“Hello, My Name is Ellen and I am a Spaz,” Wide World of Radio, 2014.
“What Would Scarlett Do?” Wide World of Radio, 2014.
“The Wishing Party,” The Story, 2011. 
This I Believe, WEKU, 2010.
TV Snacks, NPR, Kitchen Window, 2006.
This I Believe, WFPL, 2006.

FELLOWSHIPS
Vermont College Postgraduate Workshop, 2021.
Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowship, Fiction, 2013.
James Hardy Award, Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, Artist Residency, 2002.
 
GRANTS AND AWARDS
Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, Finalist. 
Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence, 2021.  
Rita Dove Poetry Prize, Finalist, 2020, 2019.
Baltic Writing Residency Kentucky Writers Fellowship, Immediate Alternate, 2018.
Bevel Summers Prize, Shenandoah, 2015.
Baltic Writing Residency Kentucky Writers Fellowship, Finalist, 2015.
Kentucky Women Writers Conference, Postgraduate Scholarship, 2013.
Kentucky Arts Council, Individual Artist Professional Development Grants, 2009, 2006, 2001.
Elizabeth George Foundation Grant, 2008.    
The Binnacle, Top Poetry Prize, 2008.
Heideman Award (ten-minute plays), Finalist, 2008. 
Glimmer Train Family Matters Competition, Finalist, 2007.
Betty Gabehart Prize for Fiction, Kentucky Women Writers Conference, 2005.
The Pedestal Magazine Readers’ Awards, Honorable Mention, Fiction, 2005.
Artist Enrichment Grant, Kentucky Foundation for Women, 2002.  
 
TEACHING   
“Turning Experience into Poetry,” Story Circle Network, 2022.
“Turning Experience into Poetry,” The Loft Literary Center, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2015.
“Well-Seasoned Words,” The Loft Literary Center, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018.
“Paths to Publication,” Faculty, Kentucky Women Writers Workshop, 2019.    
 “Get Published,” The Loft Literary Center, 2019, 2018, 2017.
 “Character in Fiction,” The Loft Literary Center, 2019, 2016, 2015. 
“Paths to Publication,” Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2008.
“Paths to Publication,” Faculty, Antioch Writers Workshop, 2018  
“Paths to Publication,” Faculty, Louisville Literary Arts Seminar, 2017.
 “Writing Your Life: Turning Experience into Poetry,” The Loft Literary Center, 2017, 2015.
“Crafting the Perfect Query Letter,” Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, 2015.
“Writing Your Life: Turning Experience into Poetry,” Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning, 2014.
“Group Process”, “Interpersonal Communication”, “Writing for the Media”, “Business and  Professional Speaking”, “Public Speaking”, and “Interviewing”, adjunct faculty at Bellarmine University, University of Louisville, Jefferson Community College and Lexington Community College, 1992-2002.
On-site employee training in Interpersonal Communication for Target Corp. and General Electric Company, 1998.
“Speaking Well”, Small Business Consortium, 1995.
 
BOOK REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS
Authorlink.com
Electric Literature
Gulf Coast Magazine
Louisville Courier Journal
Minneapolis Star Tribune
New Orleans Review
Prairie Schooner, Briefly Noted
Ploughshares
Reading Ireland
The Rumpus
The Tishman Review
Southern Review of Books 
 
PANELS, PRESENTATIONS AND APPEARANCES
Instructor, Kentucky Book Festival, 2022.
Instructor, Louisville Book Festival, 2022.
Panelist, “The Art of Intimate Prose, Get Lit! Literary Festival, 2022. 
Featured Author, Kentucky Book Festival, 2021.
Featured Author, Louisville Book Festival, 2021.
Reader, Spalding Reading Series, 2020.   
Reader, INKY Reading Series, 2020.
“Feeding the Fire,” Panelist, Writer’s Block Festival, 2019.
“Paths to Publication,” Faculty, Kentucky Women Writers Conference, 2019.
Featured Reader, River City Revue Series, 2018.
“Paths to Publication,” Faculty, Antioch Writers Workshop, 2018  
Creative Presentation, Fiction, The Louisville Conference on Literature Since 1900, 2018, 2015, 2012. 
“Paths to Publication,” Faculty, Louisville Literary Arts Seminar, 2017.
Reader, Flying Out Loud Series, 2017.
Interview, Writer’s Digest Poetic Asides, 2017.  http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/ellen-birkett-morris-poet-interview
Featured Reader, River City Revue Series, 2017.
Featured Reader, Kentucky Writers Day Celebration, Boyle County Library, 2017.
Featured Reader, Poetpalooza, Carmichael’s Book Store, 2017
Presenter, Paths to Publication, Queen University Alumni Gathering, 2016.
Reader, Flying Out Loud Series, 2015.
Reader, Homegrown Series, 2015.
Reader, INKY Reading Series, 2015, 2008.
Reader, McQuixote Books Reading Series, 2015.
Reader, Subterranean Phrases Reading Series, 2015.
Reader, Spalding Reading Series, 2014.   
Interview, Artxfm, Interview, 2013.
Interview, The Business of Writing, podcast, 2013.  
Reader, Shine Reading Series, 2013.
Book signing and reading, Carmichael’s Books, 2012.
Reader, INKY Reading Series, 2012.
Reader, Stone Soup Reading Series, 2012.
Interview, From the Inkwell, 2011.
“Paths to Publication,” Women Who Write, 2010. 
Interview, Accents Radio, WRFL, 2010.
Panelist, Kentucky Women’s Book Festival, 2008.
Interview, Studio 619, 2008.
Interview, Charles Adler National Edition, Syndicated Canadian talk show, 2006.