Elizabeth Ellis grew up in the Appalachian Mountains in a family of storytellers. Her grandfather, a circuit riding preacher, told stories he had collected in his travels through the mountains. He also shared tales he created to delight his grandchildren. Her aunt was a keeper of the old fairytales that she had learned from her Irish immigrant grandmother. When Elizabeth was a child, her closest friends were imaginary. On some levels that is still true today.

Elizabeth received a Bachelor’s degree from Milligan College in English and History. Always gravitating to stories, she earned a Masters degree in Education with a specialization in Librarianship to disadvantaged children from East Tennessee State University.

A recruiting trip to her library school by Dallas Public Library brought her to relocate in Texas. Ten years as a Children’s Librarian, and later as a Community Services Librarian, at the Dallas Public Library proved to be an outstanding foundation for telling stories to children and teens.

In 1978 Elizabeth invited her long-time friend Gayle Ross to accompany her to the National Storytelling Festival. Meeting other people who made their living as storytellers made quite an impression. On the trip home, “We could do that.” turned to “I’ll do it if you will.” The storytelling duo The Twelve Moons Storytellers was born.

Making enough money to support two households was quite a challenge. As Elizabeth recalls, “I had children and Gayle had a horse, and they all needed shoes.” So, after four years the two of them began developing careers as solo tellers.

From the Hans Christian Andersen Statue in New York’s Central Park to the Glistening Waters Festival in New Zealand, Elizabeth has captivated listeners everywhere she goes. She has taken storytelling to a variety of unexpected places, such as the amputee ward at Walter Reed Medical Center and into the work of Public Defenders and the United Way.

She is a repeat favorite at the National Storytelling Festival and has been a Storyteller-in-Residence at the International Storytelling Center.

Elizabeth Ellis at Hans Christian Anderson statue, Central Park, New York City

Elizabeth Ellis kissing a frog

Elizabeth Ellis at Timpanogos Storytelling Festival

The first recipient of the John Henry Faulk Award from the Tejas Storytelling Association, Elizabeth has served three terms as its President. She has mentored and coached storytellers in Texas and around the nation for forty years. The National Storytelling Network honored her in 1997 with the Circle of Excellence Award which is “given to those recognized nationally by their peers to be master storytellers”.

Elizabeth is the author of From Plot to Narrative, an award=winning hand book for the creation of stronger and more engaging stories, and Every Day a Holiday, a collection of some of her popular personal stories. With Loren Niemi, she co-authored the pioneering book Inviting the Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories.

In 2013 the National Storytelling Network honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. This is “presented to individuals in the storytelling community who have demonstrated meritorious service to the National Storytelling Network and to the storytelling community at large. The individuals who are awarded are those who have expanded public awareness of the art of storytelling by the virtue of their preservation of traditional art forms or the significant originality of their body of work.”

Elizabeth is a mother and a grandmother. She lives in Dallas with her dog Woof.