Hi, friends, thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the writing you find on this blog.
The moment I learned to read is still etched in my mind, and I’ve been avidly consuming books and the dreams they hold ever since. Writing, too, has been part of my life since I learned to hold a pencil and make those letter shapes myself. I’m fortunate now to be able to write full-time, and I’m not going to waste that opportunity!
In 2021, I am writing my first novel, currently titled Will you, exploring the impact of fear, lies, forgiveness, and trust on family dynamics and individual growth. I dashed off a draft in a few weeks, but um, jeepers, making a credible story with full, enticing characters and a meaningful plot is actually quite hard. I’ve been going at this thing for just about a year now and I have plenty of work ahead of me.
A wonderful book coach has given me exceptional feedback to help make this book strong and compelling. Also, in April of 2021 I’m participating in the first #5amWritersClub virtual writing retreat, Unforgettable Characters and Incredible Journeys, a three-day event with 20 writers working our buns off to improve our own and each other’s work. I’ll report on that experience once I’m on the other side. You can read my pre-retreat post here.
My first poetry collection, Economies of Gratitude, was published by Penumbra Press in 2007. Other poetry, short fiction, book reviews, creative non-fiction, and academic essays have appeared or are forthcoming in various journals. Visit my Publications page for the latest news.
I hope you’ll stick around for a while. Please leave me comments on my posts, or contact me with the form below. You can also find me on Twitter, Tumblr, and IG.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you.
All content is copyright to Ellen Symons.
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Contact me:
A Space to be Filled 
Hi Ellen, I loved your poem. And I wish Ottawa and Alabama were not so far apart. Although I do not have sheep next door, I do have my turtles and now and again a deer out back eating azealas.
Good luck with this new venture
Love, Marty (aka Mary Frances)
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Marty, I wish we were tea-distance apart. I love your descriptions of the world around you: turtles, deer, Dachschunds, the lake … And I love that you appreciate the poem. Love, Ellen (a.k.a. Ellen Frances. For real.)
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Hi. This is Diana. I am sitting on the couch with mum on Willistead and she was talking about our dinner theatre when we served cannelloni and mark sang singin in the rain. I like to write poems too but I’ve just done a few. We enjoyed your first poem here. Is this you??
Merry Christmas if so to you and your family. Otherwise merry Christmas anyway!
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Didi!!! 🙂 Hi, Diana, yes, it’s me. How nice to hear from you. Those are good memories. How about our haunted house and the ice capades! My mom said your folks still live on Willistead – please give them a big hello from me. I miss the street – it was a great place to grow up. I would love to keep in touch with you.
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Hi Ellen, it’s Karen Haiko (now Karen Gardin). Remember me from Hendrie Junior ranger camp? So you are a writer! That’s fantastic. A group of us from Ranger camp are trying to reconnect. We found you on Facebook and sent some messenger messages and an invite to our Facebook group where we have been posting pictures
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Hi, Karen! So cool! I suppose the Facebook messages went to my “other” folder and I didn’t see them. I’m mostly on Twitter, but I will get myself over to Facebook and join the group. Thanks for finding me!
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