Lucretia

Ernest Ellis (1920–1980) was the recipient of a major Hopwood Award in drama while at the University of Michigan, and served as a navigator in the US Navy during World War II. He graduated from Tufts University, did graduate work at the University of Michigan, and received his MA in English from Michigan State University. Ellis was born into an extended immigrant family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 22, 1920. Here he heard the language which had traveled half way around the world seeking shelter, security—even prosperity— for those who could make the leap. Family ties were close, opportunities plentiful, and work difficult. A brilliant student and promising athlete, Ellis shared his college education with work in the family produce business—shipping, loading, and unloading, much of which was done by hand, by the very strong, and the very needy; like those who appear in his one-act play, DAWN. Ellis was married to Patricia Fisk and father of three children, living most of his life in the countryside outside his hometown, Grand Rapids, Michigan, always with German Shepherd dogs. Ellis spent much time writing, several years teaching and running family businesses, and was an avid gardener, who enjoyed light farming “to rest my eyes.” His first published novel, There Lies a Tale, challenged us to strip away the comforting blinders from our eyes and confront the incoherence of the human situation. “There Lies a Tale is a literary parable of Auschwitz…Dwelling on the wishful blindness of times past, Ellis introduces intriguing elements of fantasy and symbolism to compel interest in the familiar story’s telling once again.” Stanton Peckham, the Denver Post

Ernest Ellis (1920–1980) was the recipient of a major Hopwood Award in drama while at the University of Michigan, and served as a navigator in the US Navy during World War II. He graduated from Tufts University, did graduate work at the University of Michigan, and received his MA in English from Michigan State University. Ellis was born into an extended immigrant family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 22, 1920. Here he heard the language which had traveled half way around the world seeking shelter, security—even prosperity— for those who could make the leap. Family ties were close, opportunities plentiful, and work difficult. A brilliant student and promising athlete, Ellis shared his college education with work in the family produce business—shipping, loading, and unloading, much of which was done by hand, by the very strong, and the very needy; like those who appear in his one-act play, DAWN. Ellis was married to Patricia Fisk and father of three children, living most of his life in the countryside outside his hometown, Grand Rapids, Michigan, always with German Shepherd dogs. Ellis spent much time writing, several years teaching and running family businesses, and was an avid gardener, who enjoyed light farming “to rest my eyes.” His first published novel, There Lies a Tale, challenged us to strip away the comforting blinders from our eyes and confront the incoherence of the human situation. “There Lies a Tale is a literary parable of Auschwitz…Dwelling on the wishful blindness of times past, Ellis introduces intriguing elements of fantasy and symbolism to compel interest in the familiar story’s telling once again.” Stanton Peckham, the Denver Post